Flavor Flav performs at SXSW on Friday
Photo: John Shearer/ Wire Image

AUSTIN, Texas — Every March, the music industry throws on a pair of shorts, slathers on the SPF 45 and heads on down to Austin for South by Southwest, a weeklong celebration of bands, BBQ and (sometimes free!) beer. It's a brutal bacchanal and music marathon powered by thousands of acts playing in hundreds of venues — at all hours — plus an unreal number of open bar tabs and fancy private parties.

Sleep is not exactly a top priority, so MTV News has dispatched three of its most tireless reporters into the fray. They'll be filing reports a few times each day (scroll down for the evening report), which will chiefly serve as a way of keeping you up to speed about what's going on deep in the heart of Texas, but also double as a convenient way — for us, anyway — of making sure everyone's still alive.

The Day

James Montgomery, MTV News writer: Another afternoon, another 36 Kool-Aid-colored wristbands to weigh down my wrists. At every day party I attend, my wrist gets slapped with a brightly colored piece of plastic (or, as is the case at the Levi's/Fader fort, two pieces), which — in theory — are supposed to keep the unwashed masses from gate-crashing and allow me preferred access to VIP areas and/or free booze. But the only thing they're really good for is snagging on clothing and making me look like this guy.

I know, I know ... cry me a river. But after only three days at SXSW, I'm totally starting to feel the inner Andy Rooney in me come to life (and he loves Robyn Hitchcock). Maybe it's the fact that every dude here is wearing a tank top, or the fact that every girl looks she's Karen O's stunt double. Who knows? ...

OK ... deep breath. Spent the afternoon at the SPIN party, where there was free popcorn, free ice cream, free cigarettes and, of course, more free wristbands! There was also a middling set from New Orleans funk act Galactic featuring cameos by a who's who of rappers that no one cares about (Lyrics Born, the Coup's Boots Reilly), a Kirsten Dunst sighting and a truly awesome early evening performance from the Kings of Leon, who rock nearly as hard as their pants are tight (and that's very).

Off now to get some dinner ... then hopefully catch a sweaty, late-night set from Girl Talk. Oh, also, my buddy in Beirut just invited me on a four-hour "BBQ excursion" set for Saturday afternoon. Wristbands or no, things are lookin' up, indeed!

John Norris, MTV News correspondent: By and large, the consensus in the local media and among people I have talked to seems to be that while the significance of SXSW has changed — I mean, we all know where music is "broken" in 2007, and it ain't at one gig at one festival — the festival still plays a vital role. As a one-stop shop for those who don't have bands rolling through their town every week, and for artists to get their music seen and heard by those in and out of the mainstream biz.

Among the bands, at varying levels of notoriety, that have introduced themselves to me on the streets of Austin and gotten their music into my hands in the past couple of days: Aloke, the GoStation, Locksley, New Year's Day, the Animators, the Stock Market Crash and some pretty cool garage girls from Atlanta who go by the lovely name the Coathangers (who count in their arsenal a fairly demure jam called "Nestle in My Boobies").

Finally, I have been avoiding going on a vegan rant for the last few days and just sucked it up and dealt with foraging around town to find non-animal-product dining. When in Rome ... yeah, yeah. Well, I'm sure as hell not gonna start eating flesh slathered in barbecue sauce, that's for sure. I'm often in situations like this — it means repeated trips to Asian places, which at least know what tofu is — so I've been twice to P.F. Chang's and once to Veggie Heaven. But then you slip and eat cheese sometimes. At last year's SXSW, even Chrissie Hynde — as much an icon of animal rights as a goddess of rock — told me she occasionally will eat cheese and she's been vegan for more than 30 years. Really, I love longhorns. To look at. Or pet. Not to eat, sit on or wear. End of screed.

Gil Kaufman, MTV News writer: I'm going to announce a moratorium on the bad-name thing, though Chicago's Flosstradamus get an honorable mention. Let me just say this now: If Australia's Youth Group don't become the next U2, something is seriously amiss. These guys have the kind of swaying, epic songs — like "Shadowland" — that fill up a dingy daytime bar show and make it feel like a stadium.

The pressure to melt down in public for new hot messes like Amy Winehouse must be intense, but it doesn't seem to be slowing down the hottest mess on everyone's tongue this week, Atlanta's notorious Black Lips. More than six years into their career, the band still knows how to shock, or revolt, as when guitarist Cole Alexander lost his lunch mid-solo just two songs into the band's set. Pro that he is, he never missed a lick, though the crowd did take a step back.

Note to the dude walking down the street with earplugs in: Bro, yeah, it's loud in the venues sometimes, but you can take them out on the way to lunch.

