Roger Daltrey 1970 vs Roger Daltrey 2011

Roger Daltrey 1970 vs Roger Daltrey 2011 by Scott Akister

A nice job by Scott Akister who weaved together Roger Daltrey singing "Young Man Blues" on the 1970 album Live at Leeds with Daltrey doing the same song at a concert on his tour of Tommy earlier this month. Akister wrote in the description on Soundcloud.com that only some of the vocals are from the concert on February 14, 1970 while the rest were recorded on July 13, 2011 at the Cliffs Pavilion concert in Southend, U.K.

Roger is sounding very good on this current tour as does his backing band which consists of Simon Townshend on rhythm guitar and vocals; Frank Simes on lead guitar; Jon Button on bass; Loren Gold on keyboard; and Scott Devours on drums.

Pete is Stone Deaf.....or Maybe Not?

Roger Daltrey told the Daily Mail that Pete Townshend is "almost stone deaf" in an interview published on July 15. Townshend responded on TheWho.com a couple of days later and wrote that he isn't stone deaf and is planning on joining Roger next year for a tour of Quadrophenia. The entire post is below:

Pete is Stone Deaf...... or maybe not?

My hearing is actually better than ever because after a feedback scare at the O2 Indigo in December 2008 I am taking good care of it. I have computer systems in my studio that have helped me do my engineering work on the forthcoming Quadrophenia release. I have had assistance from younger forensic engineers and mastering engineers to help me clean up the high frequencies that are out of my range. The same computer systems work wonderfully well on stage, proving to be perfect for me when The Who performed at the Super Bowl and doing Quadrophenia for TCT at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. I'm 66, I don't have perfect hearing, and if I listen to loud music or go to gigs I do tend to get tinnitus. DON'T WE ALL????

The reason I am not on the road with Roger is that this is entirely Roger's adventure, one that is bringing him great joy. I don't belong on this Tommy tour. I wish him well, sincerely, and I look forward to playing with Roger again doing Quadrophenia next year.

Roger Daltrey - Tattoo

Roger Daltrey opened his solo Tommy tour at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, U.K. on July 3. Following the playing of Tommy, Daltrey and his solo band played some other songs by The Who, including "Tattoo." After the song Roger jokes with Robert Plant (who was in the audience and reportedly lives nearby) that he had it easy in Led Zeppelin because they had long guitar solos as opposed to The Who, which did very few guitar solos.

Simon Townshend - Going Mobile (Glasgow)

A definite highlight from the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland on July 6. Simon Townshend plays "Going Mobile" which is off of The Who's 1971 album Who's Next.

Roger Daltrey - Amazing Journey/Sparks

Roger Daltrey and his solo band playing "Amazing Journey/Sparks" on July 10 from the Newport Center in the U.K. The "Sparks" portion begins around the 3:00 minute mark.

Roger Daltrey - Blue Red and Grey

One of my favorite songs ("Blue Red and Grey") off of one of my favorite albums (The Who By Numbers). This video comes from the opening night of Roger Daltrey's Tommy tour which began on July 3.

Roger Daltrey in Nottingham July 9

"Listening to You" finishes up the Tommy section of a concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, U.K. on July 9. So far the reviews have been really good for Roger's tour. All of the dates and venues can be found here.

Roger Daltrey - Johnny Cash Medley (Glasgow)

A video shot by a fan at the Clyde Auditorium, also known as the Armadillo, in Glasgow, Scotland on July 6. Daltrey goes into a Johnny Cash medley following the group's performance of Tommy.

Roger Daltrey: I Only Hit Pete Once

The latest issue of Uncut Magazine features Roger Daltrey. It's out in the U.K. and should be on newsstands in the U.S. pretty soon. I've read that Roger Daltrey punched Pete Townshend during a rehearsal around the time the band was taking Quadrophenia on the road in 1974. I'm assuming that this is the incident the magazine is referring to. I'm looking forward to reading the article.

Roger Daltrey Talks to Rolling Stone

Roger Daltrey spoke with RollingStone.com on the eve of his tour of Tommy. Daltrey touched on a number of topics including his vocal surgery, the future with Pete Townshend and his upcoming tour. The interview is here.

