The Who - Sunday 30th March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief review:  We thought it would be impossible to get better seats than last year, but it turns out we were wrong. A fantastic view and support from Level 42 got the audience warmed up. And what an excellent bassist Mark King is (I think I last saw him at this venue in 1988!).

We hadn't gone to the first Who show this week (mainly on cost grounds, but also because experience shows that the 2nd show is usually better as they are more rehearsed!). The start of this one was underwhelming, mainly because it was so quiet (the Who are meant to be loud!). From our seats we couldn't hear Pete Townshend's guitar at all. Now it is notoriously difficult to get a good mix at the front of the stage, but Level 42's sound had been great. After about 5 songs, something changed, the volume went up and we could hear the guitar. Ironically, this must have triggered something in Roger Daltrey's earpieces as he started complaining about what he could and couldn't hear.

But from Pinball Wizard onwards, all was good and I enjoyed it as expected. We even got a live debut in "The Song Is Over" (from 1971!) There are rumours that this show could be a launchpad for another tour. Roger is 81, but his voice is still amazing, so count me in if that happens!

Venue and View:  3rd row, dead centre.

Setlists
Level 42

Heaven in My Hands
To Be With You Again
Running in the Family
The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)
Starchild
Something About You
Lessons in Love
The Chinese Way
Hot Water

The Who
I Can't Explain

Substitute
Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright
Bargain
Pinball Wizard
Love Ain't for Keepin'
The Seeker (Acoustic)
Behind Blue Eyes (Acoustic)
The Real Me
5:15
I'm One
Love, Reign O'er Me
My Generation / Cry If You Want / See Me, Feel Me
Eminence Front
You Better You Bet
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again
The Song Is Over

The Who - Wednesday 20th March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief review:  Night 2 of the TCT Who shows. Slightly cheaper seats to the side, but the front row gave an excellent vantage point. As ever, the second show sees the band with more rehearsal time under their belts and arguably a better performance than on Monday. A highlight and change in the set was The Acid Queen. Regular readers may recall that I don't think Eddie Vedder is a great singer, but - to be fair - he did a decent guest spot here.

Venue and View:  Front Row in the left hand side-stalls.

Setlist
[With Orchestra]
Overture
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
The Acid Queen
Pinball Wizard
We're Not Gonna Take It
Who Are You
+
[Band Only]
The Kids Are Alright
Substitute
My Generation
Cry If You Want
You Better You Bet
Won't Get Fooled Again
Behind Blue Eyes
+
[With Orchestra]
The Punk And The Godfather (with Eddie Vedder)
I'm One
5:15
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me
Baba O'Riley

The Who - Monday 18th March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief review:  Night 1 of 2 Who shows this week in aid of Teenage Cancer trust at the Royal Albert Hall. Expensive, but great seats purchased. the band were on decent form, albeit predictably under-rehearsed. Pete Townshend seemed to catch them out in the first song by launching into I Can't Explain which he later claimed was on his setlist and not the others. But it was good to see the band in full electric mode for much of the set and the orchestra tracks worked well. Looking forward to the 2nd show in a couple of days.

Venue and View:  3rd row seats, right of centre.

Setlist
I Can't Explain
+
[With Orchestra]
Overture
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
We're Not Gonna Take It
Who Are You
Eminence Front
+
[Band Only]
The Kids Are Alright
You Better You Bet
Substitute
My Generation
Cry If You Want
Won't Get Fooled Again
Behind Blue Eyes
+
[With Orchestra]
The Real Me
I'm One
5:15
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me
Baba O'Riley

The Who - Sunday 23rd July - Sussex CCC, Hove

Brief review:  Sunday evening in Hove with the legends that are The Who.  Already had 2 of the CSI triolgy in the fantastic middle band-only electric section. Quadrophenia to come, but for now enjoying the fantastic Won’t Get Fooled Again. Awesome!

