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Javadave
Glad to hear Roger bounced back.
They're scheduled to play in Seattle outside at the baseball stadium on the 19th. Forecast right now has it at 47-52 degrees with rain. I don't know if I want to stand through that, much less have to sing for two hours.
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Hairball
Thanks bye bye johnny - good news!
A couple of reviews:
Review: The Who’s Roger Daltrey makes triumphant return to stage
The Who performed Oct. 9 at Chase Center
By Jim Harrington | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: October 10, 2019 at 1:00 am | UPDATED: October 10, 2019 at 8:48 am
"The collaboration between rockers and orchestral musicians really paid off handsomely,
taking songs such as “Overture” and “We’re Not Going to Take It” to heights that they probably haven’t reached for many years prior to this tour".
WHO
Fans cheered wildly at the sight of Roger Daltrey taking the stage on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
And they certainly had an added reason to hoot and holler this time around, given that it was anything but a sure thing that the Who front man would even make it to the show. The last time he took the stage was some two weeks ago, when he lost his voice and had to stop midway through a show in Houston. It was later announced that Daltrey had bronchitis and that two other concerts, in Denver and Dallas, would also need to be postponed. Thus, there was some heavy anticipation, and maybe even a little trepidation, to be felt in the crowd as The Who prepared to perform its first show since that abbreviated Houston gig.
Would Daltrey be ready to sing? And, if so, how would he sound? Fortunately, the 75-year-old vocalist was able to put all those fears to rest as he grabbed the microphone and launched into a string of strong offerings from 1969’s iconic “Tommy” double-LP set. Daltrey was definitely back and once again ready for the spotlight, leading the charge with longtime mate Pete Townshend and the rest of the touring band, which includes guitarist Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button and drummer Zak Starkey (yes, Ringo Starr’s son). And they weren’t alone. The band was accompanied by a wonderful 48-piece orchestra, under the direction of conductor Keith Levenson, giving these Who classics extra oomph and depth.
Townshend, as per usual, did most of the talking onstage, saying how happy the band was to be back in the Bay Area and showing concern for the situation that locals are currently facing with power outages and the threat of fires. “We know you have some worries tonight,” said the 74-year-old guitarist. “But for those of us with faith, we can only count on a higher power to keep our homes safe tonight.” He also wanted to get a sense for the crowd — especially in terms of its age range. After performing what he described as the band’s first U.S. hit, 1967’s “I Can See for Miles,” he’d ask, “So, who wasn’t born in 1967?” And not many hands went up.“(Expletive) hell, there isn’t many. Well, it’s great to be at the old people’s Who show,” adding that there would be wheelchairs and oxygen available to the fans after the gig ended. He’d also send a message out to what he estimated to be about four millennials in the crowd:“We just hope you get to have a laugh sometime soon.” Daltrey didn’t add much to the between-song stage banter other than to make his usual request for people to stop blowing smoke in his direction. “Whoever is smoking pot in the front row, can you please smoke it the other way or eat it?” he said.
The band’s set — which followed a performance by opening act Liam Gallagher of Oasis fame — was divided up into three parts. The first and third had the band performing lush arrangements with the orchestra, while the middle section was just the band itself, sans orchestra. The collaboration between rockers and orchestral musicians really paid off handsomely, taking songs such as “Overture” and “We’re Not Going to Take It” to heights that they probably haven’t reached for many years prior to this tour. Yet, the band-only portion was also quite enjoyable and served as a nice complement to what came before and after, allowing The Who — and especially Townshend –- the chance to stretch out in ways that would have been hard to do in the more-regimented environment that comes with performing with an orchestra.
As the show passed its midpoint, it grew increasingly difficult to even remember that Daltrey had recently been dealing with serious vocal issues. His voice only grew stronger and more assured as the night progressed, as he rocked the house with big versions of “The Real Me,” “5:15” and other fan favorites.
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REVIEW: The Who combine ambition and style at Chase Center
Alexander Baechle
October 10, 2019, 4:06 am
"The band charged through the first half of its set with energy and agility. Daltrey seemed fully recovered from his illness.
Townshend whirled and dashed, engaging his bandmates".
WHO
SAN FRANCISCO — The Who have never shied away from making big statements, achieving mega-stardom in time for Woodstock with the bold rock opera Tommy. From that point on, the conceptual aspirations of guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend were buoyed by the musicianship of a band that at times exuded strength, abandon, tenderness and profundity. This virile recipe came to define the band. While confined to the standard rock format of bass-drums-vocals-guitar, The Who’s music nevertheless seemed to hint at something more transcendent and searching. Wednesday, as part of their Moving On! Tour, England’s inimitable mod-ruffians-turned-arena-rockers melded ambition and panache at Chase Center with a symphonic synopsis of their bright career.