Complete Dates for Roger Daltrey's Tour of Tommy; Facebook, Twitter Contest

Courtesy of TheWho.com I have listed all of the dates and the venues for Roger Daltrey's tour of Tommy below. If you want the links for the arenas click here.

Also, there is a contest that has been started with the chance to win two tickets to a show on the tour. All you have to do is pick your favorite song off of Tommy and post it on Facebook or Twitter. Click this to enter.

UK TOUR
3 July – Wolverhampton (Civic Hall)
4 July - Gateshead (Sage)
6 July - Glasgow (Clyde Auditorium)
7 July - Manchester (Bridgewater Hall)
9 July - Nottingham (Royal Centre)
10 July - Newport (Centre)
12 July - Bristol (Colston Hall)
13 July - Southend (Cliffs Pavillion)
15 July - Guilfest
16 July – Hampshire (Broadlands)
19 July - Hull (City Hall)
21 July - London (Indigo 02)
22 July – Norwich (Blickling Hall)
24 July – London (Indigo2 at the O2)
26 July - Dublin (Marlay Park)
28 July - Isle of Man (Royal Hall)
30 July - Belgium (Lokerse Festival)
31 July - Denmark (Valdemars Castle, Svendborg)

U.S./CANADA TOUR
Tue-9/13/11 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live
Thu-9/15/11 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Encore Park
Sat-9/17/11 Boston, MA Agganis Arena
Sun-9/18/11 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Wed-9/21/11 Philadelphia, PA The Mann Center
Fri-9/23/11 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Sat-9/24/11 Hartford, CT XL Center
Tue 9/27/11 Montreal, QC [French | English]
Wed-9/28/11 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Fri-9/30/11 Toronto, ON Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
Sat-10/1/11 Windsor, ON The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Wed-10/5/11 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Fri-10/7/11 Hammond, IN The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
Sat-10/8/11 St Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
Tue-10/11/11 Cedar Park, TX Cedar Park Center
Wed-10/12/11 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Fri-10/14/11 Kansas City, MO The Midland by AMC
Sun-10/16/11 Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center
Wed-10/19/11 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
Fri-10/21/11 San Jose, CA San Jose Civic
Sat-10/22/11 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
Mon-10/24/11 Portland, OR Theater of the Clouds
Tue-10/25/11 Seattle, WA KeyArena at Seattle Center
Thu-10/27/11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Sat-10/29/11 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Sun-10/30/11 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Tue-11/1/11 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
Wed-11/2/11 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre

Roger Daltrey and Slash

I came across this cover by Roger Daltrey and Slash of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy."The song appeared on the 2006 album Guitar Gods: The Classic Rock Anthems, which you can find on Amazon.com here.

Roger Daltrey and Ray Manzarek Interview, Roger Also Comments on Jim Morrison

The above videos come from an appearance Roger Daltrey made in 1995 on Denton, which is an Australian comedy/talk show hosted by Andrew Denton. Daltrey is not the only guest as Chris Isaak, Dick Dale and The Doors' Ray Manzarek join in for some talk and later on they have some fun and play "My Generation" and "The End."It's pretty cool for me to see Roger and Ray being interviewed together.

Also, if you have never seen the video, Roger Daltrey discusses Jim Morrison below. By the way, Morrison died 40 years ago this upcoming Sunday.

Roger Daltrey - Amazing Journey/Sparks (2011)

This is a much tamer version of "Amazing Journey/Sparks" then what we are accustomed to, but then again this is Roger Daltrey and his solo band. Yes, I like them and yes, they are very good. But there is no Pete Townshend.

Many people (myself included) feel that the way Roger and his band do it is more like the one that appears on the Tommy album, which I have posted below.

By the way, the above concert was at the Royal Albert Hall in March as part of the TCT Benefit concerts. The "Sparks" section begins around 3:24.

Roger Daltrey Tour Announcement Video

The above video is to promote Roger Daltrey's upcoming Tommy tour which begins in the U.K. in July and will make its way to the U.S. in September.

