Why Pino Palladino was the only person who could replace John Entwistle: “Opened up space”
John Entwistle, whose bass work was fundamental to The Who's identity, died in 2002 at 57 following a heart attack. The band responded by quickly recruiting session bassist Pino Palladino and launching their scheduled US tour at the Hollywood Bowl within days. This mirrored their earlier decision to continue performing after drummer Keith Moon's death in 1978, with both instances justified by the belief that their deceased members would have wanted the music to continue.
Palladino arrived with an extensive touring and session background, having worked with Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Young, and others. Roger Daltrey stated that while Palladino's playing style differed substantially from Entwistle's, it preserved the essential character of the band's compositions and created space for the remaining members to explore new material. In practice, however, The Who's post-2002 existence centred on arena anniversary tours built around their 1960s and 1970s catalogue, undermining the stated intention to pursue fresh creative directions.
- Bassist John Entwistle, central to The Who's sound, died in 2002; the band hired Pino Palladino and resumed touring days later rather than cancel
- Palladino, experienced in sessions with Clapton and other major artists, played differently but maintained the band's character while giving Townshend and Daltrey room to develop
- Despite claims of exploring new musical directions, The Who's post-2002 output consisted primarily of anniversary tours featuring classic 1960s-70s material