12 Mar 2018

Roger Daltrey: Who Hits, Rarities & Solo Hits: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, March 10, 2018

We’ve had a couple of days off. That’s nice – and needed. Good news; we were able to leave a good amount of our gear set up, and only a partial setup was required today. It also bodes well, as the band and Roger have already spent many hours on this stage. They know the sound is dialed in, and the setup is familiar. They won’t need much rehearsal today…

Or will they? Roger has a few guests (VIP/fans/charity?) sitting in the nearly-empty audience. He chats with them a few times as we go through the setlist ideas. He starts telling the band he’d like to bring in another old Who song or more… He mentions ‘The Punk and the Godfather’, ‘The Real Me’, ‘Getting In Tune’, ‘Naked Eye’, etcetera. The band are not committing to anything, and someone in the small crowd calls for ‘Naked Eye’, which they then proceed to play. It’s supposed to go into the set tonight…

And the show begins to a fully-fledged weekend audience, the real peak nights in Las Vegas. They are wilder, looser – maybe a little more drunk – than the previous crowd earlier this week. Throughout the show they are yelling things (during songs or between) – but Roger can’t often hear them as his “ears” are in. “Ears” being his term for in-ear-monitors; just like your earbuds, he’s hearing the band on these wireless-signal earpieces. He takes quite a bit of time to explain his aren’t quite as closely-fitting as before, likely just a physical change that makes the old molded pieces a bit looser, changing the sound a bit.

Aside from the “ears” – it was a pretty good mood throughout, lots of storytelling and background info. He tossed out the choice between ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and ‘Naked Eye’ – and they split their vote: “We’ll play both!” Roger promised – and did.

He sometimes changes the setlist on the moment – called “an audible” play in football; we have them, too. Sometimes the band is not clear on what’s next, and you’ll see road crew and band twisting their necks each way trying to find out who knows what the next track will be.

Roger’s been pulling from the deeper catalog, ‘Dreaming From the Waist’, ‘How Many Friends’, ‘Athena’ – etc to get some new experiences onstage. Yep, he’s playing with almost all the band members of The Who touring band, so it sounds a lot like modern Who stuff, but you get a version of some classic Who songs that never got a live workout.

All in all, another enjoyable night, and certainly this is a great set of rock and pop songs to play in Vegas anytime. Much of the building is decorated with Classic Rock art, photos and memorabilia. You’re already in the mood, listening to their DJ and various musical references everywhere. This show brings it to life – the classic rock IS still here.

Onward!

Tonight’s Set list

Overture
Pinball Wizard
I Can See for Miles
Another Tricky Day
Behind Blue Eyes
Naked Eye
Giving It All Away
Athena
Who Are You
Days of Light
Going Mobile
How Many Friends
Dreaming From the Waist
The Real Me
Without Your Love
Summertime Blues
Baba O’Riley
Young Man Blues
Always Heading Home