Photo Credit: Cuffe and Taylor
Best known for his tenure with the legendary British band The Who, frontman ROGER DALTREY also has a very eclectic solo career that has spanned over five decades. Bringing a varied set list that included Who classics, solo material and a few surprise covers along the way to a packed Piece Hall crowd.
The evening began with an acoustic performance from Ocean Colour Scene members Simon Fowler and Oscar Harrison. The pair performed ten songs in an acoustic fashion, bringing those well-known tracks into a more stripped back style to fit the atmosphere of the overall show. The Birmingham duo opened with ‘Robin Hood’, and the audience soon warmed to them. Crowd-pleasing songs ‘Better Day’ and ‘One for the Road’ really lit up the place, before concluding with ‘The Day We Caught the Train’ which received a standing ovation from The Piece Hall crowd.
The audience were out of their seats, applauding as the band made their way on to the stage while Roger’s name appeared on the back drop. Finally, DALTREY stepped out from the wings and took centre stage, waving to the Halifax crowd. Beginning with a rendition of his fellow Who member Pete Townshend’s ‘Let My Love Open the Door‘, ROGER swiftly followed up with the iconic ‘Who Are You‘ and as expected, got the whole place singing along. Accompanied by his nine-piece band, the song was given an extra bit of flavour compared to the usual full throttle version The Who continue to deliver live.
DALTREY‘s solo tracks ‘Days of Light’, ‘After the Fire’, and ‘Waiting for a Friend’ (taken from McVicar) then set up a beam of covers and Who renditions to please the audience once again. The crowd were up out of their seats and dancing along to ‘The Kids Are Alright‘, as DALTREY told a really touching story about how the song came to be. Further fan favourites ‘Substitute‘ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again‘ boosted the energy across the venue, as these classic Who tracks brought the crowd to life once more. Once more sharing anecdotes, ROGER explained the rationale behind the next cover, ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?‘ by Creedence Clearwater Revival, detailing that John Fogerty lost his publishing rights, and that whenever possible DALTREY will perform one of his songs live, which was met with a roaring round of applause from the audience.
The iconic ‘Baba O’Riley‘ finally arrived and was delivered flawlessly. As violinist Katie Jacoby took centre stage for the solo, everyone watched in awe as she hit every note exquisitely. Once the song concluded, the audience erupted as the band were met with a standing ovation. DALTREY rounded off the evening with a cover of The Kinks’ track ‘Days‘ before bowing out of Halifax to a thunderous cheer.
Despite The Who now set to call it a day, frontman Roger Daltrey has no signs of wear and tear at 81 years old and with a solo career that still attracts many, there is still plenty of life left in the tank.
Taped Magazine 