Venue and View:  Central pitch seats - about 20 rows back

Setlist
Part 1 (with Orchestra)
Overture
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
The Acid Queen
Pinball Wizard
We're Not Gonna Take It
Who Are You
Eminence Front

Part 2 (Band Only)
The Kids Are Alright
You Better You Bet
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Substitute
I Can't Explain
My Generation
Cry If You Want 
Won't Get Fooled Again
Behind Blue Eyes 

Part 3 (with Orchestra)
The Real Me
I'm One
5:15
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me
Baba O'Riley

The Who - Friday 25th March - Royal Albert Hall

Brief review:  Another Who show supporting the excellent Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall. Given the choice, I don't know any Who fans who would choose an acoustic set (or an orchestral one) over a full band electric show, but we should be grateful for the opportunity to see them nowadays - whatever form the show takes.

That said, they did look particularly under-rehearsed for this. Several songs were restarted due to something going wrong (forgotten words, wrong key, different intro etc) and Roger was so distressed with Break The News that he insisted they play it again to do it justice. It had the feel that you were gate crashing their rehearsal, which did give a certain charm. Well down the list of my favourite Who shows, but even on an off night, they are a cut above many others.

Venue and View:  Stalls seats to the left, level with the first few rows on the floor.

Setlist

[Acoustic]
Substitute
Squeeze Box
The Kids Are Alright
Tattoo
Behind Blue Eyes
Real Good Looking Boy
Break the News
Break the News (Repeated)
She Rocked My World
Beads on One String 
Eminence Front
Pinball Wizard
Who Are You
Let My Love Open the Door 
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again

The Who - Saturday 6th July - Wembley Stadium

One Liner: Up in the Gods for this one at affordable "half price" seats. Bit too far away to feel involved, this was a decent, if not great show. I applaud Roger and Pete for trying something different, but 99% of the crowd don't really want an orchestra, they just want a small bunch of aging blokes belting out Who classics - ideally in a venue small enough where they can see them without the aid of a screen.


Setlist
[With Orchestra]
Overture
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
We're Not Gonna Take It
Who Are You
Eminence Front
Imagine a Man
Hero Ground Zero 
Join Together

[Band Only]
Substitute
The Seeker
Won't Get Fooled Again (acoustic - Roger & Pete only)
Behind Blue Eyes (with strings)

[With Orchestra]
Guantanamo 
The Real Me
I'm One
The Punk and the Godfather (with Eddie Vedder)
5:15
Drowned (acoustic - Pete only)
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me
Baba O'Riley

The Who - Wednesday 12th April - Birmingham Barclaycard Arena

I had not been to Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena since December 2008 when it was the NIA and Elton John described it as the worst venue acoustically he had ever played in. It seems to have been spruced up a bit since then and is set in a nicely regenerated part of Birmingham alongside the canals.

The day hadn't got off to the best start with it taking four and a quarter hours to navigate the 140 miles to the venue. However, after a brisk pizza in Coast 2 Coast, we grabbed our seats. As the show had been moved from last year (when it was due to be at the NEC), we knew we were in the front row on the side tier, but were slightly further back that anticipated. This didn't really matter as the view was excellent, but the legroom very limited! I chose not to go to the bar as the queues for a beer (and the gents!) were massive!

Still, what a difference from the Royal Albert Hall. This was brilliant; much better sound, band clearly enjoying themselves (last night of the tour) and Townshend on exceptional form. Loads of guitar crunching and soloing - even a "knee slide" in Won't Get Fooled Again - who would know he was in his seventies. Likewise Daltrey, back to form vocally with a great performance. I really can't describe how uplifting this was after the disappointment of the other week. The lighting, sound and videos where top notch too.

The only dip was the turgid "Join Together". We got a rare "Relay" at the end - strange choice to finish (very hardcore!), but I was particularly pleased to hear "Bargain" and "You Better You Bet"

Fantastic stuff! Now who wants to give me a few thousand dollars for their Vegas residency?!

Setlist
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Who Are You
I Can See for Miles
My Generation
Bargain
Join Together
It's a Boy
1921
Christmas
The Acid Queen
I'm Free
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
You Better You Bet
I'm One
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again
Relay

The Who - Thursday 30th March - Royal Albert Hall

What a treat - Thunder and the Who in the same week. And as a bonus, TCT stalwart Noel Gallagher was added as a late support.