One of the reasons rock stars love South By (that's what the cool kids call it, for real) is they can just blend in, because every hipster doofus worth his salt has rats-nest hair, too-tight jeans and an expensive-looking ripped shirt. So, if you walk down the street and see Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore hanging on the corner, or Joan Jett waiting for a cab outside your hotel, yeah, it's them.

Speaking of which, I was on the phone in the elevator and I see a guy walk in with a huge clock around his neck and a bunch of dookie chains and my first thought is, "What kind of a bozo thinks he can cop that look from Flavor Flav in 2007?" Oh, my bad, it was Flavor Flav! We chatted, I wished him luck on his show Friday night (March 16) and when the doors opened, he gave me a knuckle pound and zoomed out into the lobby on his wheelies.

Here's what I missed today but heard about from people who were better line-jumpers than me: Pete Townshend jamming on "The Seeker" with the Fratellis, and Vietnam — or "those dudes with the giant beards," as one patron described them.

The Evening

James Montgomery: If you like slightly tubby guys with super scraggly beards, rare, out-of-print Boredoms 7-inches and uttering the phrase "They're still playing the same song?!" then the Ecstatic Peace Records and Tapes showcase was the place to be Friday night. Owned and operated by Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Ecstatic Peace releases records (actual records; like, on vinyl and everything) by a whole lot of erudite, experimental bands that you've never heard of, many of which — including the ethereal Gown, the drone-y Black Helicopter and the unpronounceable Charalambides — were on display tonight.

Of course, doe-eyed dreamboat Michael Pitt's little grunge outfit, Pagoda was there too, but I spotted John digging them pretty hard, so I'll leave it to him to document their set. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to get my fill of avant instrumentalism, and I was quickly out the door. But not before snagging a copy of the free Ecstatic Peace 'zine for my reading leisure. Thanks, Thurston!

Then it was off to Stubb's, where a little of the old "I'm with MTV News ... my camera crew is inside, and I need to get to them now!" routine (note: professional!) got me to the front of the line and into the much-hyped gig by Damon Albarn's new project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen. I'd been hearing a lot about how the whole thing was some sort of semi-conceptual play, a sort of time-skipping portrayal of life in London throughout the 20th Century, and I was anxious to check it out myself.

Sadly, all I got out of the performance a whole lot of former Clash bassist Paul Simonon's booming, bubbly low-end (I mean, seriously, dude was loud) and a few pictures of Albarn in a top hat. Playing on a stage littered with streamers and Union Jacks, in front of an impressionistic portrait of London, the atmosphere was right, but the music — all percolating, dubby basslines and three-quarter-speed guitars — wasn't. Truth be told, the whole thing was a complete snoozer. And if it was come sort of concept, I wasn't getting it. Maybe, on this night, I just wasn't smart enough for any of it. Not sleeping and existing solely on ribs and cigarettes tends to do that to a person.

John Norris: While I didn't stick around at Stubb's long enough to check out the Good, the Bad and the Queen, there was still plenty of the Snide, the grungy and the unexpected to go around.

Began my travels at Buffalo Billiards, where you rack 'em up downstairs and upstairs you hear music — cool music on this night, in the form of Nashville's Clem Snide, the band fronted and really embodied by one of the dryer, wittier guys in indie music, Eef Barzelay. He led his two backing players through a 40-minute set full of Clem Snide's trademark tunes that build and build ... and suddenly end. Eef's sarcasm was in abundance as well, in songs like "Girls Don't Care" and in his between-song patter, like when he told the SXSW crowd "You quench me. Your applause is like calamine lotion on my mosquito-bitten skin." Oh and he even busted out a bit of Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."

Three encounters making my way down a packed 6th Street: former MTV VJ and walking musical encyclopedia Matt Pinfield, shooting a show for DirectTV; my old pals Taylor and Zack Hanson, being interviewed for another video outlet; and Damaris Drummond, a performance artist who is planning to cover herself with vintage Atari joysticks on Saturday and ask people to choose one to play with. Where in Austin will this happen? "Wherever they will let me," says Damaris. I am not kidding.

Nor am I kidding when I say that Michael Pitt rocks. Pitt may be the easy-on-the-eyes actor who starred in "The Dreamers" and "Last Days," but he has apparently put acting on the backburner indefinitely to concentrate on his neo-grunge band Pagoda, who played outdoors at the Mohawk. With Pitt on guitar and wailing vocals (playing a Cobain-like character has clearly had an impact on him), plus bass, drums and cello (!) the band ripped through one impassioned song after another, and you might have thought it was 1993 all over again. Only one beef though: say something, dude. I get it, you want to downplay the "movie star as frontman" thing; who wouldn't? But apart from "Thanks Thurston" and "This is our last song," Pitt was totally mute ... and he tended to overdo the whole back-to-the-crowd thing. Mike — you can play guitar, you can sing and scream, your band is good. Lighten up.

