In de Rolling Stone heeft Eddie Vedder, zanger van Pearl Jam, een artikel geschreven over The Who.
“John and Keith made the Who what they were. Roger was the rock. And at this point, Pete has been through and survived more than anyone in rock royalty. Perhaps even beyond Keith Richards, who was actually guilty of most things he was accused of“
De afgelopen dagen heeft The Who concerten gegeven in Boston (7 maart), Chicago (10 maart), Louisville (12 maart), Philadelphia (14 maart) en Pittsburgh (16 maart). De setlist voor deze concerten was gelijk, met “The Real Me” en “Pictures Of Lily” beiden in de set.
Recensies van Boston:
The Who Still Reign O’er Garden Stage.
“Mostly of the AARP generation themselves, believe this is Roger and Pete’s last go-round and are treating this with the reverence it deserves. They are also enthusiastically vocal, singing along with gusto to every single classic song”
DigiBoston: The Who at TD Garden.
“Fifty-two years in the can, but there doesn’t seem any need to call it a day. The passion and fury that catapulted The Who to controversy and stardom still burn fiercely within Daltrey and Townshend. Here’s to another fifty?”
The Who evokes storied past at TD Garden.
Recensie van Chicago:
Illinois Entertainer.
“The 72-year-old Daltrey sounded nearly invincible right from the get go, while somehow tapping into a perpetual fountain of youth with every whip of his microphone chord . And right along his side was the equally incendiary Townshend, who may be a few days shy of 71, but could still whip up a windmill like it was 1965.”
Recensie van Louisville:
Tijdens deze show werd “The Rock” opgedragen aan toetsenist Keith Emerson.
The Who rocks Louisville.
“There was the briefest moment in which Townshend held his arms away from his guitar, clenching his fists, in personal celebration. Here was the man who wrote, “I hope I die before I get old,” happily promoting that spirit into his 70s. It was beautiful. Daltry’s voice was clearly a bit limited, but it didn’t matter at that point; the crowd at the Yum Center was singing along, all the way up to the rafters”
Recensie van Philadelphia:
The Who Hits 50.
“As the first notes of “Who Are You” rang out across the crowd though, all became right with the world. Townshend pummeled away at his guitar as images flickered behind him. Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey sang with impressive power. The two are still vicious at their respective instruments, with a supporting cast including Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey, coming along side strong to cover any holes worn away by time.”
Recensies van Pittsburgh:
The Who Hits 50 at Consol Energy Center.
“They came to see the Who’s remaining two original members play the hits one last time, and last night they saw them do it notably well. Both Townshend and Daltrey are past 70, but Daltrey was in strong voice and Townshend can still raise the roof with his Strat, as on a resourceful extended jam on “My Generation””
Who takes Consol crowd on amazing journey.
“70-year-old Townshend, in a gray T-shirt and shades, scratching at his red Stratocaster and windmilling like the Pete of old. Remember ’89 when he could only play acoustic? He was so much older then. The 72-year-old Daltrey probably has the harder part in this bargain, having to approximate his old vocal power singing the songs of youthful rebellion. There are ups (mostly!) and downs, but he’s not far off at all”
Wisselden “Pictures Of Lily” en “The Real Me” stuivertje tijdens de vorige concerten, in New York werden beide nummers gespeeld. Dat brengt het aantal gespeelde nummers in de set op 21.
Mashable heeft een recensie van het concert in New York.
“Fifty years later, the Who can still rule a crowd. Roger Daltrey’s still got the howl and Pete Townshend can make the entirety of Madison Square Garden lose its mind over a swivel of his right arm. The band, currently on its 50th anniversary tour, packed Manhattan’s famed stadium on Wednesday night with thousands of fans eager to sing along to hits like “My Generation” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
The show was even more celebratory because it was rescheduled from last fall, when Daltrey was diagnosed with viral meningitis. At the end of the show, he thanked the crowd for sticking around while he was “really having a tough time with the reaper.”
“Here were are, still standing,” he said with a grin.
Best Classic Bands heeft een recensie van het concert in Madison Square Garden in New York. “I can happily report that if you are on the fence as to whether you should see this classic rock band perform their career retrospective, do what you can to beg, borrow or steal a ticket. They were that good!”
Op 3 maart gaf The Who een concert in de Madison Square Garden in New York. Voordat het concert begon, verscheen er een tweetal foto’s van David Bowie op de schermen, met de volgende tekst:
“David Bowie. Friend of The Who. Son of New York.
Tonight we will distinctly miss David Bowie, longtime fan of The Who. He’s told the story of how he climbed the fence at London’s Roundhouse to sneak backstage and give Pete Townshend a copy of his new 1969 album, David Bowie. He covered I Can’t Explain and Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere on his Pin Ups album.
Nearly every year at MSG, he sat in the first row right beside the stage. We’ll miss our friend, a true icon of music and art, and a brilliant innovator”
Billboard en Rolling Stone maken melding van dit feit.
MusicVaultz heeft een recensie en foto’s van het concert van The Who, dinsdagavond in Toronto. “The show was initially scheduled from October 19 to March 1 after Daltrey became ill with viral meningitis–looks like he’s feeling much better as the band showed no signs of weakness in their hit-packed set! Opening with signature track “Who Are You”, The Who made their mark from the first note”
Tevreden concludeert de recensent: “The set couldn’t be more hit-packed: from “The Kids Are Alright” igniting the momentum early on, to the climatic highs of “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Love, Reign O’er Me”, and the closing act including “Pinball Wizard” and “Baba O’Riley”, the energy was nothing short of incredible. Half a century into their career and The Who are still stunning sold-out crowds with impeccable talent“
Dinsdag, op Roger’s 72e verjaardag, trad The Who op in het Air Canada Centre in Toronto. De setlist was hetzelfde gebleven, alleen was “Pictures of Lily” weer terug, in plaats van “The Real Me”. Er werd twee maal een poging ondernomen om “Happy birthday” te zingen voor Roger.
Setlist:
Who Are You
The Seeker
The Kids Are Alright
I Can See for Miles
My Generation
Pictures of Lily
Behind Blue Eyes
Bargain
Join Together
You Better You Bet
I’m One
The Rock
Love, Reign O’er Me
Eminence Front
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
Baba O’Riley
Won’t Get Fooled Again
“I don’t know about Roger but a lot of good women have happened to me in Toronto“, zo liet Pete weten. “And a lot of good men … quaffing a beer in a pub. That was 22 years ago now. Anyway, we love your city!”
De Toronto Sun heeft een recensie van het concert.
Fragments 