His acoustic set was a mixed bag. A few non-descript solo (HFB) songs and four Oasis classics including the dodgiest version of Wonderwall I've heard. If you are going to write one of pop's all time classic sing-a-long songs, why change it so that it has different emphasis and is much worse than it was? Leave that to Bob Dylan! The set was saved by a back-on-track version of "Don't Look Back In Anger" to finish.

Anyway, the premise for the headliners would be that this would be the World premier of "Tommy" - played acoustically. It turns out that the band felt that they couldn't make this work, so we got "Tommy" - electric!

Now I don't like to be critical of one of my favourite bands and one of the greatest of all time, but his was one of the weakest shows I've seen them do. Pete Townshend seemed pretty grumpy (I suspect he was finding it harder than normal playing a challenging set that hadn't been done for years [1989]), the sound volume was wildly inadequate (the mere thought of being able to be 20 yards from the stage for the Who and be able to talk at normal volume to your neighbour seems unthinkable) and the audience pretty static.

Still, at least we got the often dropped "Sally Simpson" and a few greatest hits afterwards, but this seemed cut short. Apparently the intro to "Welcome" was played for the first time since 1969 by those in the know! But there was definitely something lacking. I'm at Birmingham in a few weeks with a different set promised - let's see how that goes!

[ Edit - I gather the Saturday TCT Who show at the RAH was a huge improvement ]

Setlist - Noel Gallagher
Everybody's on the Run
Supersonic
If I Had a Gun... 
Half the World Away 
Wonderwall 
AKA... What a Life! 
Don't Look Back in Anger 

Setlist - The Who
I Can't Explain
Substitute
+
[Tommy]
Overture 
It's a Boy 
1921 
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind 
Christmas 
Cousin Kevin 
The Acid Queen
Do You Think It's Alright? 
Fiddle About 
Pinball Wizard
Go to the Mirror! 
There's a Doctor 
Tommy Can You Hear Me? 
Smash the Mirror 
I'm Free 
Miracle Cure 
Sensation 
Sally Simpson 
Welcome 
Tommy's Holiday Camp 
We're Not Gonna Take It 
+
Won't Get Fooled Again
Join Together
Baba O'Riley
Who Are You

The Who - Friday 26th June - Hyde Park, London

I Can See For Miles. And we needed to.

So, probably my last Who show of the year (4 in a couple of months isn't bad going). An unpleasantly busy Hyde Park and a massive Golden Circle area (£100 + a ticket) meant that even being only 7-8 yards back from the main barrier, we were still at least 130 yards from the stage. Even being near a speaker this meant with Hyde Park's ridiculous noise restrictions the audience could chat or sing easily over the volume of the band - and we are talking The Who here - not some acoustic folk outfit.

It really is not a great environment to see anyone. Earlier, I'd caught the end of the Kaiser Chiefs from about half a mile away - I think they were predicting a riot of some sort, but it was too quiet to be sure. Paul Weller was good, but the reaction to the Jam material (2 songs only) must tell him he needs to include more in a festival set.

The Who, from what we could hear, were good, if not at their devastating best. The fear is that this could be their last ever London show, so it was at least captured for a DVD. The view from the stage must be great, but surely London can find a more appropriate outdoor summertime venue.

Final note on the state of some people leaving the venue. Many were passed out or literally being carried / dragged by friends or family due to over indulgence. Really - what is the point? You can imagine their conversation:-
Q: What did you get up to at the weekend?
A: I went to see the Who - cost me £75 and the same again on beer.
Q: What was it like?
A: No idea.

I call that a Bargain...

Setlist
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright
Pictures of Lily
I Can See For Miles
My Generation
Behind Blue Eyes
Bargain
Join Together
You Better You Bet
I'm One
Love, Reign O'er Me
Eminence Front
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again

Johnny Warman - Monday18th May - Bull's Head, Barnes

This "Total Who Show" to celebrate 50 years of the Who was billed as "unplugged". The venue is the rear stable-type room at the rear of the excellent Bull's Head in Barnes. When seated, the capacity looks to be less than a hundred and the usual Monday evening events are of the blues and jazz variety.

The evening started with a young female singer - songwriter (sorry I can't remember her name) who, armed with an acoustic guitar, sang some of her own material interspersed with some covers including a very nice version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time". All very pleasant.