Plenty light and comfortable is Mancunian troubadour Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy. Although large open-air Stubb's may not have been the best setting for his sound, Gough lit up the night with his peppy alt pop, including the winning title track from his most recent release, Born in the U.K. Plus, he's a dead ringer for my MTV News buddy Aaron Pinkston, who was watching the show with me. There could be a sitcom in here. Couple of bearded, longhaired, beanie-wearing dudes from opposite sides of the Atlantic. It could work ...

Gil Kaufman: If there's anyone who loves the Ramones more than me, it's Japanese punk bands. Which is why the Japan Night showcase is always at the top of my list. This year was no disappointment, with a killer set from Osaka's The50Kaitenz, a power trio who rocked a blistering set of Ramones-inspired rockabilly while wearing matching black suits with Colonel Sanders-style black string ties. They were followed by the equally off-the-charts Pistol Valve, a 10-woman collective with eight horn players, an electric violinist and DJ, all combining forces (like Voltron!) to create a truly unique brand of Afro-Cuban-funk-jazz-hip-hop-a--go-go, all while wearing fedoras and varying stages of lingerie.

After flashing my badge, dropping some names, pretending to call my nonexistent cameraman and using every slimy excuse I could think of to jump in front of the two-block long line, I finally got in to see hot not-mess Brazilian funk carioca trio Bonde do Role. The group — really just two MC's and a DJ — mash up party-ready Bailefunk rhythms with hip-hop and samples that range from classic rock to Brazilian dance and snatches of the "Grease" soundtrack, and they had the packed house bouncing off the walls. They got even the most jaded hipsters to throw down.

Can James snag himself a nap? Are there more Beyoncé covers in John's future? Will Gil's line-cutting come back to haunt him? Check back all weekend for our SXSW coverage!

Earlier this week:

· "Tom Morello's SXSW Gig Turns Into Raucous All-Star Jam With Slash, Perry Farrell"

· "Amy Winehouse Raises Eyebrows, Bloc Party Draw A Mob As SXSW Wakes Up"

· "Pete Wentz Clones Descend, Lily Allen Warbles As SXSW Gets Under Way"

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

[This story was originally published on 3.16.2007 at 8:45 p.m.]

• Five Coolest Things At SXSW 2007
• Morello Jams With Slash, Farrell At SXSW

• Kings Of Leon, Mastodon, Flava Flav, More Rock SXSW '07

• Flavor Flav
• Lyrics Born
• Galactic
• Kings Of Leon
• Beirut

Pete Townshend
Photo: MCA

Police in London have pushed back the date that the Who's Pete Townshend has to return for further inquiry regarding three suspected child pornography offenses: possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children.

The 57-year-old rock legend was due to be questioned on Monday, but police have rescheduled the interrogation for sometime in February, said a spokesperson for Scotland Yard, who would not reveal whether the delay was at Townshend's request or if the police need more time to gather evidence.

Townshend was arrested on January 13 as part of a widespread crackdown on people who view child pornography over the Internet (see "Pete Townshend Arrested In Child Porn Investigation").

In the days before his arrest, the guitarist proclaimed his innocence, saying he paid to view a child porn site and browsed through other free sites to conduct research for his upcoming autobiography, which will include material about how he may have been abused in his youth.

In the United States there is no legal defense for viewing child pornography, but in England those who look at it for "legitimate" reasons can be exempted.

Townshend continues to insist he has always been appalled by child pornography, and that he has taken numerous steps in the past to oppose it, including posting a lengthy diatribe on his Web site, giving money to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's Full Stop campaign and reporting child porn Web sites to the Internet Watch Foundation (see "Pete Townshend Released On Bail, Expected To Undergo Further Questioning").

In a post Wednesday on www.petetownshend.com, Townshend wrote that he has procured evidence from the IWF that he thinks will clear his name. A founder from the organization had previously claimed no knowledge of having been contacted by the guitarist, but the IWF admitted it made a mistake.

"I, of course, know that I did communicate with them several times last year, and they have now supplied to us copies of my e-mails to them, one in August and the rest in November," Townshend wrote. "My lawyers have written to the founder of the IWF, Mark Stephens, who was adamant that they had never heard from me, asking for an explanation."

In February, when Townshend again appears before the police, he will either be "rebailed" (asked to return pending further investigation), cleared or charged, police said. If charged for accessing child porn, he could face five years in jail. However, if he's charged for forwarding an e-mail containing such material he could face up to 10 years behind bars.

