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Videos
Tommy
Pinball Wizard
The Kids Are Alright Substitute
My Generation
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Behind Blue Eyes
The Punk and the Godfather
The Punk and the Godfather
I'm One
Love Reign O’er Me
Press
Review by Mark Fintz
These shows were a bucket list item for me, my first time in the UK to see them on their home turf.
Roger always says Be Lucky! Well I lucked into a 2nd row seat Tuesday night and sold my 6th row for a Bargain rate!
The second RAH show was an amazing journey. There was no setlist confusion, Pete didn’t have his hearing devices messed with and there were some setlist changes. Can’t Explain was dropped as was Eminence Front. Back in was 1921, Acid Queen and Punk!
The band was sharp, Pete’s guitar was louder, with windmill flurries. He was locked in. Roger’s singing was excellent. Felt like they were determined to make up for Monday.
Now don’t get me wrong, every Who show is different in different ways. I have no problems with missed lines, technical issues and low mixes, its still a magical event. But Wednesday was awesome. The Who at their finest in the most spectacular venue I have been to.
Eddie Vedder jumped onstage for The Punk Meets The Godfather. Eddie was greeted by Zak with a hug. They ripped through Punk and Eddie was done for the evening. Love Reign O'er Me was great, Loren’s intro was excellent building up the intensity in the building. Baba to cap off the night with a bang.
When in England, see The Who. They don’t look like they have reached the end. A proper 60th anniversary and farewell to the faithful is the proper ending.
I am exhausted, exhilarated and on Who adrenaline. Great to see Terry, Eddie, Horace, Brent, Lauren, Chris. Sheva, Stefani, Gary and Melissa. Long Live Rock, be it dead or alive.
Review by Chris Elkins
After the 2 hour “dress rehearsal” on Monday night, it was no surprise The Who turned it up a couple of notches to put on an outstanding show on Wed night.
Pete was on fire a good portion of the night- so much so that I checked a few times to make sure there wasn’t smoke or flames emanating from his guitar. As Pete commented at the end of the night, Roger was in fine voice as he had been on recent tours.
Highlights for me were the entire Tommy selection, with a special shout out to The Acid Queen- a definite pleaser for everyone, esp. the diehards. The selection of older tracks: The Kids are Alright, Substitute, and My Generation. Pete really shined on Won’t Get Fooled Again- the entire band did really.
Eddie Vedder came out to sing The Punk and the Godfather with Roger. While I would have been fine with Roger singing it by himself, Eddie gave a shot of energy to the crowd and the band fed off of it. I did remark that the only Who song that I want to see Eddie Vedder sing was The Rock – strictly said tongue in cheek and perhaps better suited for the Tues night of humor at the RAH.
Once we reached the Quad section and the show ending Baba O’Riley, with no Who shows on the horizon, I really tried to soak in the music, the atmosphere, and Roger and Pete.
Review by Melissa and Gary Hurley
Wow! All we have to say about The WHO at the Teenage Cancer Trust, Royal Albert Hall gig on Wednesday, 20th March 2024. Spectacular!!
It was bittersweet that this probably was the last time The WHO will play at the RAH, or at least Tommy with an orchestra.
The band came on with a happier and relaxed tone. Monday was a bit of a train wreck as we understood that the rehearsal had been three songs on one day and four the next? It was great fun for us as it gives a different twist to the night!
Pete was in a happier and smiling mood. Roger’s voice is spectacular! Everyone on stage was showing their musicianship and talent! It was the usual set with the Acid Queen put in and the harmonies between Roger and Pete were like days of old! The RAH is magical and the acoustics in there is so fitting for THOMAS with the orchestra.
The WHO set: they were on fire. Roger was having difficulties with sweating and overheating. He said that he had enough water coming off him to fill everyone’s bath! Pete was windmilling more than usual and he seemed to be in deep thought at times?
Everyone on stage had a pump of adrenaline when Eddie Vedder joined them onstage. He was hugged by Roger, Pete and Zak. Zak gave Eddie a real bear hug. Eddie sang with Roger and Pete the Punk and G-dfather. Eddie’s vocals hadn’t been amplified correctly, so it was hard to hear him.
The Rock was very special hearing Pete and his little brother Simon playing battling guitar licks with grinning faces at each other. Roger sat down behind Zak’s drum riser with Douggie, Binky and Simon (tech) tried to cool him down with drinks, fanning him etc. When he came back onto the stage he said ‘ I’m going to have a bleeding heart attack’. He looked scared! Roger put on his big boy pants and carries on! He seemed to have snap out of that mindset and was spot on for the rest of Quadrophenia.