Caught out by the very quick turn-a-round, I was at the bar when the band opened with Baba O'Riley. Acoustic it was not. Returning to our front table seat, we then enjoyed 100 odd minutes of classic, ear shattering versions of Who classics. Phil Spalding was guesting on lead guitar and his effortless playing was spot on. Bass, Drum & Keyboard duties were more than competently filled too and Johnny Warman's usual excellence enthralled the small crowd, some of whom politely heckled about "when is the unplugged bit?".

Actually, that does raise a semi-serious point. I was looking forward to hearing the Who songs in an acoustic setting and had bought tickets and travel on that basis. I really enjoyed the evening as it was played, but what if I hadn't? The show had been especially billed to highlight the unplugged aspect.

Anyway, a moot point for me as it was excellent anyway. I shall be back for more - with volume or without.

The Who - Monday 26th March - Royal Albert Hall

It's been an expensive week of Who shows, averaging a little under £100 a ticket. This one was well into 3 figures, but at least a top charity - The Teenage Cancer Trust - get to benefit from the proceeds. This is the 15th year that Roger Daltrey has been arranging shows in support of them and probably marks my 25th or so patronage.

We had decent seats to the side of the stage. Maybe because of that, I personally thought this was the best of the 3 shows this week. Others thought PT took quite a while to get going. You Better You Bet was a highlight for me with its first appearance this week.

I've now got a few Who-free months before Hyde Park in the Summer. Shame, as (costs aside), I'd be happy to see them every week!

Setlist
I Can't Explain
Substitute
The Seeker
Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright
I Can See for Miles
Pictures of Lily
My Generation
Magic Bus
Behind Blue Eyes
Join Together
You Better You Bet
I'm One
Love, Reign O'er Me
Eminence Front
A Quick One (While He's Away)
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
Listening to You
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again

The Who - Monday 23rd March - O2 Arena

The Who pt 2. On the floor with a decent view in the back row of the front block. We were able to get these pretty good seats as a result of the postponement of these shows from December (I couldn't make the original date due to the darts!), so it all worked out well.

Certainly, being on the floor you felt more part of the show and had an excellent view of the large visuals behind the band. Daltrey was in good voice (incredible for a man of 70 actually) and Townshend's between song patter was amusing and slightly different from last night. His playing was good (as with all the band) and there were windmills a-plenty!

Shame I've still yet to hear "Long Live Rock" live in 50+ Who shows, but I enjoyed this evening. Better than last night I felt, despite the inclusion of the dreadful "Eminence Front". Some friends who we met at the show assumed the 'oo might be on their last legs - I think they were pleasantly mistaken judging from the positive comments afterwards!

Setlist
I Can't Explain
Substitute
The Seeker
Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright
I Can See for Miles
Pictures of Lily
My Generation
Magic Bus
Behind Blue Eyes
Join Together
You Better You Bet
I'm One
Love, Reign O'er Me
Eminence Front
So Sad About Us
A Quick One (While He's Away)
Amazing Journey
Pinball Wizard
Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again

The Who - Sunday 22nd March - O2 Arena

The first of a big Who week. Up in the "Gods" for this one. Despite that, sound quality was good (although arguably not loud enough) and we where able to enjoy the show. An eclectic setlist ranging from the normal brilliance to the slightly bizarre (A Quick One...) and the slightly tiresome Join Together and Magic Bus.

Great to hear "So Sad About Us" which is an early contender for my most heard live song this year. Pete Townshend was at his sarcastic best/worst with the between song comments. I suspect this makes him an acquired taste for some, but I found it amusing. I also liked his brief "Live At Leeds" intro to My Generation.

If this is to be the start of the "long goodbye" as Roger has described it, let's hope they linger around for a good while yet.

Setlist
I Can't Explain
Substitute
The Seeker
Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright
I Can See for Miles
Pictures of Lily
So Sad About Us
My Generation
Behind Blue Eyes
Join Together
I'm One
Love, Reign O'er Me
Slip Kid
A Quick One (While He's Away)
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
Listening to You
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again
Magic Bus

An Evening of Who Music - Tuesday 11th November - Shepherd's Bush Empire

This show, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, featured the Who's current touring band (including Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino, Simon Townshend & Billy Nicholls) and a host of guest vocalists. Hosted by Chris Evans, the event has been described as the a stars karaoke evening, but it turned out to be more than that with some excellent vocal performances, a moving charity film and some hilarious moments from Johnny Vegas and Rich Hall adding to some fine musicianship from one of the World's top bands. Oh, and Roger Daltrey sang at the end too!

