well guys the band has kicked off the tour and it sounds like a good show. although some reports say the new stuff was a bit shaky in places. i'm sure they will work it out and hopefully keep performing it, as the the show is 2 hours 15 minutes. more then enough time to fit [i]everything[/i] in. the new stuff takes maybe 25 minutes of that time. no setlist yet, but here is a good summary.



[b]September 13, 2006


The Who by numbers -- high and low -- in Philadelphia
By Geoff Gehman Of The Morning Call

8:33 p.m. Tuesday, Wachovia Center, Philadelphia: The Who open their North American tour -- the first in four years and the first complete one led by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend -- with a meaty, beaty and bouncy version of "Can't Explain," under a video of their 1960s and '70s hijinks as a quartet. The Mod anthem of defiant confusion launches a two-hour show that's glorious, dubious and curious, with all the highs and lows of rock opera.

8:44: "Baba O'Riley" crests on Townshend's knifing, pummeling power chords and Daltrey's funneled, foaming, furious vocals. At 62 he can still smash and cut glass with a scream.


8:55: Daltrey shows his raw, touchingly vulnerable side on "Real Good Looking Boy," Townshend's ruminative ode to Elvis Presley, one of his and Daltrey's heroes.

9:00: Townshend explains that he wrote "Real Good Looking Boy" years ago to jump-start a Who reunion with Daltrey and John Entwistle, the band's bassist who died in 2002. Ultimately, though, the project, which Tuesday night included a Townshend elegy to Entwistle, "ran out of steam."

9:03: "Wire & Glass," the mini-rock opera that convinced the frequently bickering Townshend and Daltrey to tour again, is a 15-minute spin through Townshend's typical obsessions: the heaven and hell of fame, the saving grace of music, the circuitous search for meaning. The centerpiece of The Who's new CD "Endless Wire," due in stores next month, it's a cracked mosaic of fragmented riffs and lyrical trifles. By comparison, "A Quick One While He's Away," the Who's nine-minute, witty, wacky medley from 1966, is downright unified.

9:20: "Relay," from Townshend's aborted "Lifehouse" project, features cutting, thrashing drumming from Zak Starkey, who was tutored by none other than Keith Moon, the Who's late, lamented maniacal genius. Steadier than Moon and flashier than Kenny Jones, The Who's second drummer, Ringo Starr's son plays detonating, levitating fills on everything from "Who Are You" to "Substitute."

9:40: Daltrey and Townshend duet on another track from "Endless Wire," "Man in a Purple Dress," a savage attack on hypocritical priests ("You're invisible to me/Like vapor on the sea"). Daltrey's rugged righteous wrath proves once again why he's Townshend's best interpreter.

10:01: "Won't Get Fooled Again," The Who's most operatic, foolproof tune, is a massive dose of ecstasy, a tribal orgy. It's thrilling to watch thousands of listeners swing their arms in tandem with Townshend as they become air-guitar gods.

10:19: A "Tommy" suite is stretched into an inter-galactic epic, propelled by Townshend's hammering, wailing, sky-biting "Purple Haze" solo on "Underture." Nevertheless, it sounds anticlimactic after "Won't Get Fooled Again." Even better would have been "Love Reign O'er Me"; sadly, strangely, there were no numbers from "Quadrophenia."

10:38: The concert ends with Daltrey and Townshend performing "Tea and Theatre," a sad, tender reunion of mad creators from Townshend's blog novella "The Boy Who Heard Music." Spectators toast the grizzled, gracious comrades with a thunderous "WHO!!!," a thank-you for 33 years of maximum R&B.

7:32: Peeping Tom starts the evening with a bizarrely engaging, somewhat endearing blend of hip-hop and death metal. The eight musicians mix turntable scratching and Arabic/outer-space fiddle, a bashing wall of rhythm and catchy rapping ("You don't like anchovies/You actin' salty)." Dressed all in white, lead singer Mike Patton whips his body and voice like David Bowie imitating Sly Stone, or Rob Zombie channeling Cole Porter. Despite their impressive chops, they're a poor opening act; the only one thing they share with The Who is a middle-finger attitude[/b]

Sirius Satellite Radio are to launch a 24-hour Who radio channel in the States. Press release below and a couple of other links attached with more details.

