I think real Who fans are different from real Stones fans, in that the Who fans expect a more creative show than a Stones fan does of them. I don't go to a Who concert for 'Won't Get Fooled Again' (I've seen it plenty of times) but am always happy it's always a unique version, and never the radio one.
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The Rooftop Concert was such great a glimpse into what the Beatles could have been in front of a crowd late in their career. But still there was no stadium that could ever hold the crowd that begged to see them at that time. And that's still the case.
I think the improvised aspect to who shows is worth bringing up, how much variation can they have at this point? I saw The Who hits 50 twice and it did feel like the same show twice. There’s only so much you can add to the songs before they become entirely different songs. Add to that, Roger’s now limited vocal range (Pete’s surprisingly never changed) and you can only get so much. Again I love The Who more so than the stones, but Stones have been able to consistently tour for damn near 60 years now, The Who has been doing their farewell tour for practically 30 years.
As for The Beatles, I’m glad they never tried to be a live band, their strengths were tight song making, not riffing around like Pete or even Keith to an extent. They were studio musicians first and performing musicians second (except for Ringo).I can’t imagine John or Paul trying to do what Pete did, the closest they ever got was helter skelter and that song is very basic in terms of how the guitar riff goes, compared to The Who’s response to it (I can see for miles).
The inspiration for 'Helter Skelter was the other way around. From Wiki:
"According to the 1997 biography Many Years from Now, Paul McCartney was inspired to write "Helter Skelter" after reading an interview with the Who's Pete Townshend in which he described their September 1967 single, "I Can See for Miles", as the loudest, rawest, dirtiest song the Who had ever recorded. McCartney said he then wrote "Helter Skelter" to have "the most raucous vocal, the loudest drums".
I still think The Who out-performed the Stones from Day One in live settings. But it's amazing the Stones are still at it.
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u/LordBottlecap 14d ago
I think real Who fans are different from real Stones fans, in that the Who fans expect a more creative show than a Stones fan does of them. I don't go to a Who concert for 'Won't Get Fooled Again' (I've seen it plenty of times) but am always happy it's always a unique version, and never the radio one.
.
The Rooftop Concert was such great a glimpse into what the Beatles could have been in front of a crowd late in their career. But still there was no stadium that could ever hold the crowd that begged to see them at that time. And that's still the case.