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Roger Daltrey Honors John Entwistle, Garth Hudson at L.A. Show

When the Who take the stage, it's deservedly an event. With a catalog 40 years in the making, frontman Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, the last two remaining original members of the band, have earned that right. On Saturday night at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Daltrey was at the helm of a more low-key event, taking to the stage as part of his 'Use It Or Lose It' solo tour with another Townshend by his side, Pete's younger brother Simon. But the music of the Who continued to assert itself alongside Daltrey's solo work.

Daltrey took advantage of the smaller size and lack of pomp and circumstance. After opening with a rocking "Who Are You" that showed off his six-piece band, the singer reminisced about late great Who bassist John Entwistle and talked about how the next song, which the band rarely performed anymore, hadn't been the same without his fallen band mate.

While it would've been great to hear The Ox's background vocals one more time, the rare "Pictures Of Lily" was still a highlight of the night, along with "Behind Blue Eyes," which Daltrey called his "favorite song." It hadn't been performed on the solo tour, he added, but it was a request that evening.

Who songs like "I Can See For Miles" were arguably the framework of the night. In its recorded version, that track featured Townshend on vocals because, as Daltrey explained, "I never sang it on record, my voice is too gruff, rough." Daltrey then dug into his solo catalog for a few tracks and dedicated a Celtic song to the Band's Garth Hudson, mentioning that he and Townshend have always loved and admired his work.

Though seeing Daltrey chatty, relaxed, and commanding his solo material provided highlights, there was no question that ferocious versions of "Young Man Blues" and "Baba O'Riley" were the peak of the performance. For "Baba," the audience was up on its feet and yelling along.

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Marc P

Amazing, absolutely amazing that anyone would claim that Roger hadn't sung "Behind Blue Eyes" on this tour before the Orpheum show--especially when he sang it just two nights earlier (and a mere 80 or so miles eastward) in Highland, CA.

Luckily, when I saw Roger on Thursday, the audio was flawless, his voice was in top-notch shape, the set list was brilliant, and the band was incredible. Good thing I didn't wait to see him in the big city...

By the way... the complete set lists for every concert are posted up on thewho.com (official band site) within about 24 hours of the end of each show. The tour seems to have a core of about 15 numbers that go on every night, plus a batch of others from which Roger picks about 2 or 3 per night, just to keep things different.

And on Thursday, we got a KILLER encore of "Pinball Wizard"... Eat your hearts out, L. A.!!!

October 21 2009 at 11:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Marc P's comment
Gia

Hey Marc,
I was there for the Highlands concert, and also am thankful that I didn't wait to see him in the city proper. Roger and the band were pure perfection. And yes, Behind Blue Eyes was part of the set list. It was such a brilliant concert, I am still not over it.
I love Roger. He is a God.
Long Live Rock

November 11 2009 at 12:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tony k

steve... did you really attend to the show?!?!? haha, don't think so. certainmly there were some audio problems, but the show was amazing, and he really rocked!!!

October 21 2009 at 2:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alan

I would first like to say to anyone who will be attending a Roger Daltrey concert please do not be like the three in the first row at the Orpheum who apparently were picking their nose in kindergarten during the "which one is different" lesson. This was an intimate setting and the idea is you sit down and let the band play for you. Thanks to the less than educated trio half the audience was left to stand for two hours and put a damper on the evening.

The show had its rough edges and problems with sound, but to me that is what live music is all about. Roger seemingly was having a great time as he always had a smile on his face and his joy was echoed in the performance. I was a little surprised at the small number of solo entries but did like the twist he put on songs from The Who. The band was definitely a little klunky at the beginning with the moving of equipment around but it not take away from the show.

October 20 2009 at 3:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Alan's comment
DKS

Those in three in the front row that stood up have a sense of entitlement. I've read about it time after time on the fanclub website. The way they see it is "Uck Foff, I'm in the fanclub, I paid for the seats, and I'll do what I want."

October 20 2009 at 9:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jeff w

Your review is not accurate. The reference you made to Daltrey not singing to "Miles" was actually to "Going Mobile" and Simon sang it Sat. night. Also to anyone interested Daltrey ended the show with a fun version of "Summertimes Blues"

October 19 2009 at 10:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to jeff w's comment
Lara Penny

Jeff's right! I was there and thoroughly enjoyed the show - nice to see Roger relaxed, chatty, silly and rockin!

October 19 2009 at 12:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply