The NFL season concludes this weekend... and naturally we celebrate America's biggest sporting event with a musical act from Great Britain. The WHO play the halftime show this year... and there are plenty of cases for and against their selection-- as there is for anything and everything else this weekend.
Full disclosure-- I was heavy into the WHO while in high school... although I appreciated the Stones and enjoyed the Beatles, I connected with the WHO. Blame two duets: Paul McCartney hamming up with Michael Jackson in "Say, Say, Say" and Mick Jagger being rather ambiguous with David Bowie during "Dancing in the Streets" (SOUTH AMERICA!). Besides, the Beatles were the Good Guys and the Stones were the Bad Boys-- and I was more of a good guy who made bad decisions crossed with a bad guy who tried to do good things. The WHO's ridiculously tight singles from the 60's charged me... while albums like Who's Next and Quadrophenia spoke to me. More on that later...
Hall Pass-- voting's announced at 4pm Eastern... Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are slam-dunks; then there are more than a few great players who will just sneak in or be left out in the cold. While there's a DC area groundswell for Russ Grimm (and he is deserving), the biggest omission continues. Ray Guy remains unjustly robbed. How can the premier punter of his generation be denied? If Jan Stenerud's in Canton-- lets have at least one punter (who also handled kickoffs and was the Raiders emergency #3 quarterback) to balance things out. They once examined footballs for helium after Guy blasted a few for touchbacks--and anytime the periodic table of elements is called into question...you have to make him a hall of famer.
My generation?-- when will the NFL move into the 21st century artist-wise? I thought the league turned the corner with Prince in 2007... but after Tom Petty (best work was in the 80's) and Bruce Springsteen (best work was in the 70's)...the WHO represent another step back-- say what you will about "Eminence Front" and "Athena", but their best work--singles like "Substitute" and "I Can See For Miles and Miles" with groundbreaking albums like Sell Out and Tommy. Does this mean Little Richard and Chuck Berry (50's icons) are on deck for next year? And who from the 40's can we scare up for 2012? My pick for next year's entertainment: The Eagles. Mainstream enough... still young enough... and they all love football. I already have their set planned: "Life in the Fast Lane" followed by "Take it Easy"... with "Heartache Tonight" sending the fans home happy... and baby boomers off to their mid-game nap. Somebody's gonna hurt someone...
Labor Pains-- the league has prospered over the last 20+ years while we've seen a lockout and a World Series cancelled, an NBA season turned into a 50-game mockery and an NHL lockout plus a season wiped out of existence. The NFL has taken the lead on the sporting landscape because it's been playing uninterrupted since 1987... a message to owners and players-- don't mess this up. Get a CBA in place and avoid an uncapped year... because we want to follow X's and O's, not percentages of the gross and revenue streams. Continue to collect your ridiculous (but market-bearing) checks... don't try to reinvent a wheel that's been printing money for nearly a quarter century.
Another case against the WHO-- did the NFL not realize that two of the band's core members have passed away? John Entwhistle earlier this decade and Keith Moon back in the 1970's. It's like having the Temptations with just Otis Williams... the Grateful Dead with merely Phil Lesh or the Beach Boys with only Mike Love.
While Roger Daltrey's voice and Pete Townshend's mind/heart/soul are the face of this Hall of Fame band, let's not discount how instrumental (literally and figuratively) Entwhistle and Moon were to defining sound. Moon's scattershot ADD drumming always seemed to be one step away from chaos...but along with Entwhistle's melodic bass that made its presence known without overshadowing the others the rhythm section of the WHO provided the perfect springboard for their greatness. New halftime rule: more than 50% of your band must participate to perform at halftime... and no silly substitutions with soundalikes. Attention Journey and Styx: if either of you want to have any hope-- you have to make up with Steve Perry and Dennis De Young.
More on the game, the WHO, what to watch for on TV and on the table plus my pick coming soon...
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