The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970; The Who: Live in Boston

A year after The Who's ragged performance at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, the British group appeared at the troubled Isle of Wight fest in much better form and ready to play for 600,000 restless fans. A portion of their set appeared in Murray Lerner's theatrically-released documentary Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival--The Movie, which (like Albert and David Maysles' contemporaneous Gimme Shelter) is a portrait of counterculture meltdown. Regardless of surrounding events at the multi-day show, The Who's incendiary performance is well worth experiencing on musical terms alone. Recorded at a moment between the band's (arguably) two greatest recordings, Tommy and Who's Next, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle delve into familiar and then-new material, offering a thrilling overview of the group's transition into the 1970s. Highlights include several selections from Tommy, along with "I Can't Explain," "Shakin' All Over," and "Magic Bus," among others. Presented in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, the DVD also includes a new 30-minute interview with Townshend. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P.The Who: Live in Boston, a 21-song concert performed during The Who's 2002 American tour, suffers from the absence of bass player John Entwistle, who tragically died on the eve of the tour's kickoff. Without Entwistle's complex bass lines and muscular sound, and still reeling from their loss, the band seems a bit diminished, but are surrounded here by old friends (Zak Starkey on drums, Rabbit Bundrick on keyboards, Pete's brother Simon on guitar and vocals). Daltrey and Townshend work their way through early songs such as "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" and "My Generation" while offering fresh arrangements on selections off their rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia. Temporary bassist Pino Palladino maintains a modest presence, probably a good idea since Townshend--who swears and babbles repeatedly between tunes--seems particularly scatterbrained under all the pressure. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras here include interviews with Townshend and Daltrey, and a selection of Entwistle's drawings. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)