• Pete Townshend
• The Who

Who's Pete Townshend
Photo: Image Direct

After more than an hour of questioning by police about child pornography he viewed on the Web, the Who's Pete Townshend was released on bail. He will be ordered to return to a police station in late January for more questioning pending further investigation, Reuters reported.

Townshend was arrested Monday for suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children (see "Pete Townshend Arrested In Child Porn Investigation"), but he has not been charged with a crime. Under British law, suspects under arrest are not immediately charged, and some are released with no charge.

The guitarist, who is married and has three children, was nabbed as part of Operation Ore, a British child pornography investigation that has resulted in the arrest of more than 1,300 people in England, including teachers, judges, doctors, care workers, soldiers and over 50 cops, U.K. newspaper The Guardian reported. Operation Ore is the English response to Operation Avalanche, a U.S. Justice Department crackdown on over 250,000 suspected pedophiles around the world. That investigation was launched almost a year ago, and targeted subscribers to the world's largest Internet child porn network, which was run by a Texas couple who were jailed last year.

Over the weekend, Townshend admitted that he used a credit card to access an Internet child porn site, but claimed he did so only to conduct research for an autobiography that will address his own abusive childhood. Townshend has written about child molestation in his work (in the Who's 1969 rock opera Tommy a deaf, dumb and blind boy is sexually abused by his uncle), and said he thinks he might have been molested between the ages of five and six while under the care of his maternal grandmother. He insisted that he viewed the Internet child porn strictly to see if he could conjure up blocked memories.

In a comment to the British press, Townshend's mother Betty said, "I am unaware he had suffered abuse. If what he says is true he has carried it privately, even away from his mother and father. We are a loving Christian family and will continue to stand by Pete."

In a lengthy statement, Townshend insisted he is not a pedophile and emphasized how disgusted he is by the availability of child pornography over the Internet. He added that he has taken active steps to combat Internet pornography.

"I have felt for a long time that it is part of my duty, knowing what I know, to act as a vigilante to help support organizations like the Internet Watch Foundation, the NSPCC [National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children] and Scotland Yard to build up a powerful and well-informed voice to speak loudly about the millions of dollars being made by American banks and credit card companies for the pornography industry," he wrote. "That industry deliberately blurs what is legal and what is illegal, and different countries have different laws and moral values about this. I do not. I do not want child pornography to be available on the Internet anywhere at any time."

The NSPCC confirmed Monday that Townshend had given money to their Full Stop campaign against abuse, but a co-chairman of the Internet Watch Foundation didn't have any knowledge about Townshend's claims that he contacted the organization to complain about child porn sites.

Townshend's fate will likely be determined by the contents of the computers removed from his home by police, but at this point there is some evidence supporting his assertions that he passionately opposes child pornography. In a post on his official Web site in January 2002 (which has since been taken down), Townshend wrote about the need to prevent people from easily accessing child porn on the Net.

"It must be time to do something more concrete to stop the proliferation of questionable pornography that seems so readily and openly facilitated by the Internet," he wrote. "The Internet provides a very short route, indeed, to some of the most evil and shocking images of rape and abuse. The subconscious mind is deeply damaged and indelibly scarred by the sight of such images. And I can assure everyone reading this that if they go off in pursuit if images of pedophilic rape, they will find them. I urge them not to try ... If they do, they may, like me, become so enraged and disturbed that their dreams are haunted forever."

• Pete Townshend
• The Who

Pete Townshend
Photo: Image Direct

The Who's Pete Townshend has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography. British police have not yet charged the rock star with a crime, but they are holding him at a London police station, according to wire service reports.

Police nabbed Townshend for suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children.

Townshend could face up to five years in jail for accessing child porn online. If he forwarded the images to someone else, he could face up to 10 years.

The guitarist was arrested under the Protection of Children Act early Monday evening (January 13) after police searched his home and office in Richmond, Surrey, outside London. Police removed computers from the 57-year-old's home and are examining them.

Over the weekend, Townshend admitted he had used his credit card to enter a pay Web site advertising child pornography. He claimed he didn't download any images and was appalled by what he saw.

"I am not a pedophile," Townshend said in a statement. "I have never entered chat rooms on the Internet to converse with children. I have, to the contrary, been shocked, angry and vocal (especially on my Web site) about the explosion of advertised pedophilic images on the Internet."

Townshend claimed he accessed the Web sites because he was researching material for his autobiography, which will include passages about his abusive childhood. In his statement, he said he thinks he may have been sexually abused between the ages of 5 and 6 while in the care of his maternal grandmother, who was mentally ill.

