The Who: Moving On- 2019 North American Tour / New Album

Agreed - my question wasn't about whether or not Pete and Roger should keep touring - it was more about the name they're touring under. Just doesn't seem like The Who to me without Keith and John - but whatever. I was just curious what Who die hards thought about their choices.

 

Was it The Who to you with The Ox and Kenny Jones? The Ox clearly thought that it was, and then subsequently with other drummers too.

 

I'm a bit torn on this one. Yeah, Entwistle and Moon were integral parts of what most of us love as "The Who," but on the other hand, the band hasn't really been creatively relevant for 30+ years. I don't know the business/ legal behind it, but you bring Plant/ Page for comparison... did either of those guys own the rights to the name? Could they have toured as LZ if they wanted to? I ask because I suppose that Townshend owns the rights to the Who name, which gives him the right to call whatever he wants.

Most fans (myself included) probably don't really consider it as "The Who" as we might like it to be, but at the same time don't feel in any way fooled by applying the name to something else. That ship sailed when most of our favorite bands added the 5th backup singer, the behind-stage guitarist, and the extra percussionist.

So I guess I wish I could turn back time to 1975, but I'm just glad to see these guys onstage. I don't care if they call themselves "The Who," "The New Who," "Townshend/ Daltrey," or "Before I Get Old."

I'm buying my tickets out of respect, not because I expect some time-capsule experience.

 

I love The Who... best concert of my life way back when... I just don't care to pay hundreds of dollars to see this. I paid 8.00 bucks in 1980 and really, it was just the best concert I ever attended. I'll pass, again. Last time I saw them was 1989. That and the '82 show were outside and just kind of messy and sloppy.

 

Oh, snap! -E

 

Ironically, the show at the MGM National Harbor is easily the closest they've ever played to my house! It's only about 5 miles from me.

I didn't go mainly because of the prices. Good tickets were $200+, IIRC, and even though I really liked the prior local Who show, that was just more than I was willing to pay...

 

It doesn't bother me and honestly I'm a bit surprised how much it still comes up as an issue with some people whenever they go on tour or announce new music or whatever...its been just Pete and Roger as "The Who" for about 17 years now. I'm used to it. It's not going to change at this point. I totally get why it would bother people...Pete, Roger, John & Keith were The Who...but John & Keith are gone. I wish I could have seen them. But I'm not gonna let what's not there stop me from appreciating what is.

Everyone knows what it is. We all know it's just Pete & Roger. No one's being tricked. It's Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for The Who...with Roger Daltrey...singer for The Who...together, with a great band playing songs of The Who. The fact that I can still be in the building while that is happening in 2019 is an amazing thing and I'm not gonna get hung up on what it's called.

 

Nope. It might if Moon and/or Entwistle were still alive and Pete/Roger simply excluded them, but the band "evolved" into Daltrey/Townshend naturally.

They became "The Two" naturally, just like other bands change over time when members quit/die...

 

I’m going to see them. Last time around I enjoyed their performance.

 

Sure, they could have done those places. I don't know why they didn't. A summer show at The Gorge or White River probably didn't make sense in their tour itinerary. Just saying, without Key Arena apparently they thought Safeco (sorry, T Mobile, that's gonna take a while to get used to) was the best option for a show in Seattle proper. Can't imagine Everett ever happening. Don't know why there's not a Portland show.

And Key Arena is not fixed up yet. They haven't even started renovations yet. Probably won't be done for at least a year, NHL isn't coming til 2021.

 

I posted this about a year ago in the "Endless Wire is 6 years old" thread (which is still open btw) :

There is plenty of good and interesting material ... and a bit of so-so to weak material ... I absolutely concur with all that's been lamented here on this thread about the (near total) absence of Zak Starkey, and limited use of Pino and Rabbit ... This was not the band album that we as fans wanted, though the live lineup had been tight and solid for several years at that point... When one is listening to a WHO album there should be no doubt about 'who' is on drums and bass... but that is not the case here. Peter Huntington, then drummer for Townshend's girlfriend, seemingly got most of the action ... The bass playing is subdued, and from song to song it might be Pete or it might be Pino, hard to really know. A Stuart Ross (?) is credited on "It's Not Enough" ...

