Shot! The Who live in Brighton
The superannuated rockers were back on the south coast, still belting out all their hits, but this time doing so with strings attached.
Almost 60 years since they formed, it’s quite something that The Who are still together. Even more so, that they are still playing live. With half the original members no longer with us — Moon died 44 years ago, while Entwhistle passed away in 2002 — it’s perhaps no wonder some now refer to them as Who’s Left.
Who’s left is 79-year-old lead singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend who, whilst looking much older than Daltrey is in fact a year younger. Should we be surprised they’re still touring? Judging by their peers, the answer is no. Indeed, The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis recently pointed out “We live in an era where the upper age limit for rock stars has long been abolished, where artists have headlined Glastonbury in their eighties.”
The last time The Who were in Brighton was back in 2006 when they played the Brighton Centre. This tour — labelled The Who Hits Back and their first in six years — should have happened in 2020–21, but was twice delayed thanks to Covid. In 2022, the band toured North America and before this year’s UK leg, they played four shows in Europe. This particular gig was to be the last night of the tour, but one more show — at the Eden Project in Cornwall — was subsequently added.
The big question that always surrounds any legacy act, especially one that goes back as long as The Who, is will this be the last time they play live? How much longer will it be before they call it a day?
There’s no doubt many who saw them on this tour would’ve done so believing they won’t get another chance, either to experience a legendary band or relive their youth. In many cases, probably both. It’s why those at this gig were probably the oldest audience I’ve seen at a rock show. It’s also why some of them were prepared to pay a fortune for a VIP package. And when I say a fortune, I mean it. I was told some had shelled out as much as £600 for the privilege!*
VIP packages vary from venue to venue. Essentially they give you premium seating and offer various other ‘extras’.
Even so, you have to wonder why two extremely wealthy septuagenarians are still performing? Especially a band who famously sang “Hope I die before I get old” when they were in their twenties.
Who knows what still motivates them. It surely can’t be money. One has to assume both Roger and Pete live very comfortably. It’s not like they’re promoting a new record. The last new material they put out was four years ago. All one can surmise is they do it for the buzz, for the adulation they receive. After all, why else would they continue to put themselves through the rigours of touring, however comfortably they can do it?
Perhaps, it’s simply that they feel whilst they can still sing, whilst they can still wield a guitar, then why not? And if you’re able to bring an orchestra with you, maybe that just swings it. After all, not many bands can afford to tour with a 50-piece philharmonic.
With all that said, how did they perform? What kind of show did they put on and what was it like to be there?
Well, the first thing to talk about is the venue itself. The 1st Central County Ground — which is actually in Hove, not Brighton — is home to the Sussex County Cricket Club and each year it hosts one or two concerts. I’ve seen the likes of Little Mix, Madness and Rod Stewart there and I’ve got to say it’s not a great place for a rock show. Situated within a residential area, the ground is surrounded on all sides by apartments. Apart from allowing their occupants to watch the show for free, it means there’s always an early curfew. In this case, that was 9:30pm.
Walking to the ground that afternoon you’d never have known a gig was about to happen. It was only when you got to the gates that you saw a crowd. Once inside, your first reaction is that this is a far from impressive setting; a collection of low-level mismatched buildings, all looking extremely dated, encircling a cricket pitch. In front of you was an equally nondescript stage, the kind you’d see pretty much anywhere. The two video screens looked to be smaller than usual.
The stage itself was packed with equipment and filled with seats for all the members of the Heart of England Philharmonic. The backdrop, I have to say, was horrible, a wall of what I can only describe as crinkled material. It was clear no effort whatsoever had been put into the aesthetics. The risers were left exposed and there was no branding or ‘design’ at all. Whether that was a budgetary issue I don’t know.
What I can say, is The Who were not going to impress with their visuals — there were none. At a time when rock shows are wowing audiences with spectacular staging and visual effects, that meant The Who were relying solely on their music, and nothing else, to do the talking.
The show itself was split into three sections, beginning with songs from Tommy and supported by the orchestra, then there was a run of classic hits just with the band, before the orchestra returned for a closing section of songs from Quadrophenia.
Townshend himself said the show would be a slow burner, and it was. The first third didn’t really get going until they played Who Are You? and Eminence Front.
Once the orchestra departed, the vibe changed as the band reeled off a string of The Who’s classic hits. Almost immediately, the energy from the stage noticeably upped. As did the audience, who were on their feet and singing along.
I have to say what impressed me most was Zak Starkey’s drumming. If that name sounds familiar it’s because he’s the son of Ringo Starr, who of course was a contemporary of The Who in their early days.