"I cannot remember clearly what happened, but my creative work tends to throw up nasty shadows — particularly in Tommy," he said. "Some of the things I have seen on the Internet have informed my book, which I hope will be published later this year, and which will make clear to the public that if I have any compulsions in this area, they are to face what is happening to young children in the world today and to try to deal openly with my anger and vengeance towards the mentally ill people who find pedophilic pornography attractive."

Townshend's bandmate Roger Daltrey leapt to his defense Sunday in the U.K.'s Sun tabloid, saying, "I believe Pete is innocent. I believe his innocence will be proven. My gut instinct is that he is not a pedophile, and I know him better than most. If he was a Gary Glitter, I'd tell you and I'd say he deserves everything he gets. Pete has perhaps been a little naive the way he has gone about it, but I believe his intentions are good."

The Who singer added that Townshend told him how disgusted he was by Internet child porn after he once accidentally clicked onto such a Web site while surfing the Net with his son, Joseph, who is now 16.

"Pete was very angry about how easy it was to get hold of child pornography on the Internet," Daltrey said. "The ad was made to look like a video game, attractive to kids. It made him angry that people were making money out of it, and he's discussed this a lot with me."

Townshend was busted as part of Operation Ore, which is England's reaction to Operation Avalanche, a U.S. Justice Department crackdown on more than 250,000 suspected pedophiles across the globe, who were traced using credit cards to pay for Internet child pornography. In recent weeks, Scotland Yard has arrested over than 1,300 suspects in the investigation, including more than 50 police officers, judges, teachers, doctors, care workers and soldiers, the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper reported.

[This story was updated on 01.13.03 at 05:21 p.m. ET.]

• The Who
• Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend, creative force behind the Who and a member of rock royalty, says that his recent surfing of an Internet child pornography site was for research purposes only.

"I'm not a pedophile," declared the guitarist in a recent statement.

The 57-year-old songwriter, whose 1969 opera Tommy referenced elements of sexual abuse, is writing an autobiography of his childhood. His public statement came in response to an item in London's Daily Mail, which reported that Scotland Yard was investigating an internationally recognized rock star on child pornography charges.

No specific identification of Townshend was made.

The guitarist, who is the father of four children, explained the context behind his use of a credit card to pay for access to a child porn site on the Internet. "I believe I was sexually abused between the age of five and six and a half when in the care of my maternal grandmother, who was mentally ill at the time. I cannot remember clearly what happened, but my creative work tends to throw up nasty shadows - particularly in Tommy."

The rock opus, which was made into a 1975 film starring Who vocalist Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Elton John, and Jack Nicholson, contains one explicit track, "Fiddle About," in which the title character is molested by his "wicked" uncle, Ernie.

Townshend said that he is appalled by those who participate in and fuel the child porn industry, including banks that turn a profit from those paying for porn via credit cards. He said that he has contacted the authorities, but hasn't had a full discussion with them to explain the situation.

Associated Press reports that Operation Ore is the British arm of an FBI-led investigation which globally racked 250,000 suspected pedophiles around the world through credit card details used to pay for downloading child pornography. Information on suspects in England was passed on to British police by U.S. investigators.

"To fight against pedophilia, you have to know what's out there.

Some of the things I have seen on the Internet have informed my book, which I hope will be published later this year," Townshend offered.

Three decades ago, the songwriter's Lifehouse Chronicles suite imagined a technical method of global communication that parallels the World Wide Web of today. Townshend's recent statement also addressed its power.

"I predicted many years ago that what was to become the Internet would be used to subvert, pervert, and destroy the lives of decent people."

• Pete Townshend
• The Who
• Roger Daltrey
• Elton John

Dee Dee Ramone's guitar and leather jacket
Photo: Hard Rock

The worldwide Hard Rock Cafe chain is opening its vault of music memorabilia to offer the public a glimpse at its treasures, trinkets and trophies. And while ogling such items as Jim Morrison's leather pants and the over-the-top capes worn by Elvis and Elton John, music fans can also brush up on their rock history.

The Hard Rock Vault in Orlando, Florida, will give patrons a peek at its collection, spread out over 17,000 square feet, at a "soft launch" on Monday (December 23), though music fans must wait until January 16 for the official ribbon-cutting, according to a Hard Rock spokesperson. Among the items on display are B.B. King's "Lucille" guitar, Dee Dee Ramone's guitar and black leather jacket, Buddy Holly's signature horn-rimmed glasses, the motorcycle jacket and boots Bruce Springsteen wore on the cover of his Born to Run album, and the two items that started it all for the Hard Rock franchise — the guitars of Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend that hung above the bar in the original Hard Rock Cafe in London (click for photos).