I decided to edit it down to a more old-school 46-minutes :

1. Fragments
2. Mike Post Theme
3. Two Thousand Years
4. A Man In A Purple Dress
5. Black Widow's Eyes
6. It's Not Enough
7. You Stand By Me
8. Sound Round
9. Pick Up The Peace
10. Unholy Trinity
11. Endless Wire (extended version)
12. We Got A Hit (extended version)
13. They Made My Dream Come True
14. Mirror Door
15. Tea & Theatre

This, in my opinion, is a much stronger album .

I am also very tempted to cut the Pete solo-acoustic "You Stand By Me" ... but it's only 96 seconds so I leave it in.
I felt strongly about moving "Purple Dress" away from the 2nd song slot -- it's too much of an energy bringdown to be slotted so early.
I was also very tempted to do a more dramatic re-programming and open the album with "Sound Round" and the rest of the 'mini-opera'...it's the most high-energy thing here, but also real short .

Now... if Zack was the drummer 100%, and Pino and Rabbit had higher-profile roles (and I've got no problems here with contributions from Simon Townshend and singer Billy Nicholls) ... AND if there was a great band-photo on the cover -- front or back -- with Pete and Roger in the foreground ... I think ENDLESS WIRE would have been far more satisfying to fans of all kinds .

 

It's too bad the Sept. 15th Jones Beach show will be at night. It's falls on a Sunday and it would of been much better if it was in the afternoon. For those of you who don't know the Theater is right by the water and by that time of the year it can get very cold and windy. The last time I saw The Who in September at Jones Beach it was absolutely freezing!

 

Free copy of net-yet-recorded CD with concert ticket purchase. That’s a pretty strong public commitment to following through, right?

 

Perhaps a residency at the Masonic Temple ?

 

"Moving On" from what?
The last cash grab?

 

“Moving on” at least has a better ring to it than saying a finale or farewell tour.

 

This has been done to death. Plant & Page did one tour and a DVD. The Who have been touring regularly since 1996. Its entirely up to them what they call themselves. Pete wrote the songs and Roger sings em - what's the problem?

Mods - another merger required?

 

Yea, what is it!

 

The difference is that Led Zeppelin had broken up whereas the Who never did.

 

I get the multiple VIP options far in excess of $1000; if you want to spend that, then good luck to you.

But, having spoken to long-time friends and fans that have taken the plunge, c£150 for regular tickets (including fees)?

Do. Me. A. Favour.

Are US concert-goers REALLY that wealthy and the streets ACTUALLY paved with gold over there now??

 

Revisiting the Who's First Breakup

After touring in 1989, they were again pretty much inactive from 1990-95. The only exception was contributing a track to an Elton John tribute album.

 

Roger talks a bit more about the tour/band + orchestra here: Roger Daltrey on swagger and sensitivity, the new Who tour, plus the Beatles question

-E

 

I wasn't going to go but a buddy had an extra ticket. Amazing show; that new Strat with humbuckers really did something for Pete. -E

 

People also forget that when they "reunited" in 1996 for the "Quad" shows, they initially were billed as "Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle", not as "The Who".

The "Quad" shows weren't originally intended to be a tour. They planned the Hyde Park show as a one-off, IIRC, and then the MSG shows were supposed to be it - I remember the ads claimed "only North American shows", which is why I schlepped to NYC to see one!

Only after the MSG shows were successful did they agree to tour - and eventually shed the "TD&E Play the Who's 'Quad'" billing to go out as "The Who".

Can't recall when the billing change occurred. Assume it occurred because promoters figured "The Who" had better selling power than "TD&E"...

 

I plan on covering every show in this thread on the 2019 tour.

The other thread is for the new album.