THE WHO // EDINBURGH CASTLE, EDINBURGH
THE WHO rock two sold-out nights at the esplanade of the iconic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
★★★★★ (5/5)
In their day, they were the greatest, most exciting live performers rock ‘n’ roll had ever known, an unhinged force of nature leaving shards of smashed guitars and battered drum kits in their wake but we’ll never see that Who again.
They lost Keith Moon, the most electrifying drummer on the planet, to an early death by misadventure in 1978. And lead bassist John Entwistle, he of the thundering strings died in 2002.
That leaves Pete Townshend, now 77, and microphone-twirling frontman Roger Daltrey, now 78, to carry on the legacy and tonight on Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade they did just that from the opening movement of Tommy’s ‘Overture’ through ‘Baba O’Riley’s’ soaring, powerful violin solo, The Who transported the sold-out crowd back to days when our hair was thicker and our waistlines thinner. Accompanied by an orchestra, The Who performed selections from ‘Tommy’, as well as the hits we came to hear such as ‘Who Are You’, ‘My Generation’, ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, ‘The Kids Are Alright’ and more….
Highlights included ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ where Pete sat down to play a dreadnaught acoustic guitar accompanied by cello and violin. Later, during the ‘Quadrophenia’ instrumental, where it gave a chance for Paltry to take a well earned break Pete played alongside his brother Simon, who turned out to be a highlight in his own right, sharing the stage with his legendary brother.
There were times when you could feel Roger holding something back, but not on the fiery final shouts of ‘Love, Reign O'er Me’ and he may have held the scream on ‘Won't Get Fooled Again’ a little longer in his 20s or even his 40s and 50s….but that was one hell of a scream tonight.
As for Townshend, he was absolutely brilliant, from the glory of his lead guitar breaks and those occasional turns in the lead-vocal spotlight, which ranged from the gritty blues shouting of ‘Eminence Front’ to the vulnerable understatement of ‘I'm One. His onstage antics may not be as physical these days. no instruments destroyed, no flying scissor kicks, no sliding the length of the stage on his knees, but the way he dispensed with a seemingly endless succession of windmills was enough to satisfy those longings for the way life used to be.
Bottom line is that if you have the chance to see The Who, go. Yes, they’re in their ’70’s. Yes, Pete’s hair is gone but his guitar skills remain. Roger doesn’t move as well as he used to, but his vocals are solid and the band is real and a pure joy to experience which in these days of manufactured fame says it all.
