Today’s commentary appears one week later than intended.  Blame a proud-parent moment; some talk during last week indicated this blog might get pushed back again; stay tuned in that regard.  The lead singer of The Who really rocked out as summer turned to fall.  Roger Daltrey brought his “A Great Night Out” tour to the Capitol Theatre in Portchester on September 22.  While not The Who, this band did feature a Townsend — Simon — on guitar and vocals.  Roger was in great form and I enjoyed his vocals, showmanship and between-song banter.  While The Who play arenas and stadia, taking in a concert featuring that band’s lead vocalist in an intimate setting made the evening all the more special.  The performance featured an eclectic mix of Who tunes, covers and selections from Roger’s solo albums.  

Indeed, he opened with a cover but most would think it a Who song: Pete Townsend’s Let My Love Open the Door.  The set included three songs from Who’s Next, probably my fave Who LP:

Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again plus Simon singing lead (Pete sings lead on the album) on my fave song from that iconic  album, “Goin’ Mobile” — a real treat.  Interestingly, my daughter’s Facebook post included brief videos of two of those songs.

I found fascinating how a Roger cover of o song by another worked so well.  That especially applied to songs by two of my favorites — John Fogerty (Creedence’s Have You Ever Seen the Rain) and Neil Young (Rockin’ in the Free World).

After I watched a performance in Vegas on YouTube, my anticipation for this show grew and the evening exceeded my expectations.

Enjoy the Setlist:

1. Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townshend cover)
2. Freedom Ride (Largo cover, Eric Bazilian written)
3. Who Are You (The Who song
4. Substitute (The Who song)
5. Waiting for a Friend
6. After the Fire
7. Days of Light
8. Giving It All Away (Leo Sayer cover)
9. The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon cover)
10. Squeeze Box (The Who song)
11. Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who song)
12. Goin’ Mobile (The Who song, Simon Townsend vocal)
13. As Long as I Have You (Garnet Mimms cover)
14. Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
15. I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash cover)
16. Without Your Love (Billy Nicholls cover)
17. Baba O'Riley (The Who song)
18. Rockin' in the Free World (Neil Young cover)
19.  Days (The Kinks cover, solo acoustic; partial)
20. “Real Good Looking Boy” (The Who song, solo acoustic; partial)

Besides Simon Townshend on Guitar and vocals, Roger’s nine-piece lineup includes: Doug Boyle – Guitar,  John Hogg – Bass, Scott Devours – Drums, Geraint Watkins – Keyboards and accordion, Billy Nicholls – Mandolin and backing vocals, Jody Linscott – Percussion, Katie Jacoby – Violin (Her playing highlighted Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again.) , and Steve Weston – Harmonica.

Amy Helm, daughter of the late great drummer and vocalist in The Band (Levon Helm), accompanied by Anthony da Costa on guitar, opened and performed five tunes:

1. Money on 7
2. Didn't It Rain
3. If I Was King
4. Rescue Me
5. Atlantic City

You might enjoy this review of the show.