Last night at Jones Beach Theater, the legendary British rock band The Who, led by now-octagenerian founders Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend (we are glad they didn’t die before they got old, unlike late founding members John Entwistle and Keith Moon, whose images were a frequent hovering presence in the gargantuan & dazzling video projections for each song) continued their North American farewell tour, playing to a packed crowd of obsessive Who fans eager to celebrate the presence of one of the best ever live bands and were treated to 21-song set drawn mostly from their monumental ‘70s concept LPs Who’s Next (including the first-time live appearances of an abbreviated version of the achingly beautiful, fitting tour theme “The Song is Over” and the roaming blues of “Going Mobile”, sung with doppelgänger aplomb by Townshend’s younger brother Simon Townshend, a longtime touring member) and mod rock opera Quadrophenia, both of which still stand as testament to primary songwriter Townshend’s genius for incorporating a wide variety of influences & nascent recording technology to transform them into unforgettable anthems for the ages.
I last saw The Who in 2019, when they performed most of the set with an orchestra for a magnificent reimagining of their catalog. This tour is back to basics, with the eight-piece ensemble giving Townshend free rein to windmill surf through thrilling & unpredictable guitar stabs, solos, and riffs (especially on ’80s gem “Eminence Front”), keeping songs so well known sounding fresh. Daltrey is less mobile these days after a career of microphone cable twirling, but his powerful voice still squeezes out a range of complex emotions found in Townshend’s lyrics.
Despite the still-murky drama surrounding the last-minute substitution of Daltrey’s solo drummer Scott Devours for longtime Who touring drummer Zak Starkey, the drums were solid, even if they didn’t capture the anarchic essence of Moon’s rhythmic gifts; I missed Starkey’s frenetic energy most on the mod/proto-punk Maximum R&B era classics “I Can’t Explain”, “Substitute” (!), and “My Generation”.
While The Who have released two well-received LPs since the original 1982 breakup (although as Who fans know, they were always on the verge of breaking up, with such differing and combustible personalities), they only played one song from 2006 LP Endless Wire, the touching acoustic ballad “Tea & Theatre” as a sweet closing goodbye from Daltrey & Townshend, who remarked in a NY Times interview this week that “The audience worships you for what you’ve done years before. They’re not interested in anything new.” As if on cue, a fan in the row in front of me grumbled throughout about his disappointment with this final song choice when there were so many great unplayed songs to go out on a high note. Indeed, The Who know their audience well and, with ticket prices so dear, give them what they want. See the tour as it continues at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night!
Setlist
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Who Are You
The Seeker
Love Ain’t for Keepin’
Pinball Wizard / See Me, Feel Me
Behind Blue Eyes
Eminence Front
My Generation / Cry If You Want
You Better You Bet
Going Mobile
The Real Me
I’m One
5:15
Love, Reign O’er Me
Baba O’Riley
Won’t Get Fooled Again
The Song Is Over
Tea & Theatre
Fantastic Canadian singer-songwriter Feist, who I first saw solo at The Knitting Factory in 2005, was the musical amuse-bouche for the Who fans who don’t care about new music (many of them were still shuffling in from tailgating in the parking lot during her set), but those who paid attention through the crowd talking were rewarded with a strong set of new and old songs that delight with her gossamer voice, including “1234” and “My Moon, My Man”.
