If you are a boomer this is the weekend to relive your youth. The Who play tonight at Mandalay Bay and tomorrow night, the Rolling Stones at the MGM. I won't be at either show. I vowed never to see the Rolling Stones until they made a good disc again. Since I was too young the last time that happened I usually spend a night they are in town listening to Exile on Main St. or Beggars Banquet. I will also miss the Who concert. I've seen them play frequently starting with the original farewell tour of 1982. The Clash blew them off the stage that night. Anyway, I also saw the Who at MGM in 1999 playing a reunion gig for stock options at the launch of a long gone dot.com. It was a good show if shameful motive. But after covering John Entwistle's death at the Hard Rock I lost my appetite for the living remains working the Name. That is certainly unfair to Townsend and Daltrey who have a right to earn a living. And, I am now listening to the new Who disc, Endless Wire, and it is safe to say it certainly beats Face Dances or It's Hard. So, congrats and have a good show old guys!

Anyway, what really caught my eye is Mike Weatherford of the Review-Journal's e-mail interview with Pete Townshend to promote the show. The always too honest Townshend had some interesting comments on his friend Caesars headliner Elton John: "Elton is feeling angry and frustrated at the moment. He makes another suburb record and it hardly dents the air."

Townshend is right. The Captain & the Kid, Elton John's new disc, is one of the best to come out this year. As I blogged recently on the Buffet when John performed some songs from The Captain & The Kid on a cable shopping channel the number of discs purchased by viewers broke records.That should have given Elton John a hint that if people know about the disc they will buy it but it hasn't. John still primarily expects radio singles or perhaps video to sell his discs for him. If Townshend is to be believed, John probably blames the music industry and his audience when such great music doesn't get much notice. Yet, even John dares play just one song from The Captain & The Kid in his Vegas show. Give the people what they want is Vegas law and that is done by giving them what they know. It doesn't have to be like this. If John cares so much about the fate of The Captain & The Kid and wants people to know the wonderful songs on it as more than a one song bathroom break during The Red Piano why doesn't he even try to get the word out?

I am certainly not going to act like Bill O'Reilly and pretend that John has any obligation to interview with me. But let's assume that I am not the only speck in the media world that was amazed by The Captain & The Kid and wanted to let people know about the songs on it. Let's say dozens of requests just like mine arrived from media. Here is my story. I no sooner heard the disc than I immediately got permission from the editors of Las Vegas Weekly to interview Elton John about his new disc and his Vegas show for our cover. In other words, to talk to the man about what he is up to right now. (And, keep in mind old rockers aren't exactly the usual look on the face of Las Vegas Weekly which depends on pick up for success and therefore has a more hot chick approach to cover models). On top of that local press for Weekly, the same interview for that story could be used on the Buffet for all of you to read unexpurgated. My request got ignored by Elton John's people until I was turned down flat. So, bear that in mind when John complains about The Captain & The Kid vanishing into air. He only seems to want to do an interview when he has something bad to say about George Michael or Madonna.

Townshend finishes his analysis of Elton John noting:

"Making a million dollars a night in Vegas will not keep Elton happy---he is a compulsive and driven songwriter, a richly gifted composer, a hugely prolific and substantial artist and a real performer."

So, hey, Elton, call me! We can hook up and talk about The Captain & the Kid. Pete Townshend thinks it will make you happier. I agree.