The Who’s original drummer, Keith Moon, was always going to be a hard act to follow and quite a few have tried to fill his shoes. Sitting behind his oh-so-flashy gold custom DW kit, with black cymbals, Zak did his best to replicate Moon’s rambunctious style, making a huge difference to the sound, without being drowned out by the orchestra.
After You Better You Bet, Daltrey says he sang the whole first half of the song “without hearing a fucking thing!” Both he and Townshend’s hearing have been ravaged by playing too many shows that were too loud. Pete tells him “Well, it sounded good!”
Speaking of the sound, apart from a few errant click-tracks coming to the fore, I thought it was probably the best I’ve heard at a venue notorious for its poor acoustics. Cudos to whoever was responsible for FOH. On the subject of plaudits, the video quality was also excellent, even if the screens themselves could’ve been twice the size. But visually, this was not a spectacle.
Of course due to the early start time, the band began playing in daylight and the stagelights were really lamentable, with the set lit either red or blue. The aforementioned backdrop just looked cheap and did nothing to enhance the visual experience. With creative lighting now a key ingredient of almost all live shows, it’s a poor show that The Who’s was quite so underwhelming.
The band wrapped up their ‘solo’ set with two of the most emotionally powerful songs of the night: Won’t Get Fooled Again saw Roger twirling his mic cable and deliver his signature scream and Pete do his trademark windmill arm motion, while on Behind Blue Eyes, the pair were accompanied by principal violinist Katie Jacoby and principal cellist Audrey Snyder.
The rest of the orchestra then rejoined for the last third of the show, the highlight of which was 5:15. Probably my favourite Who song, the lyrics describe Quadrophenia’s protagonist, Jimmy, travelling to Brighton on a train. Compared with the opening section, the songs from Quadrophenia seemed to suit being backed by an orchestra much better than those from Tommy.
The famous riff that opens Baba O’Riley signalled the end of a show, that whilst never in danger of being exceptional, proved that — despite their advancing years — The Who can still put on a performance without embarrassing themselves. And where else can you get to witness the irony of thousands of Grannies and Grandpas belting out “It’s only teenage wasteland”?
When thanking the fans, Townshend commented: “We’re so amazed and happy and pleased that at this point in our career we can gather a bunch of people like you. We really appreciate it.”
So will this tour be the end of the road for The Who? I don’t think so. With next year marking the 60th anniversary of the band’s formation, I fully expect them to go out one last time. Having done that, then they should most definitely bid adieu. They could even name their farewell tour Who’s Last?
Setlist: With orchestra Overture | 1921 | Amazing Journey | Sparks | The Acid Queen | Pinball Wizard | We’re Not Gonna Take It | Who Are You? | Eminence Front | Band only The Kids Are Alright | You Better You Bet | Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere | Substitute | I Can’t Explain | My Generation | Cry If You Want | Won’t Get Fooled Again | Behind Blue Eyes | With orchestra The Real Me | I’m One | 5:15 | The Rock | Love, Reign O’er Me | Baba O’Riley
Behind the shot: These images were taken using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the M Zuiko 1.8 75mm lens and the camera’s built-in digital zoom. I was only allowed to shoot the first three songs. With the stage crowded with equipment and musicians and the backdrop unattractive, I focused on tight shots of Daltrey and Townshend, as well as drummer Zak Starkey. I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with the portraits I came away with, especially those of Daltrey. The iPhone shots were taken afterwards with the iPhone 14 Pro. Photographed in Hove on 23 July 2023
About the author: Based in Sussex-by-the-Sea, on England’s south coast, Gary is a creative writer and image-maker. He specialises in creating out of the ordinary portraits of musicians and people with interesting faces, as well as photographing some of the world’s finest flowers and gardens, not forgetting an array of automotive exotica.
On the writing side, he has used his research skills to author deep dives into some noteworthy songs beginning with Bryan Ferry’s ‘These Foolish Things’ ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, ‘Real Wild Child’ by Ivan and ‘All The Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople.
He has also written a biography of Robert Palmer and the stories behind Whitesnake’s blatant Led Zep rip-off, ‘Still Of The Night’, Harry Styles’ anthem to positivity, ‘Treat People With Kindness’ and the little known Queen track ‘Cool Cat.’
Most recently, Gary has penned the fascinating story behind George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ as well as ‘Believe It Or Not’ a look into the rise of fake news.
All these can be found here on Medium, along with his reviews of gigs and events and chats with musicians including the likes of Royal Blood, Joe Satriani and Wolf Alice.
