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OMG!
Fan review:
I never had the opportunity to attend a Who concert until the Boston 12/2/06 show. I must admit The Who broke ever pre-conceived notion I had about how two rock legends would come to deliver in concert.
Roger, Pete and company went right for the audience's jugular from the start with searing versions of "Can't Explain" "The Seeker" and a breathless "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere".
It seemed it was 1976 all over again with Daltrey *(looking very fit in a black t-shirt and jeans) twirling and spinning his microphone cord up , down and sideways like a wild west rodeo. Townsend's sixty plus years were virtually absent amid his swooping windmills and two-footed aerial stomps.
With re-worked versions of "Who are You" and "Eminence Front" the band stripped any aspect of pop sound out of these songs kept the raw power-cord theme of the Townsend's searing guitar the focus.
The rare gem of "Cry If You Want" from "Its Hard" is an obvious response to nay-sayers who accuse the band of playing only a "hit parade" of songs. It's performance was particularly mesmerizing with Townsend's chiming guitar thrusts and the dual vocal layering with Daltrey.
It was obvious to everyone in attendance that the influx of new songs has breathed renewed life and enthusiasm into these rock veterans.
Songs like "Fragments, Sound Round, Pick Up The Peace, Endless Wire, We Got A Hit, They Made My Dream Come True, Mirror Door, and Mike Post Theme" seemed to invigorate Daltrey and Townsend's passion for the performance. There was noting but grins and wide smiles from the two, interacting with diehard fans and each other alike.
The crowd was treated to another rare departure from the standard setlist with the inclusion of "Black Widow's Eyes" which Daltrey dubbed his "favorite" new song. He underscored his appreciation for Townsend's song writing talents with his unsolicited comment from the stage that it was "an honor to be in service of a musical genius". This genuinely caught Townsend by surprise but it would not be the last emotional moment of the night.
The backing band, and particularly Zak Starkey formed a cohesive rhythm section, with Zak a virtual dead-on for Moon's disjointed and thunderous drum style . This proved a crucial support for many of the standards such as BABA and WGFA but seemed to gel even more with the "Tommy" encore numbers.
Townsends dramatic opening guitar chords of "Pinball wizard' amid white strobe lights initiated on onslaught of 60's type jamming with "Amazing Journey" and "Sparks" in particular.
In a very unscripted moment, Townsend reached out to embrace Daltrey in a momentary hug at the end of the show which seemed to block out the entire crowd at the Boston Garden, if only for a moment.
As these two rock and roll survivors strolled off the stage, they gracefully acknowledged the onslaught of cheers from the grateful Boston crowd. It was if the new material allowed Daltrey and Townsend to be at last comfortable with their own place in rock's rich history, for the first time in a long journey, they were not playing for yesterday's glory..
OMG!
Fan review:
I never had the opportunity to attend a Who concert until the Boston 12/2/06 show. I must admit The Who broke ever pre-conceived notion I had about how two rock legends would come to deliver in concert.
Roger, Pete and company went right for the audience's jugular from the start with searing versions of "Can't Explain" "The Seeker" and a breathless "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere".
It seemed it was 1976 all over again with Daltrey *(looking very fit in a black t-shirt and jeans) twirling and spinning his microphone cord up , down and sideways like a wild west rodeo. Townsend's sixty plus years were virtually absent amid his swooping windmills and two-footed aerial stomps.
With re-worked versions of "Who are You" and "Eminence Front" the band stripped any aspect of pop sound out of these songs kept the raw power-cord theme of the Townsend's searing guitar the focus.
The rare gem of "Cry If You Want" from "Its Hard" is an obvious response to nay-sayers who accuse the band of playing only a "hit parade" of songs. It's performance was particularly mesmerizing with Townsend's chiming guitar thrusts and the dual vocal layering with Daltrey.
It was obvious to everyone in attendance that the influx of new songs has breathed renewed life and enthusiasm into these rock veterans.
Songs like "Fragments, Sound Round, Pick Up The Peace, Endless Wire, We Got A Hit, They Made My Dream Come True, Mirror Door, and Mike Post Theme" seemed to invigorate Daltrey and Townsend's passion for the performance. There was noting but grins and wide smiles from the two, interacting with diehard fans and each other alike.
The crowd was treated to another rare departure from the standard setlist with the inclusion of "Black Widow's Eyes" which Daltrey dubbed his "favorite" new song. He underscored his appreciation for Townsend's song writing talents with his unsolicited comment from the stage that it was "an honor to be in service of a musical genius". This genuinely caught Townsend by surprise but it would not be the last emotional moment of the night.
