8 Nov 2012
The Who in Duluth, GA on November 5th
GETTY IMAGES
http://tinyurl.com/RickGettyDuluth
**click above link to view Rick Diamond’s photos**
Photos and Review: The Who – Atlanta, Ga.
By Bonnie Stiernberg
Photos by Bobby Russell
It’s easy to get cynical about a band who’s been around significantly longer than you’ve been alive brushing the dust off their collective shoulders and heading out on tour. Motivation gets called into question (why bother with the road so late in their career if not to cash in on their earlier success and hawk a bunch of $40 T-shirts?). Smirks and pointed looks are exchanged when a frontman who is pushing 70 plays a good-sized chunk of the show bare-chested, clad in a rather snug pair of jeans. At times it can seem a little silly, and perhaps a touch of that cynicism is warranted, but when it comes to the nostalgia circuit, you could sure do a lot worse than The Who at Gwinnett Center in Atlanta, Ga.
After a strong opening set by Vintage Trouble (who seemed right at home in the arena setting), the band—which now consists of founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend as well as bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Zak Starkey and Townshend’s brother Simon on guitar and backup vocals—played through Quadrophenia in its entirety before appeasing more casual fans with an encore that included hits like “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
Were there hiccups? Sure. Daltrey missed a cue after seemingly getting tangled in the wiring of his in-ear monitor (prompting Townshend to ask “What the fuck is going on over there?”), and some technical issues caused Townshend to muff a guitar solo. But as a whole, it was an incredible showing by one of the few groups of their generation who genuinely seem willing to shake things up on tour.
Contemporaries like The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones have fallen into the jukebox-of-hits pattern with their live shows, but The Who are to be commended for being bold enough to trot out the dense concept album. Dearly departed members each got their moments to shine via video projections—John Entwistle turned in a stunning bass solo on “5:15,” and Keith Moon drew some of the night’s most enthusiastic cheers when he appeared to deliver his vocal parts on “Bell Boy.” This wasn’t a “hologram Tupac” scenario in the slightest—the projections were worked into the set tastefully, and the sound was seamless enough that you’d swear Moon and Entwistle were actually in the arena.
Besides their fallen bandmates, The Who used their light show to illustrate the Quadrophenia tale with the shots of Brighton Beach, mods and rockers you might expect, but perhaps most importantly, to remind us of where they’ve been. Watching early footage of Daltrey twirling microphones and Townshend smashing guitars and then glancing back to the action onstage to see plenty of the same—no smashed instruments, but a healthy amount of enthusiastic windmilling from Townshend—it was clear that age hasn’t slowed them down much yet.
Daltrey in particular was in great form, his voice showing virtually no weakness on soaring tracks like “Love Reign O’er Me.” And when he let loose with that undeniable scream on “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” it was more than enough to send the crowd into its own yelps of ecstasy.
Near the end of the Quadrophenia set, the video screens played a montage that felt almost like a crash course on 50 years of history. Footage of Vietnam, Richard Nixon and the fall of the Berlin Wall was intercut with scenes from 9/11, Occupy Wall St. protests and even a “Free Pussy Riot” sign. Whether intentional or not, the message seemed to be “these guys have been around for all of this,” and if this current tour is any indication, they won’t be leaving us anytime soon.
PASTE MAGAZINE **blog review** + more great pics
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/1000words/2012/11/photos-the-who—atlanta-ga.html
SET LIST:
1. QUADROPHENIA
I Am the Sea
The Real Me
Quadrophenia
Cut My Hair
The Punk and the Godfather
I’m One
The Dirty Jobs
Helpless Dancer
Is It in My Head?
I’ve Had Enough
5:15
Sea and Sand
Drowned
Bell Boy
Doctor Jimmy
The Rock
Love Reign O’er Me
2. AND MORE!
Baba O’Riley
The Kids Are Alright
Behind Blue Eyes
Who Are You
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Tea & Theatre
To check the itinerary of The Who’s N. American tour of Quadrophenia and More and to buy tickets, click HERE.
To browse and buy official Who merch, go THE STORE.
- Photo by Bobby Russell
The whole band really played their hearts out. Pete and Roger were incredible!!!! Hard to believe they are pushing 70. They still have the same passion and energy that they had 40 years ago. Thank you guys for an awesome, awesome show!!!!
My 12 year old son Noah and I made the trip from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to see the who in Duluth. Not only was it a phenomenal show but a bit of a rock history lesson for my son. I was lucky enough to see the Endless Wire Tour when it hit Duluth in December of 2006, my very first Who show. But Quadrophenia was an absolute beast from beginning to end. Of course The Who can’t play everything, but then again how could they? The video tributes featuring Ox and Moon were tastefully done with honor and dignity. Their replacements, Pino and Zak, have plenty of talent to carry on their legacy. With the addition of Simon Townshend, an extremely talented guitarist, The Who showed that there is still plenty of life left in them. Long Live Rock!!!
I took my wife, sister-in-law and my 20 year old daughter. My daughter is mentally retarded and her passion is music. She loves The Who and many other artists. We all had a great time and enjoyed the show.
This is the greatest rock band to ever walk the face of the planet. I’ve seen them 8 times over 43 years(gulp!) and I’ve seen everyone(but the Beatles). I can’t wait to seem them again, in Minneapolis in 2 weeks.
Long live The Who!
Still having a hard time letting the show sink in. The Who concert was a very moving one. Seeing John and Keith playing along was wonderful. Very up-lifting and very fitting. Watching the footage on the screen was touching. It mainly covered England from the end of WW2 up until the mid ’60s. Seeing the Who so young and their fans was not just a walk down memory lane, it more of a statement. Of a time passed. Could not help but feel the weight of those years, since that era. Still, no sadness. Just a celebration.
Pete and Roger were as great if, not better, than ever. Roger sang like a man half his age. Pete? He is still the same guy we all love. Time has not diminish him in any way. His singing and his guitar playing was what we the fans, would have expected. He lost his cool twice that I saw. His asking during ‘Drown’ “What the ‘F’ is going on?”, referring to a stage Tech helping Rog with Ear Pieces was humorist. He also became very animated during the encore pointing at the stage crew and yelling at them. Nice to see Pete still has the fire. He cares about things being right.
That has nothing to do with the music. The entire band was brilliant. Zak Starkey is by far the most under-rated drummer today. Pete’s brother Simon has been a great asset to band. His guitar playing was a surprise. His solos during a few songs was perfect and his lead vocal on ‘Dirty jobs’ fit the mood of the concert. Pino is by far the rock that holds the beat together. Not a easy thing, stepping into John’s shoes. He earns everyone’s admiration for this. He does not try to play like John. He brings his own style. The Keyboard players and the Horn section helped create the wall of sound needed for the show.
Ending with the poignant ‘Tea for Two.’ was a very fitting way to say good night. I hope this is not the last time I will see them. But after 9 shows going back to ’70, it would be a perfect ending.
Waited years to see Quadrophenia performed in its entirety. Worth the wait. Phenomenal movie clips of the Modernist scene. Gave me a lump in my throat. Thank you very much.