Sadly there was no Pete Townshend. "I think Pete would rather do anything rather than have his songs played back to him by others" quipped Roger at the start of the evening. there then proceed to be a number of acts who I'd heard of, but not seen. Most surprisingly good were Rizzle Kicks, who's rap inspired version of "Who Are You" worked fantastically. I bet it was the most atypical audience they'd ever played to! Rich "I'm so far out of my depth here" Hall rasped his away through You Better You Bet, claiming it has the song "that had got be barred from karaoke bards across North America". Johnny Vegas sang some of Dr Jimmy and The Real Me acapella with the crowd, saying that the Quadrophenia album "saved his life".

Ricky Wilson was good, albeit with song sheets. Sheila Ferguson forgot the words to Acid Queen, which didn't really matter. Liam Gallagher snarled his way through a fine My Generation in a particularly dodgy looking mac and Eddie Vedder sounded better than I'd ever heard him before.

Roger Daltrey ended a fine evening with Substitute and an appropriate Young Man Blues. A very expensive evening, but a worthwhile one in every sense.

Setlist
I Can't Explain (with Andy Burrows)
The Kids Are Alright (with The Strypes)
Getting in Tune (with Tom Odell)
Behind Blue Eyes (with Amy Macdonald)
Who Are You (with Rizzle Kicks)
You Better You Bet (with Rich Hall)
5:15 (with Ricky Wilson)
Bell Boy (with Ricky Wilson)
Love, Reign O'er Me (with Joe Elliott)
The Acid Queen (with Sheila Ferguson)
The Seeker (with Geddy Lee)
Baba O'Riley (with Leslie Mendelson)
My Generation (with Liam Gallagher)
Naked Eye (with Eddie Vedder)
Won't Get Fooled Again (with Eddie Vedder)
See Me, Feel Me (with Eddie Vedder + ensemble)
+
Substitute (with Roger Daltrey)
Young Man Blues (with Roger Daltrey)

https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/

Roger Daltrey - Wednesday 13th July - Southend Cliffs Pavillion

A trip to the "far east" to see the Who frontman. Following on from the performance at the RAH earlier this year, we basically got the full version of Tommy and selected other solo and Who highlights. With a largely American band plus Simon Townshend (who's limited edition EP I purchased from the merchandise stall), the band had obviously rehearsed a stack of material as the setlist appeared to change on each night of the tour. This meant we got treated to an impromptu "Bargain" when one of the musicians was having problems with his instrument. We also got a Taj Mahal blues number & Johnny Cash Medley as per the "Killing Cancer" charity show.

The only downside was having to put up with "Tattoo" - in my opinion up (or down) there with the few poor songs the Who ever recorded! Otherwise a great night out, even if it meant getting home in the early hours

Setlist
Overture
It's a Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind
Christmas
Cousin Kevin
The Acid Queen
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
Pinball Wizard
There's a Doctor
Go to the Mirror
Tommy, Can You Hear Me?
Smash the Mirror
Sensation
I'm Free
Miracle Cure
Sally Simpson
Welcome
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It
+
I Can See for Miles
Behind Blue Eyes
Days Of Light
Freedom Ride
Going Mobile
Real Good Looking Boy
Johnny Cash Medley
Going Mobile
The Kids Are Alright
Tattoo
Young Man Blues
Bargain
Baba O'Riley
Without Your Love
+
Red Blue And Gray

Killing Cancer Concert - Thursday 13th January - Hammersmith Apollo

When tickets went on sale for this, my immediate thoughts were:

1. Got to go to that. 2 of my all-time favourite artists (The Who & Bryan Adams) plus 2 others I like (Debbie Harry and Jeff Beck).
2. It's at the best venue in London - yippie
3. It's on a Thursday night and I'm free
4. It's for a good cause
5. And .... it's how much !!!?