The backing band, and particularly Zak Starkey formed a cohesive rhythm section, with Zak a virtual dead-on for Moon's disjointed and thunderous drum style . This proved a crucial support for many of the standards such as BABA and WGFA but seemed to gel even more with the "Tommy" encore numbers.
Townsends dramatic opening guitar chords of "Pinball wizard' amid white strobe lights initiated on onslaught of 60's type jamming with "Amazing Journey" and "Sparks" in particular.
In a very unscripted moment, Townsend reached out to embrace Daltrey in a momentary hug at the end of the show which seemed to block out the entire crowd at the Boston Garden, if only for a moment.
As these two rock and roll survivors strolled off the stage, they gracefully acknowledged the onslaught of cheers from the grateful Boston crowd. It was if the new material allowed Daltrey and Townsend to be at last comfortable with their own place in rock's rich history, for the first time in a long journey, they were not playing for yesterday's glory..
"This here's a REQUEST!"
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
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Comments
Such a great show.
Seeing just Daltrey and Townsend end it on Tea and Theatre was pretty cool too.
But honestly, for me the scream from Won't get Fooled Again was worth the price of admission. That, and seeing the raw power that is Townsends guitar playing.
Entwistles shoes can't really be filled. Zac Starkey does a fantastic job, but they are really lacking the punch that Entwistle provided. Yes Pino did an admirable job, he's just not the force that Entwistle was.
And, yeah, they always impress. The energy and power those two still have is really incredible. "Tea & Theatre" left me shaking.
Pete was having a fucking blast. His guitar playing and signature windmill stage moves blew me away- I mean he was just all over the place and showing us even in his 60s what the world of ROCK is all about.
Roger's voice was absolutley Amazing and he was dead on all night long. He is truly one of the most influential vocalist around and I am so glad, that I got to see the who (even with a few new touring members) in action. Yes, it was the most expensive concert ticket I have ever bought, but it was worth every penny. My friends that with with me, are a bit older than me, and have had the privilage of seeing the who several times. It was an honor to be hanging out with them and witnessing this greatness. I encourage anyone thing of going to see the who to do so, it is one of the best tours going right now. If you are seeing the who, well you will see what I mean. To make matters even better- my friend (one of the die hard who fans that took me to the show with him) got me one of the limited edition Dallas promo dallas whp prints for the tour, it was so awesome. I can't wait to get this cd/ dvd in the mail. The show is great- and 99% of the reviews on this tour have backed this up- long live rock.
The opening band the Pretenders were pretty good. I didn't know a whole lot about their material, but they palyed the songs I recognized including: Brass in pocket, I'll stand by you, the Adultress, Back on the chain gang, and 2000 miles, and my city was burning. They may have played day after day but can't remember (and I not been able to find the setlist), but the riff sounded familiar while I was listening to their pirate radio album.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
great review Nick...
I guess it just wasn't me ..!
can't wait for the boot package either!
Long Live Rock!
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
There's an outside shot I might be able to catch them again in Phoenix in February. I can't even begin to think of how cool that'd be.
Ever go to a concert and wonder later if it was really that amazing?
Holy GOD! what a performance the Who put on in Boston!
Absloutley electrcifying Hard core rock..
I defy any modern band to out rock the Who's performance of
"Anyway,Anyhow, Anywhere"
and
"My Generation / Cry if you want"
Balls to the wall rock & roll!..
BTW.. an earlier poster complained about the limited shots of the rest of the band in their DVD..
The boston show DVD includes tons of footage of the rest of the band besides Pete and Roger..
amazing!
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
neither the tracklist for the CD or the DVD recognize that "Cry If you want" is tagged onto the end of "My generation" but sure enough its there (as I rememberred from the concert)...
Incredible combination of two great tunes...
towards the end OF "CRY", Daltrey's singing all funky:
"Don't you get embarrassed when you think about the way you were
Yesterday the day before when you were young with much to learn
Aren't you glad it's your last term
No more acting lowly worm
You can make the suckers squirm
When you tell them how much you earn"
then Townsend steps up to the microphone:
"That's what they told us..
Let your tears flow...
They said you can cry if you want to...
Cry if you want.............................
...................................
FUCK 'EM!"
(INSERT SCREAMING GUITAR SOLO HERE)
(Doesn't get any better IMO)
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
word!
EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
10/25/13 Hartford
no it doesn't! they are awesome. i saw the who in december and hopefully will again in feb!
~it is shining it is shining~