We wish Roger success with the Ovation show on Sunday. Pete is New York for the Tommy stage show for opening night. Hope it will be a success!
We are so proud to call ourselves WHOFREAK’s for so many many years. What a band! The joy of their music, performances and friendship and all the friends we made on this long expensive road is just the best.
Review by Mark Wilkerson
I got up at 4 am the day the tickets were released for the TCT shows and after an hour of waiting secured a decent one for the March 20th show. I arrived in London last weekend to do some research for my next book, and also to pick something up from Pete Townshend’s office for the book I just completed re: Thunderclap Newman. That’s a bit of a tease I know; hopeful to be able to share much more on that very soon. Insanely exciting. Suffice to say it’s been a rather surreal and emotional week. I’ve cried a few times, which may sound a bit silly. It got even more surreal and emotional! (The fact that I’m typing this on the train back from the funeral of a favorite uncle isn’t helping.)
Before going inside the venue I met up with Istvan Etiam, Ted Green and David Buckley who were all friends / bandmates of Andy Newman, who all were interviewed for the book a few years back - was great to catch up and we took a photo pretending to be a super cool band - an album cover shot. Ted was already sitting there playing his flute and that fitted right in. These guys are all fascinating characters with their own crazy and varied stories and I’m honored to know them.
When I got inside the Royal Albert Hall, I bumped into Barney - Richard Barnes, Pete’s art school roommate and the guy who came up with the name The Who. I interviewed him a few years ago for the Thunderclap book and he gave me a walking tour of Ealing which made my head explode. This is the guy whose MAXIMUM R&B book I read so much it fell apart and the pages adorned the walls of my teenage bedroom. Insane. Said hi to him and talked a bit, then got invited via text to sit in a certain Mr Vedder’s box (aren’t I a name dropper).
I get to the box and look to my immediate left: Bill Curbishley. These seats are not bad! Grab a beer and chat with someone who turns out to be Guy Fletcher, Dire Straits keyboardist and producer of the recent TCT single. Some very kind gentleman named Matt, who I am reliably informed was in a band who has played the RAH, had bought pizza which was welcomed since I had somehow forgotten to eat up til then. He kept offering slices and I kept accepting.
Squeeze, who I haven’t seen before, were amazing. I figured they’d be good; they were excellent.
I have never been to the RAH before - stunningly beautiful inside and out. And smaller than I expected, which was perfect.
The Who take the stage. The Who at the Royal Albert Hall; my first experience. I think of them playing here in 1969, the year I was born (missed that one unfortunately since I was minus four months old). Chuck Berry shared the bill w them.
Ed Ved, fresh (or not so) off a flight from Seattle, enters the box with eldest daughter Olivia and they boogie to a few songs. Then he comes and sits next to me for a bit and we rock to the Who and I try not to act like a doofus. The Who are looser than I expected; they do TKAA (I should have expected it but this is my first TCT show). I loved the ‘Cry if You Want’ section of ‘My Generation’. So cool. They sound great. Roger’s voice continues to defy laws of aging etc.
Ed keeps taking a piece of paper - a set list - out of his pocket and checking it. I did not put 2 and 2 together until he leaned over and said “I’ll be back” before leaving with his manager. A couple of songs later, he’s up onstage singing ‘Punk & Godfather’, and killing it as is standard. He’s back in the box after only a few minutes, drink in hand. What am I supposed to say? “Great job man!” I think I just stay quiet. At some point his daughter Olivia, standing behind us, films him and me watching the show which is the sweetest thing ever.
After the show I’m able to achieve what I’ve always hoped for but figured would never happen - Ed and Pete (and me) in the same room. Pete is happy and playful. Irish Jack and Pete are talking - I take some pics of them and later when I say hi to Jack I mention the photos and he’s really happy because those are often the best. Informal pics of a conversation. Ed did the same for me later when I was talking to Pete, then he took 2 selfies (one w serious Pete; one playful) of the 3 of us which is ridiculous to me that this happened. It is no small thing that I am somehow on occasion able to be in close proximity to my heroes. Plus - free beer and pizza :-) What a night. Can’t wait for Sunday.
