May 27, 2016
Wednesday night at the Staples Center Roger Daltrey twirled his microphone sporadically and Pete Townshend windmilled his arm into his guitar all night long….Did The Who really turn 50?
The anticipation of this concert was high as Los Angeles Who fans have been waiting patiently for the rescheduling of the band since September. Lead singer Roger Daltrey was diagnosed with viral meningitis last fall, and by the loud wailing sounds of Wednesday night, it seems he has recovered.
The Staples Center was filled with a crowd of fans over the age of fifty who have been following the band since their teenage years. However, it was not difficult to find current teenagers rocking out to The Who on Wednesday night either. Corri Fitzpatrick was one of the many young fans present. The 15-year-old classic rock enthusiast came with her mom at her own will and claimed, “I wish more young people had my taste in music! They are missing out.”
The legendary band opened the night with “Who are You” and answered the song’s question throughout the entire night. They are rebellious, wild, routy, and downright hilarious as we learned through the many stories shared. Daltrey and Townshend opened up to the audience and revealed the true meanings behind some of their most popular hits.
Roger Daltrey admitted “The Kids are Alright” is about the time he impregnated a girl when he was nineteen. His only solution was to marry her to escape the shame he would have experienced during the time. Clearly, this marriage did not last long, but the kids do seem to be alight still.
Pete Townshend gave the title “Squeeze Box” a whole new meaning when he revealed it is about women’s breasts. Laughter roared through The Staples Center when he began discussing the manboobs he grew after he turned 50 and stated, “We couldn’t get what we wanted anymore so we grew them ourselves.”
Most of the concert consisted of danceable hits that the entire audience belted along to including “The Seeker”, “I Can See For Miles”, “Behind Blue Eyes”, “Join Together”, “Pinball Wizard”, and “You Better You Bet”. They also took some time to focus less on the singing and more on the instrumentals and political backdrops during their songs from their concept album Quadrophenia.
The energy of both the band and the audience soared, and seemed to have peaked during “My Generation.” Before playing this song, Townshend told of when they played the famous Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The lesser known band (at the time) was ecstatic about gaining a spot on the bill, until they realized they were going to be compared to Jimi Hendrix who was also on the bill. Fortunately, Townshend said, they rocked the festival with “My Generation,” just like they did at the Staples Center.
Most would agree the most shocking part of the night was the ironic fun fact we learned about Roger Daltrey. Towards the end of the night, Daltrey yelled at an audience member smoking weed and politely asked him to stop. It turns out Daltrey is allergic to pot! How he survived Woodstock, The Monterey Pop Festival, and well….the ‘60s, is something we will never know. Pete Townshend killed the awkwardness as he told the weed smoker “Shove the pot up your a**. Then you’ll get really high.”
The Who finished the night flawlessly with their two most popular hits. Emotions soared throughout The Staples Center as Baba O’Riley was played to perfection by the band. It was clear that most people chanting along were true fans that knew the song’s title is not “Teenage Wasteland.” The drama continued as the notorious intro of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” carried the band into their last song. At this point, it seemed every single member of the audience was standing and dancing along. Then the moment in the song came where the question everyone was wondering was about to be answered…Can Roger Daltrey still do the scream? The answer is a clear, undeniable YES. The 72-year-old can still shriek like he did fifty years ago and still seems to have silenced the Earth during that brief moment in “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
Although The Who did not encore, they ended the concert with an introduction all of the current members. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are the only original members, but Townshend’s brother is playing guitar and Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starsky, is playing drums just like his father. While Keith Moon’s pounding drum solos are sincerely missed and can never truly be replaced, Starsky is filling Moon’s footsteps terrifically.
The Who might be older than they were fifty years ago, but they have not aged in their performance. Jeff u’Ren, a concert attendee, has been following the band since the ‘70s and thinks they are better now than ever before. “I think the latest concerts are the best. I like how it disseminated all down to what they do now and I really appreciate it,” u’Ren says.
It is still not too late to catch the band! Fortunately for those who missed the concert, Southern California will host The Who once again this October at Desert Trip.
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