Hamish


* New 24-hour channel dedicated to legendary band

* Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey to produce channel

* Exclusive interviews with band members

* Broadcasts of current US tour dates and past concerts

* Backstage tour reports from musician Rachel Fuller

SIRIUS Satellite Radio (announced today that it will launch a commercial-free music channel dedicated to legendary rock band The Who. The company made the announcement during a press event attended by all current members of The Who at SIRIUS' New York City headquarters.

The Who Channel will debut on SIRIUS on Thursday, September 21. The limited-run channel will feature five decades of music by The Who, including rare tracks and live cuts, and SIRIUS-exclusive interviews with band members. Also featured will be nightly broadcasts of concerts on the band's current tour of the US and Canada, featuring commentary and backstage reports hosted by musician Rachel Fuller.

SIRIUS will also broadcast selected shows from The Who's massive archives, including some never before-heard shows and backstage conversations with the band, some with the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle.

Said The Who's Pete Townshend, "This is the most exciting thing I can imagine -- our own radio channel, straight to our fans. I'm completely revved about this. Who's serious about SIRIUS? You bet."

Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Sports and Entertainment, said, "The band that revolutionized rock and roll as we know it will continue to make history by partnering with SIRIUS Satellite Radio for this groundbreaking channel. Our subscribers will be connected to all aspects of the band with an 'all access' pass granted to them by Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey in a unique and unprecedented way, including, with the advent of technology, the return of Keith Moon and John Entwistle."

The pioneering British rock band has reached a new level in its storied career. Endless Wire, The Who's first studio album in 24 years, will be released by Universal on October 31. The 19-track album features extended versions of the various sections that formed their Wire & Glass mini-opera (released in July 2006) as well as exploring other themes from Pete Townshend's novella, The Boy Who Heard Music.

Surviving original Who band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are joined by bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Zak Starkey, guitarist Simon Townshend and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick on the new album as well as in their live performances. The Who launched their first world tour in more than 20 years on September 12 in Philadelphia, PA. More tour and ticket info is available at WhoTour.com.

SIRIUS, the content leader in radio, is the first to dedicate entire 24-hour, commercial-free music channels to some of the world's greatest artists. For three months in 2005, SIRIUS broadcast the E Street Radio channel, devoted to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which featured exclusive interviews with Springsteen and band members, among other special programs. In September 2005, SIRIUS premiered Rolling Stones Radio (channel 98), devoted to the music of the Rolling Stones, and in March 2006, dedicated a channel for a limited time to the music of David Gilmour and Pink Floyd. SIRIUS launched Elvis Radio (channel 13), the world's only official, all-Elvis Presley radio channel broadcasting live from Graceland in Memphis, in June 2004. SIRIUS is also the exclusive satellite radio home of Shade 45 (channel 45), the uncut hip-hop channel co-created with Eminem, "Little Steven" Van Zandt's Underground Garage (channel 25) and Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville (channel 31).

For more information about SIRIUS, click HERE.




:D

So apparently The Who was on Letterman last night... I just found out today =\. Anyone watch?

I caught them at Jones Beach on Wednesday night. :)

Setlist:

I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Baba O'Reilly
Behind Blue Eyes
Real Good Lookin' Boy
Wire and Glass
Relay
Who Are You
(New material I didn't recognize)
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again

Encore:
Substitute
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks into Overture into See Me, Feel Me
(New material- very pretty acoustic song)

Damn that was the show I should have been at. I'm super jealous. That sounds great.

It really was the most amazing thing in the world. You might be able to find Garden tickets on ebay or something if you're willing to spend that much money. Even my tickets from Ticketmaster were $100 each. So worth it, though.

Ooo. I can't wait until I see them.

So you all looking forward to Endlees Wire next month ??

I want Tommy before I get that tho'

OMG its getting closer to The Who!