The band was accompanied by a 51-member orchestra conducted by Keith Levenson (who’s worked with the Boston Pops, among many others). The orchestra encircled the band and brought new layers of texture to familiar songs. “Overture” kicked off the show with a processional air and enhanced sense of drama. More highlights from Tommy followed. Frontman Roger Daltrey, recovering from bronchitis, at first appeared to be holding back a bit as though he was rationing his firepower for the duration of the 22-song set. He had been unable to finish a concert in Houston and the band postponed two others leading up to the San Francisco performance.
On “Amazing Journey,” Townshend and Daltrey, the two remaining original members of The Who, generated a spark of excitement with their signature moves. Townshend struck his guitar strings in windmill fashion, while the 75-year-old Daltrey gyrated with alacrity and swung his microphone on its cord like a bull rider with a lasso. The band ran through the instantly recognizable “Pinball Wizard,” and Townshend raked gruff chords and glorious sustain from his gold Stratocaster. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” followed, as Daltrey put the full force of his voice behind the emotional crux of Tommy, uttering, “See me, feel me, touch me, heal me.”
The band charged through the first half of its set with energy and agility. Daltrey seemed fully recovered from his illness. Townshend whirled and dashed, engaging his bandmates. He spoke good-naturedly to recognize John Lennon’s birthday and to poke fun at his and Daltry’s advanced ages. A textured drapery hung behind the large ensemble. Percussion players occupied a riser behind longtime drummer Zak Starkey. Flanking the percussionists were two additional platforms with the woodwind and brass sections. The string section was spread to both sides.
After playing a few deeper cuts the orchestra retired to the wings for several songs that the band performed by itself. The Townshend-sung “Eminence Front,” from 1982’s It’s Hard, was a crowd pleaser with a tough, fibrous backbeat. Townshend introduced 1975’s “Imagine A Man” with an appeal to millennials, wishing them the opportunity to “have a laugh someday.” The song made its live debut on the Moving On! Tour.
This was followed by new tune “Hero Ground Zero,” from the forthcoming album Who; an optimistic and devotional “You Better You Bet,” and the first appearance of songs from The Who’s landmark album, Who’s Next.
In what at first seemed an odd choice, Daltrey and Townshend performed the usually raucous “Won’t Get Fooled Again” as a duet. Townshend donned an ornate Gibson acoustic guitar and played open chords high on the neck as Daltrey belted out the anthemic chorus. Townshend added an adroit finger-picking passage before ending the powerful rendition with a manual delay effect on the final chord. The duo was then joined by violin and cello for an eerily pretty “Behind Blue Eyes” while the orchestra filed in and reassembled itself around the band.
The final phase of the concert began with selections from double-album Quadrophenia. Townshend’s younger brother Simon presented some fine leads on a red Gibson SG guitar. Epic number “The Rock” benefited most from the symphonic treatment, with horns making a grand entrance and added nuance emerging from the fuller arrangement. Highlight “Love, Reign O’er Me” was introduced by an impressive baroque piano interlude performed by touring keyboardist Loren Gold. Daltrey seemed only to get stronger as the set progressed. His performance culminated in raw inflections that recalled his younger self, tinged with a tad more anguish and evocative pitch-bending.
Before bidding farewell, Townshend returned to the microphone to introduce the band and orchestra players. Always charismatic in his public addresses, he took a moment to praise his long-time compatriot, Daltrey. He then asked the crowd to remember that Daltrey is “even older than I am.” Daltrey returned the commendation. The band, before allowing the proceedings to get sappy, closed with the unmitigated classic “Baba O’Riley” as Daltrey incited fans to sing along.
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Looking forward to tomorrow and Sunday night at the Hollywood Bowl, and maybe even the third show on the 24th!
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timbernardis
And looks like we will be going to at least the first show together, Hairball. What was the source of the second article?
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grzegorz67
That's a nice review Mr Hairball! Combined with your photos, you really take us there with your summary of the event. It looks like an excellent venue that lends itself to this, orchestra backed operatic type of Who show. I can imagine it working very well there.
I saw them at Wembley Stadium in July and while I personally enjoyed it, I thought it was the wrong sort of venue for that type of Who show with a few blank looks around me for the deeper cuts.
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Paddy
Think I’ll hit the Vancouver show, haven’t bought a ticket yet but they’re on ticketmaster still for $65. It’s mostly Gallagher bringing me, I’ve seen the who a few times before. But hopefully it’ll be a good show, I think being their first indoor show for a while will add to it, it’s gonna be cold in Seattle day night!
We should meet up before the gig if you have the time.
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peoplewitheyes
Thanks for posting that Hairyballs,'best since Quadrophenia' indeed... Best since It's Hard, maybe. Either way, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing it.
How do I find that full Uncut review? I'd love to read it, but can't locate it
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mosthigh
Scored floor row 3 on Pete's side for Vancouver Monday for $135 cad ($100 usd) on TM, dropped from $360, further dropped from a $500 'platinum' ticket.
I call that a bargain. Woo-Who!