The last issue was likely to cause concern as Richard and I thought we couldn't justify £132 for a ticket. This was luckily resolved by Rich managing to acquire a pair of "bargain" £49.50 standing tickets (back of the stalls) the nano-second they went on sale.

So we got in quite early to nab a standing spot and were quite please with the view, standing about 4 feet from people who had paid considerably more for the luxury of a seat. The early entry to the venue managed to confuse me enough that I knocked a substantial amount of beer out of the hand of a fellow punter as I swung 'round to talk to someone. Cue a trip to the bar to buy him a replacement!

Anyway - the show. Due to start at 7:30, it kicks off at 7:45 with an intro from Harvey Goldsmith. After that and a few videos it's time for some music. I've never been a fan of Richard Ashcroft and the 4 acoustic numbers he performed here were never likely to change my mind. Competent, but forgettable.

Roger Daltrey and band then appeared for a couple of obscure Blues numbers. Now I would happily watch Roger perform any stuff he wanted, but a full set of this style would be a bit challenging. Still, 2 songs worth was fine and a bit different.

We'd speculated on the acoustic numbers Bryan Adams would play on the back of his recent "Bare Bones" tour and he opted for a few old favourites like Cuts Like A Knife and Straight From The Heart as opposed to maybe more obvious hits. Still, after a quiet start, the audience seemed to like him. He also invited a beneficiary of the charity (who's name he mixed up with the Teenage Cancer Trust (!)) to come and duet on "When You're Gone" which was a nice touch.

Then an interval followed by Jeff Beck. Mr Beck was on fine form. Backed by the rest of the Who's band (ie no Daltrey or Townshend), the highlight for me was an excellent "A Day In The Life". Then Debbie Harry pops up for Heart of Glass and Call Me which I bet Mr Beck has never played before. Still, this was excellent and Debbie was in good voice. After another Blondie number it was time for the main event - The Who.

This is who nearly everyone had come to see and a storming trio of numbers kicked things off - Townshend on great form and Daltrey's voice strong.

Sadly as Won't Get Fooled again ended, off went Townshend and we got some more blues from Daltrey and Beck.

The Ensemble all re-appeared (minus Ashcroft) for a lengthy "Join Together" with Daltrey and Adams swapping lead vocals. And then off they went. H'mm wait a minute - it's only 10:25 (ticket said 11pm curfew). As the crowd yelled for more, Harvey came back, said goodnight and the house lights came up. Now don't get me wrong, the show was really good, but if you are paying £130 as many did, is it not reasonable to expect more than 21 songs over 2.5 hrs? Or at least more than 4 from the Headliners?

If I'm being unfair there and Townshend's hearing problems were shortening things, then 1 or 2 more songs from each of Ashcroft, Adams, Harry & Beck would have spun things out to an acceptable degree. So, despite a feeling of being sold slightly short, the excellence of what we did see outweighed the negatives.

Let's hope for a full Who show sometime soon.

Setlist
Richard Ashcroft
Sonnet
Space And Time
Lucky Man
History

Roger Daltrey
Freedom Ride
Gimme A Stone

Bryan Adams
Run To You
Cuts Like A Knife
When You’re Gone (Duet)
Straight From The Heart

Jeff Beck
Beck's Bolero
Hammerhead
A Day In The Life

Jeff Beck & Debbie Harry
Heart of Glass
Call Me

Debbie Harry
One Way Or Another

Who
Baba O’Riley
Who Are You
Won’t Get Fooled Again

Roger Daltrey & Jeff Beck
I’m A Man (Mannish Boy)

Ensemble
Join Together

The Who - Royal Albert Hall - Saturday 31st March

Early evening start for a trip back to the RAH for the Who. Got to Victoria Station and were greeted by several hundred riot police with baying Alsatians. Why? Well, apparently Sheffield Wednesday fans (happy from their with at Palace) were arriving to pass through to the tube. As to the level of threat they offered we were unable to tell. Anyway, attempts to find any pub showing the second half of Watford v Chelsea on PremPlus proved fruitless. Finally managed to find one south of Sloane Square with Sky Sports News to find that Chelsea sneaked a lucky 92nd minute winner - arghh! 

