Prior to first new album in 13 years, The Who move on with an opulent orchestra

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

In the summer of 2018, The Who’s “Tommy” rarely sounded better thanks to Roger Daltrey and many members of the traveling band mounting a giant orchestral outing centered around the grandest rock opera ever. Exactly a year later with Pete Townshend returning to the road, that symphonic supplementation continued on the “Moving On!” Tour, which precedes the group’s first new album in 13 years.

Thank God these two from The Who didn’t die before they got old, and at this particular juncture of what’s shaping up to be a very long goodbye, their advancing age was nothing but a number.

The Who didn’t let any upcoming tunes out of the bag just yet at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, which meant an entire focus on already established material, though that didn’t mean the more than two-hour evening didn’t have its share of surprises. Perhaps the most natural place to start was an abridged but no less satisfying set of “Tommy” material that found the strings swelling throughout “It’s A Boy,” “1921,” “Amazing Journey,” “Sparks,” “Pinball Wizard” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as Daltrey and the Townshend traded many microphone whips and windmill strums.

Additional rock n’ roll essentials such as “Who Are You” and “Eminence Front” benefited from the mega wall of sound, while even repeat customers were likely thrown for a loop when The Who unpacked “Imagine A Man” and “Join Together.” The risks kept coming when the 75-year-old Daltrey and a 74-year-old Townshend unplugged all by their lonesome for a deconstructed “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” wound delicate strings around “Behind Blue Eyes,” then resumed the acoustic duo format for their sole 2000s tune “Tea & Theatre.”

Upon the full orchestra’s reemergence, The Who turned to its second groundbreaking concept collection, “Quadrophenia,” for a suite of seven standout selections. Daltrey scaled some fairly severe vocal heights throughout “The Real Me” and “Love, Reign O’er Me” (in spite of the unseasonable chill in the air that he frequently referenced), while Townshend sturdily navigated through “Drowned.”

Of course, a requisite trip to “teenage wasteland” took place during “Baba O’Riley,” an eternal anthem in its own regard that was enhanced all the more by chilling violin accompaniment. That alone was enough to thank God these two from The Who didn’t die before they got old, and at this particular juncture of what’s shaping up to be a very long goodbye (that returns locally to Alpine Valley Music Theatre on September 8), their advancing age was nothing but a number.

Click here for more photos of The Who at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.

For additional information on The Who, visit TheWho.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre include Adam Sandler (Jun. 1); Sammy Hagar (Jun. 7); 101WKQX PIQNIQ (Jun. 15); Outlaw Music Festival (Jun. 28); Zac Brown Band (Jun. 29); Dave Matthews Band (Jul. 3); 311 and Dirty Heads (Jul. 6); Heart (Jul. 11); Disrupt Festival (Jul. 12); Shinedown (Jul. 14); Train and Goo Goo Dolls (Jul. 20); Alice Cooper and Halestorm (Jul. 21); Hammer’s House Party (Jul. 25) and Wiz Khalifa (Jul. 27). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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Prior to first new album in 13 years, The Who move on with an opulent orchestra

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