You better, you bet
The Who, a rock 'n' roll powerhouse for nearly four decades, is back on the road and playing the Tweeter Center tonight. They'll perform -- just like the last time around -- without bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002 of a drug overdose, and Keith Moon, who died of drug- and drink-related causes back in 1978. So, is this outfit helmed by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend -- once called "unwashed, foul-mouthed, booze-swilling no-hopers" by an Australian newspaper -- a mere shadow of its once glorious self? Go! says No! We saw 'em post-Entwistle two years ago and they rocked and they roared. (If you have hazy memories of Townshend and that computer child-porn case, remember he was cleared last year.) Expect to hear "Old Red Wine," a new tune and tribute to Entwistle, and "Real Good Looking Boy" (another new one), along with the classics. The band mrnorth opens at 7:30. Tickets: $35-$125.Route 140, Mansfield, 508-339-2333.
One club under a groove
There was a time when African-American musicians didn't play much rock guitar. Sure, Robert Johnson paved the way with his devil blues, and Chuck Berry rocked us around the clock. Jimi Hendrix turned the world upside down with his gorgeous distortion and ferocious chops, and Funkadelic's Eddie Hazel spun our heads around. But black rock pretty much faded away in the 1980s. So much so that musician Vernon Reid cofounded something called the Black Rock Coalition to give black rock a boost. Reid's band, Living Colour, brought together hard rock, funk, jazz, and progressive rock in quite a package and sold more than 4 million albums. Reid has guested with folks such as Mick Jagger, the Ramones, B. B. King, Carlos Santana, and Public Enemy. Ask Reid his influences and he'll tell you the Sex Pistols, Ornette Coleman, King Crimson, Tool, Kool and the Gang, and the Flintstones. Tonight at Johnny D's, Reid brings that mind-set and his latest band, Masque, to the stage. (Bonus trivia: Most people think Reid comes from Brooklyn, N.Y., but he was actually born in the UK.) The show starts at 9 p.m. with Julien Kasper opening. Cover: $16.17 Holland St., Somerville, 617-776-2004.
Dysfunctional junction
In "True North," David Burkett, a scion of a wealthy lumber baron, grows up with an evil dad and a pill-poppin' ma. His teenage sister fancies the Finnish-Native American gardener. Dave comes of age to realize his dad has pillaged the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and has also put the screws to the "little people" who helped build his empire. There's trouble a-brewin'. Jim Harrison, author of "True North" and "Legends of the Fall," has a knack for these brooding, brutal kinds of tales. And he'll be spinning some of them tonight. It starts at Newtonville Books at 6:30, with a book signing. Then the party moves to the nearby Attic around 7:30 for the "Books and Brews" festivities, where Harrison will read. Entrance is free, but books and brews will cost you a few bucks. Newtonville Books, 296 Walnut St., Newton, 617-244-6619. The Attic, 107 R Union St., Newton, 617-964-6684.Beyond Steinem and Dworkin
A recent Time cover story asked, "Is Feminism Dead?" Publicists for Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin's new book, "The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism," ask, "Where have all the young feminists gone?" The latter question brings to mind a conversation we had last weekend with a young feminist waitress at a Boston rock bar and restaurant. The Boston University grad told us she was writing a piece for a women's magazine about how a young feminist/writer-photographer ended up slinging booze and dressing to emphasize her sexuality. The new feminist lay of the land -- being called "third wave feminism" -- is detailed in the new book edited by Labaton and Martin. Various essayists consider black female sexuality and hip-hop, the Internet influence, and the role of girl-oriented zines. Former BU political scientist Howard Zinn says this collection "will awaken you and excite you. What they are writing and doing gives new life to the word `feminist.' If their ideas and actions take hold, we could have a different world." Labaton, a third-year law student at New York University School of Law, and Martin, a PhD candidate in English at UMass-Amherst, will read at the Center for New Words in Cambridge's Inman Square tonight at 7. It's free. The bookstore has more or less closed, but readings and events are still held there. 186 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-876-5310. Events can always be canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call to confirm. Go! can be reached at go@globe.com or by calling 617-929-8257.