Besides the expected bric-a-brac that is similar to what hangs in Hard Rock Cafes around the world, the Vault offers a virtual time machine called the Total Immersion Tour that allows folks to journey through influential eras like the late '70s punk explosion ("The Back Alley"), the mind-bending '60s ("The Psychedelic Meltdown") and the British Invasion ("The Light and the Dark"), so named for two bands, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, that were almost diametrically opposed in their approach, but together wound up changing the face of music forever.

And what nest of nostalgia would be complete without an homage to Elvis? "The King's Chamber" is the place to go to find items from Presley's early days as a wide-eyed, blues-loving kid from Tupelo, Mississippi, on through his bejeweled reign over the Las Vegas strip.

• The Doors
• Buddy Holly
• B.B. King
• Dee Dee Ramone
• The Ramones

John Entwistle
Photo: VH1

Cocaine caused the heart attack that killed the Who's bassist John Entwistle, a coroner reported Thursday.

The Las Vegas medical examiner also classified the death as accidental and not due to an overdose, according to the Associated Press. How much cocaine was in Entwistle's system couldn't be determined, however.

The drug caused his coronary arteries — already damaged by a pre-existing heart condition — to contract, which led to the fatal heart attack.

The 57-year-old's body was found June 27 in his hotel room at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a day before the Who were to begin a three-month tour at the hotel's venue (see "John Entwistle, Bassist For The Who, Dead At 57").

The originally scheduled tour kickoff was postponed in the wake of Entwistle's death, but the two surviving founding members, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, along with a session bassist filling in for the departed Ox, continued with their tour plans July 1 in Hollywood, California (see "The Who, Fans Join Together At 'Very Difficult' Tour Kickoff").

• The Who
• John Entwistle
• Pete Townshend
• Roger Daltrey

John Entwistle
Photo: MCA

Just one day after Who bassist John Entwistle passed away on the eve of the band's U.S. tour, his bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have vowed to continue on with the trek.

Although the tour's scheduled kickoff Friday (June 28) in Las Vegas has been postponed, as has Saturday's show in Irvine, California, the group will begin the three-month tour Monday in Los Angeles, according to the Who's manager. The postponed shows are expected to be rescheduled.

"The Ox has left the building — we've lost another great friend. Thanks for your support and love," Townshend and Daltrey collectively said in a statement.

Townshend and Daltrey consider the tour a tribute to John Entwistle and have the full support of the Entwistle family, which views the band's decision as what John would have wanted.

"He lived for music and will always live within the Who's music," Entwistle's son, Christopher, said in a statement. "This is what he would have wished, and our love goes out to the remaining bandmembers and the entourage that makes up the Who family."

Entwistle died in his sleep Thursday morning in his Las Vegas hotel room (see ). Session bassist Pino Palladino will fill in for Entwistle on tour, according to a spokesperson for the Who's label, MCA Records.

The decision to play on comes as much of the music community is still coming to terms with the loss of one of rock's most influential and talented players (to see what fans have to say about Entwistle's passing and share your thoughts, visit You Tell Us).

Entwistle's style — lines containing peaks and valleys that coalesced into a solid rhythm — was innovative during a time when bassists were traditionally known more for their staid dependability than their musical proficiency. But once Entwistle made his presence felt on early Who songs like "Legal Matter," "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "The Ox," the role of those strapped with the four-string was never the same.

"John Entwistle was a massive force in the bass-playing world just because, for one thing, he was one of the first guys to really bring the bass to the forefront of the mix," said former Primus/current Frog Brigade frontman and bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool. "As well as his tone and the way he approached his instrument was pretty unique for its time. There are a lot of bass players out there who are influenced by Entwistle, whether they know it or not."

The slap-happy Claypool's sentiment was echoed by Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford: "Music lovers everywhere will miss John Entwistle," he said in a statement, "whether they know it or not. Another unsung hero that influenced me dies without the respect he deserves."

Even former P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins, whose on-the-one style doesn't overtly draw from Entwistle's rolling rock rhythms, acknowledges his tremendous contribution to the rock pantheon.

"Anytime you lose a person it reflects on the initial family, but when you lose a legendary part of history it seems to affect all of us," he wrote in a statement. "Thank God his part in history was well established. From one bassist to another, thank you for some really great music and fun! We miss you already."

Entwistle's unique style also demonstrated musical maneuvers never before thought possible, and he pulled them off without so much as a grimace to indicate even a strain of difficulty.

"I got the Who's Live at Leeds when I was 16, and it made me want to be a bass player," Rancid's Matt Freeman said. "He showed me that you could make the bass into a lead instrument, playing thirds and fifths and all kinds of harmonies, and not just simple rock basslines that would normally just follow the root chords. Plus his sound was always aggressive and sometimes extremely distorted. John Entwistle's bass playing will always speak to me."

