On a warm September night, Roy and I ventured to Shoreline to see The Who’s final tour. Could Roger Daltry’s voice still fill an ampitheater? Could Pete Townsend’s guitar still push the band into overdrive?

The answer was “yes!” The band covered their hits from the early 1960s through the 1980s and overall they sounded great. In their classic years, the Who were the sound of youth, full of unbridled energy and raw emotions. It was inspiring to see two 80-something rock legends play with much of that energy for a full two hour set.

On some songs, an older Roger Daltry was doing a great job covering his younger self. Yet a handful of performances were simply great with emotional, impactful vocals; his performances were timeless. His first scream of “Love” in “Love, Reign O’er Me” was spine-tingling. Similarly “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” were strong.

At times Townsend wasn’t quite as agile on guitar as his younger self. Yet for most of the set, the band’s sound was his sound, and his sound cuts through anything in its way, setting the pace, and raising the energy.

Another standout tune was “Going Mobile” with Simon Townsend on lead vocals. He’s Pete’s brother and the song was spot on.

The set closed with two anthems, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Reily,” then followed by two more emotional, softer tunes. “The Song is Over” is the name of the tour, and a tearjerker for the ends of their performing careers. For an encore, only Daltry and Townsend were on stage, and sang a song about their old age called “Tea and Theatre.” They started performing together in 1961. It was a touching ending for a band that survived together so many years, even after famously singing “Hope I die before I get old.”

Setlist

1. I Can’t Explain
2. Substitute
3. Who Are You
4. I Can See for Miles
5. Long Live Rock
6. Pinball Wizard
7. See Me, Feel Me
8. Another Tricky Day
9. Behind Blue Eyes
10. My Generation
11. Cry If You Want
12. You Better You Bet
13. Eminence Front
14. I’m One
15. The Real Me
16. 5:15
17. Love, Reign O’er Me
18. Going Mobile
19. Won’t Get Fooled Again
20. Baba O’Riley
21. The Song Is Over
22. Tea & Theatre

Details