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Videos
I Can't Explain
Pictures of Lily
Love Reign O'er Me
You Better You Bet
Won't Get Fooled Again
A Quick One
A Quick One
I Can See For Miles
Baba O'Riley
Behind Blue Eyes
Playlist
Magic Bus
Who Are You
Amazing Journey/Sparks
Press
Tampa Bay Times (photos)
Tampa Tribune
Review by David Grillo
The Who hit 50 with the rock explosion everyone had hoped for. Their first stop on the North American tour landed them in Tampa where they were greeted by many frenzied fans. The show did not disappoint. Pete Townshend wowed them with his windmill guitar style. His energy was apparent as the show continued. Whether it was hopping around to Magic Bus or bending to let out a riff for Won't get fooled again, Pete wanted to deliver a memorable show to all the fans who attended. From my seat just to his right, I was able to capture many great photographs of the band to share with you.
The Who was my first concert. I attended the show at the Rochester NY War Memorial on August 9, 1971. I was a lucky soul who purchased one of the last seats available. After I purchased my ticket, I went home to put on my Who's Next LP. I got to know the songs and was prepared to hear many of them at the show. I never knew what was going to hit me that evening. When they opened the doors, I was literally carried into the arena. I made my way to my seat which was an usher seat situated in a row of my own. That made the experience even nicer. There was the smell of marijuana in the air and the roadies were testing the instruments before the show. I can see the amplifiers stacked to the ceiling and after the test notes were played, I knew I was in for a loud awakening. After Holy Smokes played, I was ready for the experience. They arrived with the place totally dark and proceeded to open the show with Baba O'Reilly I believe. This was the beginning of a musical experience that no other will ever outdo. I was literally blasted out from my seat. They played all the good tunes, one after another for two hours. Peter was windmilling and jumping all over the stage. Roger was swinging his microphone and at times it hit objects on the stage and screeches can be heard from the feedback. Keith was absolutely incredible. He twirled his drumsticks and was flinging them to the ceiling and catching them without missing a beat. John just stationed himself on the left and played some of the most amazing bass riffs I ever hear. His My Generation solo was amazing. Then came the smashing of the instruments. This was a total mind blowing experience. I left that evening totally tone deaf, but overly satisfied that I saw the concert of a lifetime. Today, looking back to that hot summer's evening in Rochester NY, I know I did.
Over 1000 other concerts attended in the 44 years after my first show experience. No other group could even capture that performance. Not Pink Floyd, Not Led Zeppelin, Not Genesis, Not the Rolling Stones, Not Anyone. The performance on April 15, 2015 is up there, too. Who says that rock and roll is dead? Joan Jett and her band was stationed to my right and they were watching the show in complete awe. The professionalism of Pete is unmatched. During the show he was motioning to the sound man to turn up his amp. And jokingly he told the audience he was going to kill his soundman, but it was his birthday so he was spared. After the correction, Pete laid out the most killer sounds anyone can muster. The band was very tight. Roger was laying out the most emotional vocals ever. The rest of the band played their parts to near perfection. The Who played almost every song from their greatest hits. They dabbled into A Quick One and Tommy and played a couple songs from Quadrophenia. To those who miss this tour, you will regret it. For those who have tickets or are preparing to attend, you will be entertained to the fullest by the greatest rock concert band ever. You will walk away totally satisfied like I was on Wednesday. Enjoy the show everyone.
Review by Lauren Eastman
Sitting at the Hard Rock pool so thought I'd try to write something: The Who's first show on the U.S. leg of The Who Hits 50 tour in Tampa, FL was exceptional in many ways! Roger's voice was in great form. Both Roger and Pete were very energetic for the entire show. The sound check was pretty subdued, so it was an incredible delight when they hit the stage strong and to perfection! Pete put on a memorable performance with Eminence Front. He also told the audience that the song was written about people in Florida! He commented that he wrote Naked Eye at a swamp in Florida amid mosquitoes and hummingbirds! There were plenty of crowd pleasing windmills and microphone swinging. Simon came out and mingled with fans before the show to our absolute pleasure! It's obvious that if this truly becomes the final tour, that the kids are "all in". Long live rock and long live The Who!
Review by Pat Stanton
The show was full of energy and both Pete and Roger were wonderful. Roger sounds strong and Pete played with passion. The Tommy set (Amazing Journey, See Me Feel Me/Listening to You and Sparks) was excellent but my favorite song was the high point as usual for me - Love Reign O'er Me. Pete commented several times about loving FL. So do I. Roger's last minute addition of Slip Kid was a good call and well received. Miami should be rocking.
