Set list
- I Can't Explain
- Substitute
- Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
- Who Are You
- Another Tricky Day
- Relay
- Bargain
- Baba O'Riley
- Sea And Sand
- 5.15
- Love Reign O'er Me
- Eminence Front
- Behind Blue Eyes
- You Better You Bet
- The Kids Are Alright
- My Generation
- Won't Get Fooled Again
Encore
Line Up
Roger Daltrey: Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Pete Townshend: Vocals, Guitar
John Bundrick: Piano, Keyboards
Pino Palladino: Bass
Zak Starkey: Drums
Simon Townshend: Backing Vocal, Guitar
Fanreports
Paul
Counting Crows opened, a band that briefly surfaced on the radio with a couple of hits, only to disappear again. Their show ended with Adam Durnin saying they'd be playing at the University of Rhode Island in two weeks -- a sad result for a band that once opened shows.
The crowd was a wide mix of ages and was jazzed for the show. Pete opened the show by saying it was their last show ever, then told us he was kidding. He went on to say that he was "apparently the only one" who could determine if they'd be back in town again, and that they emphatically would. We weren't sure what that meant, but we were glad to hear it. Before the Quadrophenia trio of songs he described it as a spiritual journey and then rambled about John Entwistle having started a book about the "old days" but only having finished a couple of chapters. He then began cursing at the audience (and in particular a heckler) in a friendly way, dropping f-bombs every third word. "I'm trying to talk here, shut the f*** up." "I don't do f****** requests, could you f****** shut up. I'll just walk off the f****** stage, I swear." Then Daltrey stepped up and joined Townshend -- "would you shut the f**** up?" I was a little disappointed to find them still needing to get laughs from the audience by cursing.
Pete's guitar playing was incredibly energetic and my friend, a psychologist, remarked that he "still seemed to have a lot of anger in him." Occasionally he took punk stances on the stage -- the guitar between the legs, the guitar hung low while he played chords. He also indulged us in some nice use of feedback, smacking his guitar with the palm of his hand, and he even engaged once in that old Jimmy Page standard, sliding his guitar along the microphone stand. In a lot of ways it was still the Townshend show -- he did most of the talking, and as usual Roger stood back swinging the mic while Pete soloed. Having seen the Who twice before, though, I have to say I missed Entwistle's bass playing and it way it walked through the middle of songs instead of hanging in the background like Palladino's.
As the show ended Pete talked to a little girl in the audience who wore a sports shirt with the #33. The cameras put her on monitor as they talked. "Are you 33?" he asked. She shook her head and held up her fingers. "Six? Five? Five years old?" She nodded. Pete then shook his head and mumbled something as he turned from the mic, and we had the impression that he was disgusted that someone had brought a kid that young. Then Daltrey stepped to the mic and said "that'll shut you up."
After a brief consultation in our section, we agreed that none of us knew what had just happened.
In summary: fantastic music, but an odd interaction with the audience.