Yeah, I saw them on Letterman, my mom was all upset because they didn't do their 'old songs' :rolleyes:

As long as I see See Me Feel Me live, I am content.

saw 'em on Letterman. looking forward to a hollywood bowl gig, hopefully. tickets still available both nights. seen 'em three times but want to hear the new stuff. plus the album comes out less then a week before. ought to be exciting.

rockinbass how does the new stuff sound? what is your impression? i hope they keep playing it.

I quite liked the new material. Especially the last song they played- odd that they would close with it when it is so new, but it was very pretty and I'm glad they did it.

Here's my review (it's a bit of a cheesy, overdone review. Sorry):

Take R&B- the mid-late Sixties type- and put it through an amplifier. Mix in one of the most solid rhythm sections in musical history, add rough, rebellious vocals, and top it off with one really loud guitar. Now you've got yourself The Who, one of the most timeless acts in all of rock and roll. Two rock-opera albums that will make history and one day be as respected as classical works from Bach and Beethoven. Pioneers of the synthesizer. Lush, intricate, and catchy vocal harmonies. The list goes on and on, only further proving the superiority that the band holds in the entire genre of rock music. But, perhaps the most important feature of the British mod group is their live show. The Who remain unchallenged as the ultimate live band. Just pick up [I]Live at Leeds[/I] or [I]The Kids Are Aright [/I]DVD if you don't believe me. And now, coming up on more than thirty years after their prime, Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey can still boast to be the most mind-blowing live band in the world.
The set opened with the one of the bands earliest singles, 1965's "I Can't Explain." There was no fancy introduction, no smoke machines or dramatic entrances, the musicians just came on the stage and played. Townsend's guitar roared like thunder as he attacked chord after chord, conveying the frustration, anger, and rebellion that he felt when writing the songs way back in his 20's. "Baba O'Reilly" was met with a glorious uproar as the most memorable synth line ever filled the audience's ears. Daltrey's voice, even with a more narrow range than when he was younger, is still as raw and powerful as ever. Townsend's more melodic, sweet, high-pitched singing complemented Roger well.
Perhaps the most unpredictable aspect of the night's show was the quality of the new material. The first full-length Who album, titled [I]Endless Wire[/I] since the mediocre 1982 release [I]It's Hard [/I]is due out in the U.S. this fall. The focus of the new release is the mini-opera "Wire and Glass." It contains a series of seven Townsend compositions brought together to tell a story. No one could have predicted how well this new experiment turned out. It is not the cheesy, optimistic old man rocker music that most songwriters in their 60's turn out. It is The Who- there were hard-rocking social commentaries, beautiful melodies of love and the frustration that comes with it, and tunes that any young person today can still relate to, despite the songwriters being quite old.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" was an epic closer. If one was to define a generation in one song, if there was one song that can take all the aspects of the crazy life of an adolescent, it would be this timeless anthem. After the band came back on for the inevitable encore, they went into some tracks from the philosophical concept album [I]Tommy[/I], showing their more thoughtful artsy side. And the final song of the night was, oddly, a track from the new album. It was just Pete on his acoustic and Roger singing. It boasted a pretty structure played softly and sweetly by Townsend, with Roger singing as melodically as ever. A magical end to a rock show that touched upon every single conceivable human emotion.

sweet, rockinbass. that was much more then i expected :)

i think i will pick up a ticket for the Hollywood Bowl. last i saw them at the Bowl i went alone and i think i will again. that way i can choose my spot and not be bothered by a companion. and if i have to settle for "upper bench" seats i can wander around freely, as those are usually general admission. good deal. rep++ for the review :)

*is excited

I missed them on Letterman. Oh well.

Tommy was on TV the other night, so I watched that.

I went to their concert friday, it was sick. Opening band (peeping tom) sucked major balls though. They played all of their big hits, twas great.

[QUOTE=Quiksilver26;13263785]So apparently The Who was on Letterman last night... I just found out today =\. Anyone watch?[/QUOTE]
i saw that. it was excellent. have it recorded on the DVR. they did Man In The Purple dress. just Pete and Rog. i didn't even know they were gonna be on. then Dave said "we'll be right back with The Who". i was like 'hell yeahs'! good performance, really good song. Roger was very solid. Pete, well, Pete. very nice.

