The Who Concert Guide

Set list

1. Let My Love Open The Door
2. Freedom Ride
3. Waiting For A Friend
4. Who Are You
5. Substitute
6. Tattoo
7. After The Fire
8. Days Of Light
9. Giving It All Away
10. The Kids Are Alright
11. Squeeze Box
12. Gimme A Stone
13. The Boy in the Bubble
14. Won't Get Fooled Again
15. Going Mobile
16. Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
17. Without Your Love
18. Baba O'Riley
19. Young Man Blues
20. Love Reign O'er Me (Abbreviated)

Line Up

Roger Daltrey: Guitar, Vocals
Jody Linscott: Percussion
Billy Nicholls: Backing Vocal
Simon Townshend: Guitar, Backing Vocal
Doug Boyle: Guitar
Scott Devours: Drums
John Hogg: Backing Vocal, Bass
Katie Jacoby: Violin
Geraint Watkins: Harmonica, Keyboards

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Fanreports

Brian Carroll

The show was excellent. For reference, this was my 10th time seeing Daltrey, 8 times with The Who, and 2nd time solo. Hard to pick out favorite songs from the performance as so many were performed well or had interesting arrangements. But if I had to pick out a top five it would be Who Are you, After the Fire, Without Your Love, Won't Get Fooled Again, and Young Man Blues. The best track was probably Won't Get Fooled Again. Memorable during WGFA was most of the crowd singing along (where I was), Katie Jacobi's playing of the synthesizer part on violin with much gusto and creativity—lots of variations vs. playing same thing again and again and she turned it into an impressive solo in the extended part at the end. Also Scott Devours' powerful drumming added much to the rendition, and the crowd (not Roger) doing the scream at the end. Interludes where Daltrey answered questions or gave background about certain songs were funny and entertaining. There were some audio issues with a loud crackling noise during one song, I think it was either during Giving It All Away or Without Your Love. For best cover tunes, it was either Young Man Blues, Boy in a Bubble, or Have You Ever Seen the Rain. Great rendition of Going Mobile by Simon Townshend, as usual. He's always so good. Noticeable omissions included some classics that you really associate with Daltrey, especially Pinball Wizard and Behind Blue Eyes, but also You Better You Bet and Another Tricky Day. The great selection of rarities and covers more than made up for the omissions and made if feel more like a solo show than just Daltrey retreading a Who set list. The setlist was varied and worked well with the semi-acoustic band's arrangements. But the setlist was anchored with enough Who songs (10 of the 20 played) to remind you of why you were there. The band had a lot of Who and Daltrey solo stalwarts, including Simon (guitar, mandolin, and vocals), Billy Nichols (guitar, mandolin, and vocals), Jody Linscott (percussion), Katie Jacoby (violin and vocals), and Scott Devours (drums). Supposedly that was Jon Button on bass, but it didn't look like him, unless he grew out his beard and hair and dyed it. Doug Boyle, who has played with Robert Plant, Nigel Kennedy, and Carvan, did a solid job on lead guitar. Blues harmonica player Steve Weston was on blues harp, and on keyboards, accordion and backing vocals was Geraint Watkins (Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, and Status Quo). Some earlier concert reports from this tour claimed that Loren Gold, Frank Simes, and John Hogg were also in the band, but I don't recall seeing them onstage. The real notable thing about this show was how good Roger sounded. At 80! His voice was strong, and he sounded good singing in both higher and lower registers. And his voice was louder in the mix than it often is during Who shows—where I often felt it was lost among the instruments. What a stunning performer. A real pro. And a great backing band. An unsung hero of the night was the venue! Ravinia is a gorgeous venue. What a fantastic place to see a show. One could sit (if you brought chairs) or lay on the lawn on a blanket, eat and drink comfortably, walk around the beautifully landscaped grounds of the park, or stand close to the stage and watch the action. It was so much nicer than being wedged into a cramped seat for a whole 2-hour show. My only complaint about the venue would be that it feels like 1-2 more screens / jumbotrons placed around the park would help enhance the experience as many people seated in general admission in the park area can't see the stage or the screens that are on either side of the stage. However, the lights in the trees gave the place a magical quality. It was also a gorgeous summer night—warm but with a breeze. Plus, the food was great at the different concession options. I had a delicious brisket sandwich and Andi, my date, got a pizza that was quite good. Rounding out this experience was the fact that this show was on my birthday! And, if I were to guess, this might be Roger's final show as he is 80 and it seems unlikely The Who will tour again. But only time will tell.