Eddie Vedder, Mark Wilkerson, Pete Townshend backstage at RAH show. Photo credit: Mark Wilkerson
Irish Jack and Pete Townshend backstage at RAH show. Photo credit: Mark Wilkerson
Review by Antonio Pellegrini
I had almost given up hope. I thought that Firenze Rocks in 2023 would be my last chance to see The Who live.
In January, the line-up for the week of concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust was announced. Two Who dates are scheduled: 18 and 20 March. To celebrate the many years of concerts, TCT week will end on Sunday 24 March with a show entitled 'Ovation', featuring performances by Roger Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller.
At the end of February, together with my wife Manuela, we start to consider taking a trip to the UK in March, too bad that tickets for The Who are already sold out. I have a look on Ticketmaster anyway. Unbelievable: there is still only one free ticket for the date of the 20th. It is a ticket resold at a fair price by a fan. I buy it immediately. My partner is happy for me to go, but as she doesn't like rock'n'roll she is not interested in attending.
Wednesday 20 March, 6 p.m. We've been out and about in England for a few days now, but tonight it's all about The Who for me. As I walk from High Street Kensington towards the Royal Albert Hall, I think about some comments I read on Facebook about the concert two days ago. Pete would have appeared bored....
I enter the theatre. There is the usual merchandising counter. I am presented with the paper programme dedicated to this edition. I get lost in the corridors of the theatre, among the hanging photos of the music legends who have played here and the luxurious bars. I then look out into a passageway and ask where I should go for the Arena B section. "You can enter from here" they tell me. Then they take me to my seat in row fourteen. I didn't realise it frankly, but my seat is in the fourteenth row in front of the stage. I have never seen a Who concert so close up.
The evening's presenters arrive. This is not just a concert, but rather a real charity show that obviously has its heart in the musical performances.
Enter Squeeze, an English pop rock band, which I personally did not know, who rose to prominence in the UK during the new wave period of the late 1970s. Tonight they treat the audience to an hour of healthy electro-acoustic rock.
Once the support band's performance is over, the presenters return to the stage to invite a large group of Teenage Cancer Trust kids to take a selfie with the Royal Albert Hall audience. A very touching film about teenage cancer is also shown.
Around 9 p.m. The orchestra arrives. They settle in and tune up the instruments. There's Zak Starkey on drums, Jon Button on bass, Loren Gold on keyboards, Billy Nichols on backing vocals and keyboards, and Simon Townshend on backing vocals and guitar. Finally, the headliners take the stage: Pete & Roger.
The lights dim and Tommy's Overture begins. Roger stands still with his arms in the air firmly holding his customary tambourines. The big screen behind the stage shows, nicely, the video footage that the cameramen take live during the show: How much I would pay to have it on DVD! I can see every single facial expression of our heroes.
Roger has aged a little. His hair is finally white and no longer dyed, framing his angelic-looking figure. He wears an elegant white shirt over a pair of jeans. He is as emotional as I have ever seen him. Throughout the first part of the concert his eyes are glazed over. But when he opens his mouth to sing the miracle is renewed. How can a man in his eighties still reach such high notes?
A little to the right is Pete, enigmatic, hidden behind a pair of brown sunglasses. He speaks very little this evening. He plays his Fenders elegantly but firmly, rocking when necessary and intense in every note.
Tommy's section with the orchestra is beautiful. The concert immediately takes a different shape from the one at Firenze Rocks nine months ago. It is a show in a theatre, it is less aggressive and more acoustic and classical in sound. But it is by no means boring, it is evocative.
The first part ends with a performance of Who Are You. Pete thanks the orchestral players and bids them farewell. Now there are a few songs only with the rock band: The Kids Are Alright, Substitute, My Generation / Cry If You Want, You Better You Bet, Won't Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes. The performances are textbook.
Pete sits on a chair with an acoustic guitar. On the stage come violinist Katie Jacoby and cellist Audrey Q. Snyder, who duet with the band on Behind Blue Eyes.
The orchestra returns, to give us an excerpt from Quadrophenia. Roger calls to the stage 'a great friend, who is without condition'. It is Eddie Vedder, who beautifully duets with Roger on The Punk And The Godfather. Probably one of the high points of the show.
Here comes the instrumental The Rock. I need to sit down for a moment, because the flu that has been with me for two or three days has weakened me a little. The whole audience is standing throughout the Who show. I can see the big screen between their heads.
Love, Reign O'er Me. Roger emits the first slightly hoarse and dirty note and gets annoyed. During the rest of the song he often puts his left hand to his ear to better hear his voice in the earpiece and gives us a crazy vocal version of this song.
There is still time for Baba O'Riley. The last song that worthily closes a fabulous concert. Different from the Who rock concerts I had attended in arenas. It was just what I was missing: a good show in the theatre!
Pete at the end speaks again to thank the orchestra who, with almost no rehearsals, managed to perform arrangements that enriched the band's performance without ever being intrusive or out of place. He then complimented Roger for the great quality of his vocal performance on both evenings and for having organised the event himself.
In the end the guys played for two hours and the show was definitely worth the trip. It was intense, evocative, collected in the contained space of the theatre, inspired, well played and especially well sung.
I conclude this testimony with a few thoughts about Pete's strange attitude. This evening he was by no means listless, rather he was restrained in his stage demeanour but very effective in the musical part. I thought that probably, as this was the last TCT organised by Roger, he wanted not to overshadow him and leave the protagonism of the evening to him, limiting himself, for this evening, to the role of musician.
Adding to the mystery is a post from the next day by Zak Starkey showing photos of him with Pete and Roger, with the background of 'The Song Is Over'. What's more, the cover of a recent issue of The Times Magazine shows Daltrey on the cover, wrapped in the British flag, with the words 'Let's Rip'. Is this really the end? I don't think so.
Review by Lauren J. Hammer
As expected, show #2 was appreciably better. That’s our guys. Under rehearsed before opening night, and they get better and better as they go. Too bad there are only 2 (and 1/2) shows this round.
The first 10-15 minutes of the show were miserable, from my perspective, as we had been asked to sit, which for me, absolutely sucks the joy out of the experience. Truly.
Fortunately, the majority of the people in Rows 2-5 were standing (THANK YOU!!!!), and as Amazing Journey started, I stood up, I looked at Roger, I pointed at the crowd standing up behind me, and I got Roger’s acknowledgement/blessing. My reaction was to fling my arms up in the air, reaching to the heavens with joy. I’m told by a friend who was up in the rafters and watched it all happen, that it’s like I ignited a wave and the rest of the people on the floor had the permission they needed. He said it was an amazing joy to behold.
In my world, FINALLY, we were up, standing at the rail, where we belonged. The joy was back. I had permission to not hold back, to be in my body. I had permission, finally, to enjoy the show!
From there on out, it was nothing but Who bliss for the rest of the night. (Well, except for 5.15, but we won’t go there.)
We lost I Can’t Explain, but in exchange, Acid Queen was back. If push came to shove, I’d pick the show opening with ICE, but I certainly wouldn’t fault anyone who’d go the other way and choose Acid Queen, as I do love me some Pete bringing the Acid Queen.
Both the band and the orchestra were most excellent with Tommy.
And speaking of the orchestra, while all of the orchestras (and conductor Keith Levenson and librarian/first violinist Katie Jacoby) all deserve props, this particular orchestra stands above the rest. Unlike the vast majority of the orchestras, who only play one and on rare occasions two shows, The Heart of England Orchestra toured around the UK with them last summer, and have really got it down. And in the RAH, they sounded absolutely wonderful.
However, there was one point in the show, where the band and the orchestra got really out of sync. I can’t remember when. I think Pete couldn’t hear and was just leading the band separately from the orchestra. Keith realized it. The orchestra realized it. I don’t think Pete did, for what seemed like quite a while (although it probably wasn’t all that long). Eventually, they got back on track.
I never saw a setlist, so I’m not sure if they overlooked YBYB, as they played the early singles without breaking them up (which is my sense from some of the confusion on stage), but regardless, I kind of liked it this way.
Cry if You Want (in My Gen) was particularly good, as Roger got lost at one point, and Pete stepped in, which I always love. It wasn’t anything resembling the trainwreck that was Glasgow 2014, but it most definitely got the juices flowing and took it up a notch. I love when the Cry if You Want refrain is included. What I really want is for there to be a quiet interlude where Roger and Pete have a plaintive rather than hard back and forth of that refrain. A gal can dream…
Anyway, on to Quad, where they announced special guest Eddie Vedder (no surprise). Zak came out from behind his kit to give Eddie a big-ass hug, after which Roger chased him (Zak) back to hit kit. (I got great footage of that bit.)