Like George Harrison, who died in November (see "Former Beatle George Harrison Dead At 58"), Entwistle was the most reserved member of his animated, charismatic group, with a heart the size of his far-reaching rhythmic range.

"[He was a] great friend for many years," former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman expressed in a statement. "The quietest man in private, but the loudest onstage! He was unique and irreplaceable. I am shocked and devastated."

"He was a giant in the field," said Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, who performed with Entwistle on his band's The Deep End, Vol. 1, a forum for guest bassists to fill in for the late Allen Woody (see ). "He influenced every bass player to come after him. ... He was a wonderful, warm, funny human being."

"John was an innovative player and a fine musician," said former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. "A backbone of the English rock scene, we shall miss him."

Perhaps no song in the Who's arsenal had such a profound impact on listeners as the anthem "My Generation," and more specifically, Entwistle's tumbling solo that led to a cymbal-crashing maelstrom.

"When I was in high school," wrote former Metallica/current Echobrain bassist Jason Newsted, "I heard 'My Generation' for the first time. It opened my eyes and showed me a different approach to the bass guitar."

"He revolutionized bass playing with his bass solo in 'My Generation,' " wrote Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, "and he brought the bass technique and bass players to the forefront in rock music."

Another deft rhythm king who couldn't help being affected by Entwistle, former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt, expressed his admiration for the "My Generation" solo with a poem:

Dearly will miss your thunderfingers
Rest easy, Ox
Always part of you
In the bassist part of me

On that "Ed Sullivan Show"
When you did "My Generation" right
With that bass solo
The cameraman focused on Townshend
Stupid f---
(The cameraman, not Pete)

Wow how he wowed me
Much taught me much
Don't be afraid, Watt
Charge hard
Let your bass sing
Your young man blues

• The Who
• John Entwistle
• Roger Daltrey
• Pete Townshend

The Who's John Entwistle
Photo: MCA

John Entwistle, bassist for the legendary rock band the Who, died in his sleep Thursday morning (June 27) in his room at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. He was 57.

Entwistle's body was discovered by his road assistant at around noon local time, said his manager Steve Luongo. The cause of death is still under investigation, but Luongo said it is believed that the bassist died of a heart attack.

While Entwistle had a heart condition, he seemed to be in good health and his death came as a complete surprise, Luongo said.

The Who had rehearsed together Wednesday night in Las Vegas and were due to launch a tour there Friday night. The bassist was also scheduled to attend a show of his artwork in Grammy's Art of Music Gallery at the Aladdin Desert Passage Shops the afternoon he died.

The band's North American outing would have been the continuation of a triumphant reunion that began in 2000 with a highly successful world tour. The renewed buzz about the band reached a peak last year when the Who became the hands-down highlight at the Concert for New York City (see "McCartney, Jagger, Bowie, The Who Come To NY's Aid"). All the tension and energy of the moment was galvanized in the band's explosive set, which included hits like "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You."

Encouraged by their recent success, the band were planning to return to the studio in October to work on their first new material since 1982's It's Hard (see "Who Hope Onstage Magic Translates To Studio"). In an interview with MTV News late last year, Entwistle said, "We're working so well as a five piece. We want to try to carry that on the album somehow. We're eager to see what happens."

The Who's last shows with Entwistle were on February 7 and 8 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Entwistle, considered to be one of the greatest rock bassists of all time, was familiar to fans for his sturdy basslines and deadpan performance style. While vocalist Roger Daltrey bounded around the stage and swung his microphone like a lasso and guitarist Pete Townshend windmilled, Entwistle would stand stock-still and expressionless. His passages were especially important to the band's music because he held down the rhythms with flair while drummer Keith Moon flailed away.

The bassist also sang and wrote several of the band's deep tracks and B-sides, including "Silas Stingy," "Whiskey Man," "My Wife," "Trick of the Light," "The Quiet One," "Heaven and Hell" and the quirky "Boris the Spider," perhaps his best-known Who song.

"We lost the Jimi Hendrix of bass guitar," said manager Luongo.

In addition to his work with the Who, Entwistle recorded seven studio albums, beginning with 1971's Smash Your Head Against the Wall and ending with 2000's Music From Van-Pires. He was the first member of the band to release a solo LP.

With his solo material, Entwistle more deeply expressed his morbid side and his dark sense of humor, which was keenly depicted in the graveyard imagery on the cover of his third solo album, Rigor Mortis Sets In. He sometimes wore a skeleton jumpsuit onstage and was never seen without his trademark spider pendant.