After a swift one in the Gloucester Arms, we met Mick in the Queen's Arms for a couple of decent beers (Staropramen, Kirin and Kuppers Kolsh) and then off to the hall. As normal, we were able to stroll in with little security checks and it was only when we realised we had gone the wrong way (towards the dressing rooms) that we encountered some guards who directed us down more stairs to get to the floor. We were given a plain white wristband and found our seats in the back row of the arena. Still, not too bad, the floor is pretty small compared to most venues. 

As expected, the Who were excellent (when are they not?). Daltrey's voice was strong and good, despite recent illness and Townshend's playing spot on, coupled with the normal rambling/ranting between songs. Didn't hear a "get on with it" from Gary, but I'm sure it was there! The only disappointment was no "Substitute" or "Kids Are Alright" but this was more than made up for by a storming "My Generation", "Won't Get Fooled Again" and an excellent "You Better, You Bet". In fact, the only duff track in my view, was "Eminence Front" - I've never liked that! 

For the encore we wandered down to the front and enjoyed the Tommy encore from near the stage (taking extra care not to impede the paying customers at the front!). Richard managed to snag a setlist and we decamped happy to the "Prince of Wales" off Kensington High Street for a nightcap. Un-remarkable pub, but stunningly attractive barmaid! 

Slow journey home, livened up by a petite girl throwing a non-paying rider off the bus when he'd refused to leave. Cue round of applause from other passengers! Last chance to see the Who for a while - I'm refusing to pay the 70 odd quid for the summer Wembley shows... ditto the £150 + fees for the Rolling Stones!!!

Setlist

I Can't Explain

The Seeker

Who Are You

Behind Blue Eyes

Baba O'Riley

Eminence Front

A Man in a Purple Dress

Black Widow's Eyes

You Better You Bet

My Generation

Cry If You Want

Won't Get Fooled Again

Pinball Wizard

Amazing Journey

Sparks

See Me, Feel Me

Tea & Theatre

The Who - Roundhouse, Camden - Sunday 29th October

My first ever visit to the Roundhouse and (in the words of Mott The Hoople's "Saturday Gigs"), we did indeed float up there on a Sunday afternoon. With good reason too - a chance to see The Who, "up close and personal". Well that was the plan. As it turned out, the place was heaving and we had to put up with a spot about 2/3 of the way back. However, the venue is quite small, so still a good view. 

A relatively short set and no encore (no complaints though - tickets were cheap and this was part of the BBC Electric Proms series). The middle part of the show was based around the Endless Wire album. Slightly deaf afterwards!

Setlist

I Can't Explain

The Seeker

Who Are You

+

Fragments

Sound Round

Pick Up the Peace

Endless Wire

We Got a Hit

They Made My Dream Come True

Mirror Door

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Baba O'Riley

My Generation

A Man in a Purple Dress

Mike Post Theme

Pinball Wizard

Amazing Journey

Sparks

See Me, Feel Me

Tea & Theatre

The Who - Hyde Park Calling - Sunday 2nd July

40,000 in a field? Not my idea of fun. Most of the other bands on the bill? Not my cup of tea. But the lure of the Who proved to much, and here I am, reluctantly at an outdoor festival. 

We arrived just in time to see Razorlight on the main stage and moved away ASAP - their singer cannot sing! Went instead to see Primal Scream on the "B" stage (in a tent!) and that was much better. Not going to go into too much detail on the Who, other than to say they were excellent as always! Oh, and the Bitburger beforehand in the Star was nice too. No sign of "Pogo Patterson" though. 

PS Hello to my new "Pompey" friend I met on the last train back to Sutton. Nice to meet you and apologies for suggesting you may be called a "skate" in some quarters !! (Well, if you will insist that Fratton Park is "nice"...)

Setlist

I Can't Explain

The Seeker

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

Who Are You

Bargain

Behind Blue Eyes

Real Good Looking Boy

Drowned

Mike Post Theme

Baba O'Riley

Love, Reign O'er Me

The Kids Are Alright

My Generation

Won't Get Fooled Again

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Substitute

Pinball Wizard

Amazing Journey

Sparks

See Me, Feel Me