Long live rock, be it dead or alive…

While on a flight recently, I caught an airing of VH1 Rock Honors – The Who, a 2008 tribute concert to the British classic rock band that featured performances by Incubus, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Adam Sandler, and Tenacious D. The surviving members of The Who — singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend — also performed their hits “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “My Generation.”

The entire concert is actually online at VH1, and you can watch it all here below.

The Who, the 1960s rock legends, pretty much popularized the “rock opera” with their 1969 studio release Tommy, leading the way for Quadrophenia (The Who’s second rock opera), David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and even Jesus Christ Superstar.

From The Who’s concept album came the 1975 musical film Tommy, which starred Who leader singer Roger Daltrey as the title character, a traumatized young man who doesn’t hear or see or speak, but rises to fame and iconic status thanks to his prowess at pinball.

Now, Hulu has posted the film online for free viewing for people in the United States (there’s no embed is available, so head over to Hulu to watch it). It will only be available for the next five days, so watch it while you can.

Some of the actors — namely Oliver Reed as Tommy’s stepfather — pretty much butcher the vocals on what are really great Who songs. But, there are some standout performances overall, like Who drummer Keith Moon‘s portrayal of the perverted Uncle Ernie, Tina Turner as the drug-pushing Acid Queen, and Paul Nicholas as the torturous Cousin Kevin (who thinks of some nice games while the grown-ups have all gone away). There’s also a great musical performance by guitarist Eric Clapton, as well as one by Elton John, who plays Tommy’s pinball rival.