Born in Chiswick, London, Entwistle was accomplished in both the piano and French horn. At age 15, he became bassist for the Confederates, a grammar-school skiffle group that also included guitarist Townshend. Impressed with his deft musicianship, Daltrey plucked Entwistle for his group, the Detours, with Townshend following his lead soon after. Drummer Keith Moon eventually rounded out the lineup, and the group renamed themselves the High Numbers, and finally the Who. The band, a frontrunner of the second wave of British Invasion groups, released their debut album, The Who Sings My Generation, in 1965.

After three albums of solid, R&B-based rock and a 1968 compilation, Magic Bus,, the Who shattered convention with the ambitious rock opera Tommy in 1969. Other landmark releases followed. 1970's Live at Leeds is widely considered to be one of the best live albums ever recorded. It was followed the next year by Who's Next, which included the hits "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Baba O'Riley." The band returned to an epic songwriting style in 1973 with Quadrophenia, a concept album about feuding sects of mods and rockers.

Tragedy struck the band in 1978 when Moon died of an accidental drug overdose just weeks after the release of the album Who Are You. He was replaced by former Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones. Two more studio albums followed. Then in 1982 the band embarked on what they billed their farewell tour, which was documented on the live album Who's Last in 1984.

The band reunited a year later for Live Aid, and in 1989 they staged a 25th anniversary reunion tour. A period of dormancy followed until 1994 when the band again reformed, this time for two concerts to celebrate Daltrey's 50th birthday. The band performed a number of one-off shows of Tommy and Quadrophenia in the years that followed before staging a full-scale comeback tour in 2000.

[This story was updated on 06.27.02 at 9:15 p.m. ET.]

• The Who
• John Entwistle
• Roger Daltrey
• Pete Townshend

John Entwistle
Photo: VH1

The members of the Who have considered reentering the studio together for well over a year, and on Friday they met at their management's London office to talk about it.

Because of prior commitments by each of its members, the band will be unable record for an extended period any time soon. Nevertheless, the Who plan to schedule two short recording sessions before the end of the year, bassist John Entwistle said from his home in rural England.

"We know the magic happens onstage," he said, "but we haven't tried it in the studio yet. We're eager to see what happens. It's a long time between albums."

Eighteen years, to be exact. In 1982, the band released the uneven studio record It's Hard but broke up soon afterward following an alleged farewell tour. Since then, they've reconvened numerous times to perform "Tommy," "Quadrophenia" and greatest-hits concerts with deluxe orchestration and backing musicians. Then last year, the Who hit the road once again as a five-piece, a move that reignited their enthusiasm for playing together.

"I think that made us feel a lot closer," Entwistle said. "We're working so well as a five-piece that we want to try to carry that onto the album somehow."

The band will work on the new material at both Entwistle's and guitarist Pete Townshend's recording studios. At the moment, both artists have plenty of ideas for new songs but nothing completely written — although Entwistle has two tunes, left over from a TV project he did titled "Vampires," he might convert into Who tunes.

"They're only possibilities at this point," he said. "I'd have to change the words and a lot of stuff because they were for a kid's program and they're pretty tame. I just have ideas, riffs I know I could write songs from. But whether they're going to be in a bluesy style or something else, I don't know yet."

Entwistle said he hopes the band will also write material based around improvised passages the Who developed during their most recent tour.

"Whenever we do the jams at the end of some of our songs onstage, I try to work out some new songs around those jams," he said. "There's always loads and loads of songs in bits and pieces from that. It's basically just a matter of grabbing the bits and joining them together to see what comes out."

Even if the Who can't recapture the magic of yesteryear, the band probably won't wither up and fade away.

"Most people who come to a concert want to hear old stuff anyway. They don't want to hear new stuff they've never heard before or are just getting into," Entwistle said. "And we're still playing great together. I don't think we'll be breaking up again."

Before heading into the studio, the Who will participate in the October 20 World Trade Center benefit concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, which will also feature Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, Macy Gray, the Goo Goo Dolls, James Taylor, India.Arie and Melissa Etheridge (see "Paul McCartney Joining Bon Jovi, Macy Gray For New York Benefit").

Entwistle said the band will play five or six songs but has yet to decide upon a setlist.

"Let's just hope they're easy ones, because we won't have much time to rehearse," he joked.

While he's honored to play the benefit, he has reservations about the size and scope of the show.

"I think it can get a little bit too much," he explained. "The more musicians on it, the less time people have to play. Also, when we did Live Aid, there was utter confusion backstage. It was a complete catastrophe as far as we were concerned. We had no monitors for the tapes we were using so everything fell apart. I'd hate to get involved in another fiasco like that."

• The Who
• John Entwistle
• Pete Townshend
• Roger Daltrey

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