Steve McNair announced his retirement from football today. He had spent the last two seasons in Baltimore after having a solid career with the Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers. McNair was one of the toughest QBs to play the game and the way he played the QB position took a tremendous toll on his body. For Titan fans he produced some very memorable moments and almost pulled out a thrilling victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. After the unusual circumstances in the way McNair left the Titans, I hope they bring him back and honor him accordingly this season.
If you get a chance to see McNair highlights from his college days at Alcorn St. you are in for a treat. He was an unreal athlete who could run all over the field like Vick and had the big arm. I still remember this SI cover from his senior year. With Favre retiring last month, the NFL has lost two of the toughest QBs to play the position.
Anyone who enjoys music probably has a favorite band or singer. It could be Kiss like this guy or the Beastie Boys getting live on the spot. For me it is The Who, they are an incredible band and live they blow you away. They were raw, loud and in your face. Live they were pure power and nobody past or present can bring it like The Who in their prime. Pete Townshend plays guitar and wrote the songs that the band would become famous for, “My Generation”, “Baba O’Riley”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. In 1969, he wrote Tommy the first rock opera, which would become a staple of their legendary live shows. Keith Moon was the legendary drummer who was known as the “Loon” for his off the wall behavior, despite his antics the guy could beat the crap out of the drums. He died of a drug overdose and to me The Who has not been the same. John Entwistle, “The Ox”, was the bassist and is widely considered the greatest bass player ever, listen to the bass line on “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, it is tremendous. He died in 2002, of a heart attack and to me this was a bigger loss than Keith Moon. Roger Daltrey is the lead singer and his primal scream on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is iconic.
After a couple of different drummers The Who finally found a drummer whose style is very similar to Moon’s. Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey has been drumming with The Who since 1994 and he has done a great job. As the saying goes you don’t want to be the guy following a legend. I have not heard them play with Entwistle’s replacement Pino Pallidino. My brother, another huge fan, says he is good and I will take his word for it. Townshend and Daltrey although getting older are still touring to large crowds and are releasing a new album later in the year.
The Beatles and Rolling Stones were better studio musicians than The Who but to me the mark of a great band is their live performances. I have a number of favorite Who performances but here are two of my favorites. The first one is from 1968 and The Who’s appearance on The Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus. After this special, a tour with the Stones and The Who was going to take place. The Who’s performance blew the Stones out of the water, which prompted them to cancel the tour and lock away the recording of the show for a number of years. The second clip is from the Concert for New York City after the 9/11 attacks, with Zak Starkey on drums. The Who steals the show with their impressive performance and I recommend checking out their entire set from the concert. When viewing these clips make sure the volume dial is set to 11.
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