The Who, the Super Bowl halftime performers, yesterday delivered a three-song acoustic set at a press conference.
Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey first entered the stage carrying helmets — Daltrey with a Saints helmet and Townshend with a Colts helmet.
Then the two rock-and-roll legends played “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Pinball Wizard” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” — three of the tunes they’ll play in their halftime Super Bowl set Sunday.
After the mini-concert, the two took several questions. One reporter asked if Townshend felt it was right to be doing this show considering his accused involvement in child pornography.
Townshend was arrested in 2003 in Britain as part of a child pornography sting but later was cleared. He accessed a Web site containing child pornography but said it was for research for his own campaign against child porn. That hasn’t satisfied some children’s advocates.
Townshend answered the question head-on yesterday, saying he’s been “been really saddened by [the allegations] and concerned about it.
“It’s an issue that’s very difficult to deal with in sound bites,” he went on. “I kind of feel like we’re all on the same side. I guess that’s all I can really say. For a family that has suffered the issue of childhood abuse or anything of that sort, vigilance, common sense vigilance is the most important thing, not vigilantism.
“I have my own story. Anybody that has any doubts about whether I should be here or not should investigate a little further.”
THE COLTS’ ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL
THE SAINTS’ ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL
* Between the two of them, Colts DEs Dwight Freeney (36) and Robert Mathis (35) have forced 71 fumbles since 2002.
“We work on it every day in practice,” Mathis said.
* Former Bills QB Frank Reich, the Colts’ quarterbacks coach, lost four Super Bowls while with Buffalo and is seeking to end that streak.
Reich said the command that Peyton Manning has with all the audibles and checks at the line of scrimmage is something that’ll never be equaled.
“We’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think we’ll ever see it again with anybody else,” he said.
* Colts left guard Ryan Lilja missed practice yesterday with what head coach Jim Caldwell called a back injury that he did not think would jeopardize his status for Sunday’s Super Bowl.
* Saints coach Sean Payton yesterday cut practice short by about 20 minutes in the 80-degree heat.
“I think you have to be a little careful,” Payton said. “Some guys would worry about getting in all the plays. All I was concerned about was getting good work and we accomplished that.”
The only Saints player unable to practice was RB Lynell Hamilton, a top special-teams player. “I’m hopeful of him playing,” Payton said.