Daltrey Finds His Voice As The Who's U.S. Tour Ends
It was touch and go there for a while. The Who abruptly ended a concert in Tampa a couple of weeks ago because Roger Daltrey had lost his voice to a bad case of bronchitis. So, the audience at the band's final U.S. performance in Hollywood, Florida on Monday (March 26) might have come in the door wondering about any lingering effects on Daltrey's voice. Guest blogger Jim Smith, who was in that audience, says the answers came early.Before singing his first note, Daltrey asked for the crowd's indulgence and forewarned that he "wouldn't even be trying to hit the high notes" that he's been hitting for 42 years. They kicked into some vintage 60s Who, like "I Can't Explain" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and his voice was a tad gravelly out of the box.
They moved on to "Fragments" from Endless Wire and I thought it was the beginning of the end. He really struggled through the number.
Then, a transformation occurred. The band was playing well, VERY tight, and Pete Townshend was at his acerbic best. From that point forward, through "Substitute" (almost bombastic, like Keith Moon was pounding skins,) "Baba O'Reilly" and most of the other classics (with the notable exception of Quadrophenia -- they didn't touch it) Daltrey barely missed a lick. Okay, he did toss the mike to the crowd for some of the choruses, but what arena rocker doesn't?
I turned to my seat mate during "Won't Get Fooled Again" and said, "There's no way he's gonna attempt that guttural scream towards the end of the song." Wrong! He did it as well as I've ever heard him, and I've heard him a bunch of times.
They encored with a few from Tommy -- "Pinball Wizard" segued into "Captain Walker" -- and closed acoustically, just Pete and Roger, with "Tea & Theatre" from Endless Wire. It was a mind-blowing two hour set.
I was more than impressed with the effort. It was great rock and roll and an example of a pro "playing hurt." Interestingly, when the final number concluded, Daltrey stood almost frozen in the moment, taking in the crowd as if imprinting it on his mind. He held the position for nearly a full minute. I've never seen an artist "suck it in" quite like that.
As this was the final show of their North American tour, Daltrey's actions caused me to wonder if it was really the farewell appearance that I had paid to see so many times in the past. Time will tell if we see more action. If not, I can honestly say I saw one of the finest performances by these guys in the 36 years I've been going to see them. The Full Monty!
Photo courtesy Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Comments
When I saw The Who a few months ago Daltrey clearly didn’t have what he used to but that’s to be expected. Despite not sounding like his old self he did sound great. He nailed that primal scream on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and barely tripped up at all throughout the whole set. They were definitely a treat to see.
I hear you Jeff, at the Auburn Hills (Detroit) gig he was not outstanding but I thought OK. Then I got the DVD of the gig, through the bands weblinks & have to say, his voice was obviously worse than we “thought” it sounded on the night.
The “mix” doesn’t lie!
The band are bootlegging themselves with CD’s & DVD’s of the last 2 years tours, Roger opened up about this, over at Classic Rock Revisited, a couple of months back.
We still enjoyed the night though!
Alun
The kids (not any more) were more than all right! Roger’s last looks made it seem as if the feeling is mutual.
Just have to say…
After watching Roger walk off in Tampa, in Hollywood, I could not have appreciated his performance more. Cannot, would not, and shall not complain about one note because the entire set made me float. We’ll miss them-there are no others like them…
All I could say when T came to an end is- its(just like their tune says)Never enough!
i saw the whos performance at nassau coliseum on march 11. these guys get better with age although i didnt think it was the best show ive seen them do. daltreys voice was definitely there that night. zak starkey is the best fit since the keith moon days.
Gene - Wow! How right you are about Zak!
He was incredible, totally Moon inspired, perfect fit & amazingly so!
Hey Nancy, don’t get me wrong, we really enjoyed the evening, great to finally get to see the band - & I lived in the UK up until 2000!
Chances to see them over there were few & far between, but I really should have “tried harder …,” as the old school teacher used to say …!
Alun
The thing is it doesnt matter if Roger lost his voice or not. The Who will be the all time best rock band of the world……