It had certainly been a long time coming for The Who and their fans. The last time they stepped out in Liverpool was October 1971, at the Liverpool University. Tonight’s performance certainly made up for lost time.
Liverpool’s Summer Pops has put on some great acts down the years and bar a Paul McCartney gig or The Rolling Stones coming to town; this years main act The Who will certainly take some beating for the promoters to top next year.
The touts were out in force – charging £80 a ticket as the queues stretched up the dock road in anticipation of tonight’s gig.
The band haven’t released a record for nigh on twenty-four years, but Townshend and Daltrey have been busying themselves in the run up to this tour, with a new album due for release in September.
The new tunes sounded pretty good - the pick of which was the homage to the 50s Real Good Looking Boy - in which Townshend indulged in a trip down memory lane for his frequent trips across the Irish Sea to visit his extended family in Ireland.
The new tunes were kept to a minimum and they had the good sense to roll out the classics that the partisan crowd had come to expect.
There was something for everyone tonight the Mod classics of Quadraphenia were rolled out. Townshend proclaimed it a work of genius - no one in the big top would argue with tonight.
Townshend’s guitar playing tonight bordered on genius tonight too – with him belying the fact that years of guitar playing has rendered him partially deaf.
My Generation was given an airing, given the age of the band and that famous line surprised me. It is a song that was a trademark of the late and lamented bassist John Entwistle. Though bassist Pino Palladino played it with aplomb - it does not seem the same without the extraordinary presence of the Ox.
They have been through a lot together Daltrey and Townshend, many highs and lows, but on tonight’s evidence there is genuine warmth between the two. The two hours long show in the heat took it out of the two front men. Though the quality of the set never waned throughout and their verve and vigour certainly belied the 60 plus age of the two rock veterans.
Tonight’s gig will live long in the memory and all the classics were played such as: Won't Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Reilly, The Seeker, Behind Blue Eyes, Love Reign O'er Me, Pinball Wizard, and Substitute.
Luckily for some it would be only 24 hours for the wait for the next Liverpool for the second of two nights - Suddenly £80 a ticket is looking awfully cheap.
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