I just saw them last night. Amazing. The setlist was the same as the one posted above, and I even got to see Pete do that jumping/windmill thing. Granted, he didn't get as high up as he used to, but it was still amazing.

The last concert I saw was the Flaming Lips, and I thought it was weird that Pete brought them up when he was talking to the audience. That never happens...

Songs I wished they had played: 5:15, I'm Free
Songs they played that I hoped they would: Pretty much everything, esp. Won't Get Fooled Again

And Peeping Tom was terrible. Boston booed them off the stage. I hear out west moe. was opening

/jealous

Sucks to be Mike Patton.

just saw the guys in concert. UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE

Yeah, moe. is opening when I see the Who.

The Artic Monkeys are scheduled to do some dates, too. Pity when the band you are opening for is the greatest live act ever. :)

The Who actually open for the Chili Peppers at the Virgin Festival. The Peps better be on top of their game that night.

omg what if Flea plays a song or two with The Who! :eek:

Flea and Chad should join for 5:15 and The Real Me, that'll be so cool(at least if I were there)

flea doing the real me would be crazy awesome

I don't think they need any help from Chad though.

seeing as Ringo Jr. is the 2nd greatest drummer the Who ever had.

[QUOTE=Lunch;13284664]I don't think they need any help from Chad though.[/QUOTE]


Agreed. I like Chad but not for the Peps. Have seen the Peps on a few occasions. He is very heavy handed for that band. Would most likely be the same with The Who. Which is not suiting for The Who. Moon was many things, overbearing wasn't one of them. I hear Buddy Rich and dudes like that when i hear Moon sometimes, not John Bonham. All due respect to his memory.

Agree with Froggys as well. Zak is about as good as it gets. A few others would do fine, of course. But Zak really is great in his own right. And Moon is his Godfather, I believe. Tutored him on drums when he was a child. So its only fitting.

Bonham could play softly too, but Led Zeppelin's live show - much like the Who's - relied heavily on power and volume, which Bonzo no doubt delivered.

[QUOTE=JXD;13280641]The Artic Monkeys are scheduled to do some dates, too. Pity when the band you are opening for is the greatest live act ever. :)

The Who actually open for the Chili Peppers at the Virgin Festival. The Peps better be on top of their game that night.

omg what if Flea plays a song or two with The Who! :eek:[/QUOTE]


I'm going to the festival :cool:

Wasn't Zak taught by Keith anyways?

[QUOTE=JXD]And Moon is his Godfather, I believe. Tutored him on drums when he was a child. So its only fitting.
[/QUOTE]I think so.

I think I appreciated him more than Jason Bonham

The strangest thing just happened, someone with and SN Lunch938 IMed me and asked me how The Who concert was. And it wasn't Lunch, it was some kid from the next buiding over. What are the chances of being one number off like that

Slim to nil.

[QUOTE=Walrus Gumboot;13289864]I think I appreciated him more than Jason Bonham

The strangest thing just happened, someone with and SN Lunch938 IMed me and asked me how The Who concert was. And it wasn't Lunch, it was some kid from the next buiding over. What are the chances of being one number off like that[/QUOTE]

Find out who it is, that bitch.

That's freaking weird.

A couple of new songs leaked:
[url]http://testing.universalmotown.com/thewho/eblast/eblast.html[/url]

Photos from the Boston show:
[url]http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/display.cfm?id=393&zone=pr[/url]

pete still ****ing rocks!

Thanks for posting those pictures, those are great


Lunch: it was this guy from my school I knew from doing a canoeing program. He happened to be on the bus on the way to Boston. I think he just likes food alot. Either that or he's stealing your identity

Haha, someone IMed me a long time ago with a Breakfast998 name. I never found out who it was though.

the who put on a great show

I like food a lot. But you don't see me stealing lunch's name.

Pete's still got mad ups.

So have you guys listened to the two new songs I posted on the previous page? I like them. The second one is the album closer and most likely a career closer, too So I think its very appropiate. And the first one while fairly standard Townshend fare, will certainly find a place on the album. I actually like it quite a lot.