The Who’s legacy includes historic appearances at Woodstock and Monterey Pop, selling over 100 million records, originating the “rock opera” concept album and their 1990 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After five decades of recording and touring, a band known as one of the greatest live rock acts has a lot to live up to. The last stop on their 2019 Moving On! tour took place on October 24, 2019, at Hollywood Bowl and this ambitious show kept alive both their well-deserved reputation and legacy.
Liam Gallagher from Oasis opened the concert. He snarled his way through a few songs, including Oasis hits “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Wonderwall” that drew excited audience participation. His band was loud, tight and impressive, but the dismal lighting and snarky comments by Gallagher between songs detracted from the performance. Also, he shortened his normal set by skipping three tunes he had been playing on the tour.
No one in the audience seemed too disappointed by the brief Gallagher set as most everyone was there for The Who. In fact, some had already seen the band just two weeks earlier when they played Friday and Sunday shows at the Hollywood Bowl in early October. The big question when seeing The Who after all these years is what is the condition of Roger Daltrey’s voice. The legendary singer and frequent screamer put a lot of miles on those vocal cords. The damage has been apparent in recent years, but Daltrey has worked hard to repair the harm and protect his instrument.
For the most part, he and the band sounded great. The thousands of diehard fans in the famous Hollywood Bowl got their answer early on as Daltrey’s booming voice filled the air on “1921,” “Amazing Journey” and “Sparks” from Tommy, the band’s groundbreaking double rock opera album from 1969. The band performed the songs with a full orchestra accompaniment. Songwriter, singer and guitar god, Pete Townshend wielded his axe like the legend he is, leading the band and orchestra through more Tommy tunes including “Overture,” “Pinball Wizard” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It – See Me, Feel Me.”
That last song was the first time we heard a chink in Daltrey’s armor. The ultra-challenging “See Me, Feel Me” section forces Daltrey to hit high notes that are a bit beyond the 75-year old’s current range. Nevertheless, he gave it his all and the crowd appreciated the effort. The band kept the orchestra on stage for additional songs from their catalog following the Tommy mini-set. “Who Are You” and “Eminence Front” were explosive delights. Zak Starkey’s thunderous drumming brought back memories of original band member Keith Moon’s penchant for pummeling the skins. Simon Townshend, Pete’s brother and current second guitarist, offered excellent rhythm playing and harmonizing. Loren Gold’s piano, organ work and backing vocals were exceptional.
Daltrey announced that the orchestra would take a break and just the band stayed for a segment that included classics “Substitute,” “I Can See for Miles” and “You Better You Bet.” All the band members except Daltrey and Townshend went to the wings at the end of “You Better, You Bet.” The two legends were at center stage under a spotlight, with Townshend brandishing an acoustic guitar. They threw a major curveball by playing “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” one of the greatest, loud and expressive classic hard rock songs as an acoustic tune. Daltrey belted out the lyrics with Townshend playing vigorously and joining in on the chorus.
The other band members came back out with Katie Jacoby on violin and Audrey Snyder on cello for a beautiful version of “Behind Blue Eyes.” The entire orchestra came back for a selection of songs from Quadrophenia, their other classic rock opera album from 1973. “The Real Me” featured the distinctive bass line from Jon Button who did an admirable job of filling the shoes of original bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. Townshend took over lead vocals during “I’m One,” while Daltrey played harmonica. “5:15” had a lengthy, distorted Townshend guitar solo. He displayed his trademark “windmill” – where he swings his arm around in a ferocious windup before delivering powerful chords.
After about two hours of exhaustive vocal exercise, Daltrey was nearly spent. It was smart that they saved “Love, Reign O’er Me,” a dramatic song from Quadrophenia, with challenging vocal arrangements for near the end of the show. The song opened with a brilliant Loren Gold piano intro and was joined by the string section as well as the rest of the band and orchestra. It is one of those songs where Daltrey yells violently and while he gave it everything he had, his voice was stretched to the limit.
Townshend spoke to the audience after the song and thanked everyone for supporting the band over the years as well as choosing to come to the show, given the high price of concert tickets. He also said the band would be back touring in 2020. That drew loud applause as did his mention of Ringo Starr being in the audience to support his son Zak Starkey. Townshend introduced all of the band members and thanked the orchestra for their great work.
The show ended with “Baba O’Riley.” The distinctive keyboard intro led to the familiar melody as Daltrey sang the words but could barely be heard over the audience who were raucously singing as well. Katie Jacoby came out to the front of the stage for the superb, iconic violin solo as both the song and performance came to an end.
Daltrey spoke about how amazing it is that they have been at it for 55 years. He also said none of them would be there if not for the brilliant songwriting of Pete Townshend, who he called “the maestro.” The orchestra members stood and the band took a collective bow across the front of the stage as the crowd cheered wildly. The Moving On! tour ended with a spectacular performance. The Who will be back for year 56 in 2020. They have survived the death of band members, changes in personnel and vocal challenges, but with Daltrey and Townshend as their foundation, The Who are still one of the greatest live bands and have that special magic after all these decades.
Photo Credit: Randall Michelson