Being FRC, I quickly cued my camera to film, willing to sacrifice my enjoyment to provide the service of filming for what I thought would be The Real Me. But when it turned out to be Punk - fuck that. No filming for me. I needed to jump around in my magic happy place. Oh, the total hell I would have been in had I still been sitting down. But fortunately, I wasn’t, and it was GREAT. Worth the price of admission right there.
The only thing that made it less than stellar was that fact that up front, we absolutely could not hear Eddie’s vocals. We could see him right in front of us, but we could not hear him. It was very much like the awful sound up front the very first night with the orchestra, in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2019, but at least this time, only Eddie was missing.
I assumed nobody could hear him, but then today, I saw video that was shot from elsewhere it the room, and there he was. Go figure. I guess it was the stage monitors and/or the speakers on the stage. Sucked to be us. Oh, well. As least it was captured.
The rest of the show continued to be great. Same rest of the setlist as the night before, just with the aforementioned changes and Punk replacing Real Me. If only it had replaced 5.15. Then I’d really be happy.
All in all, an exceptional #2 show. They were solid on Monday. But for their current age and stage, they were pretty damn exceptional for this one.
I hope there is a next one, as there is just no happier place in the world.
Review by Seth Davidson
THE SONG IS OVER?
I recently came across a review I wrote of the Who’s March 2016 show in Washington DC. It was a reflective, introspective piece about a show that I suspected could be the last one I’d have the opportunity to see and how I was grateful that I was seeing it on my “home court” so to speak. Of course, I’ve suspected I’ve seen the band for the last time over and over for many years. And, of course, that show didn’t end up being the band’s last show or my last show. In fact, I’ve seen the band numerous times between 2016 and 2024. But you never know, so I felt compelled to make the trek to London for the second of the two shows at Royal Albert Hall benefitting the Teenage Cancer Trust – a charity that I enthusiastically support, along with its US version, Teen Cancer America.
Others have described the set list, which hasn’t varied much since the band started its current run of shows with an orchestra so I won’t provide a song-by-song review. But rather, some impressions. First and foremost, the orchestra shows were an interesting variation, but I wasn’t that excited about seeing another one to be honest. But it turns out that what was wrong with the orchestra shows wasn’t the orchestra per se, it was the venues the band was playing in. Hockey arenas or open air amphitheaters are not designed to provide good acoustics and an orchestra needs good acoustics. The Royal Albert Hall has good—actually great—acoustics. And it made all the difference in the world.
It also reinforced a belief I’ve had for a while: the band should have shifted from playing 17,000 arenas that didn’t sell out and instead done a tour playing sold out shows in small opera houses and theaters with 4000-7000 seats and good acoustics. It may be too late for that and if so it wouldn’t be the first time the band has, in my opinion, missed an opportunity.
Second, not only was the sound excellent, but the band was on top of its game. Reviews of night one had left me concerned this wouldn’t be a top notch show. Well, those fears were ameliorated right from the start. Everyone, starting with Pete and Roger, were in sync and performing at a level that no one in their right mind could expect from a band led by an 80 year old singer and a soon-to-be 79 year old guitar player. And when Eddie Vedder made a surprise appearance, it energized not just the crowd, but the band as well.
Beyond the immediate concert experience, it was fun to gather at the Queen’s Arms for the pre-show (memories of the 2002 RAH show!) and seeing so many of the travelling Who fans I’ve met over the years as well as meeting some fans whose names I knew but had never met.
I was asked on more than one occasion what my favorite Who show has been. The simple answer for me is that the show I’m at is always the show I’d most like to be at on that night. The longer answer is that I’ve had the privilege of seeing the band many times over a span of more than 50 years. I’ve seen every iteration – with Keith, Kenney, Simon Phillips, and Zak on drums, John, Pino, and Jon Button on bass, with Simon Bolton as an added guitar player, without keyboards and with Rabbit, Tim Gorman, and now Loren Gold on keyboards. With Simon Townshend and with Billy Nichols, with back up vocalists and a horn section. I’ve seen them in small venues like the House of Blues and Kentish Forum and in stadiums and massive outdoor venues like Desert Trip.
People talk about their “happy place.” Mine isn’t a particular seat – I’ve seen the band from the front row and from the back row of a stadium – being 71 years old and in the same building as the Who is my happy place. So, if I thought seeing for the last time on my “home court” in DC in 2018 was cool, it was even cooler to be in a great London venue, with MyWifeDiane alongside me, to see them one more time.