Roger Daltrey Bringing Tommy to North America

Just announced over on TheWho.com, Roger Daltrey will be touring Tommy throughout North America beginning in September with his solo band. Click here for the official announcement. The dates are below:

DATE CITY VENUE
9/13 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock

9/15 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Pavilion

9/17 Boston, MA Agganis Arena

9/18 Newark, NJ Prudential Center

9/21 Philadelphia, PA MANN Center

9/23 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum

9/24 Hartford, CT XL Center

**9/27 Montreal, QC Place Des Arts

**9/28 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place

**9/30 Toronto, ON Sony Centre For The Performing Arts

10/1 Windsor, ON The Coliseum at Caesars Windsor

10/5 Minneapolis, MN U.S. Bank Theater at Target Center

10/7 Hammond, IN Venue at Horseshoe Casino

10/8 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House

10/11 Cedar Park, TX Cedar Park Center

10/12 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre

10/14 Kansas City, MO The Midland by AMC

10/16 Broomfield, CO 1STBANK Center

10/19 Los Angeles, CA NOKIA Theatre

10/21 San Jose, CA San Jose Civic

10/22 Las Vegas, NV The Joint

10/24 Portland, OR Rose Quarter-Theatre of the Clouds

10/25 Seattle, WA KeyArena at Seattle Center

**10/27 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena

**10/29 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place

**10/30 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome

**11/1 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre

**11/2 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre

**Shows on sale Thursday, May 19. All other shows go on sale Friday, May 20. Tickets for the U.S. shows are available at www.aeglive.com.

Roger Daltrey Touring Tommy in the U.K.

It's just been announced that Roger Daltrey and his solo band will be touring Tommy in the U.K. this July. The rumor has been for a while that he would play dates in Europe during the summer and then hit the U.S. this fall. Here is the info about the U.K. tour, for more visit TheWho.com.

Dates, Cities and Venues
July 3 ALCESTER RAGLEY HALL
Jul 4 GATESHEAD SAGE
Jul 6 GLASGOW CLYDE AUDITORIUM
Jul 7 MANCHESTER BRIDGEWATER HALL
Jul 9 NOTTINGHAM ROYAL CENTRE
Jul 10 NEWPORT CENTRE
Jul 12 BRISTOL COLSTON HALL
Jul 13 SOUTHEND CLIFFS PAVILLION
Jul 15 GUILDFORD GUILFEST
Jul 16 HAMPSHIRE BROADLANDS
Jul 17 HARROGATE RIPLEY HOUSE
Jul 19 HULL CITY HALL
Jul 21 LONDON INDIGO 02
Jul 22 NORWICH BLICKLING HALL
Jul 24 EXETER POWDERHAM CASTLE

Favorite Song on Tommy Album

TheWho.com has a poll up asking what is your favorite song on Tommy (1969) and so far the results have "Sparks" in front with "Amazing Journey" and "Pinball Wizard" trailing. Other choices are "1921," "I'm Free" and "The Acid Queen."

The question is being asked as Roger Daltrey prepares to perform Tommy with his solo band at next week's TCT Charity Concert. He'll do a warmup show tomorrow night in Bournemouth, U.K. before the charity event on Thursday March 24.

Polls, brackets, etc. are all rubbish to me and my God have we overdone it lately....but that's for another post and another blog. Still, the poll gave me an excuse (as if one is necessary) for me to post The Who performing "Sparks." This one (audio only) is from a concert on May 31, 1976 in front of 80,000 people at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground in London.

What's Next for The Who?

There's plenty of talk around the various Who message boards about what the band may or may not do next. Roger Daltrey will be playing this Saturday night in Bournemouth, U.K. This will be to warm up for his performance of Tommy on Thursday, March 24 at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concerts.

After that, it's all speculation!

Pete Townshend (pictured above with The Clash) has been very quiet in communicating with the press and the fans on The Who's website. The person that runs the site mentioned that The Who will be touring Quadrophenia in September or that there could be some kind of tour with the band doing Quadrophenia one night, a "greatest hits" show another night and possibly Tommy another night.

As one message board poster wrote, you might want to run that one by Pete.

Happy Birthday Roger Daltrey!

Roger Daltrey turns 67 today! Nice front row video taken by a fan at the NME Awards on Febryary 25. Roger and the Foo Fighters performed "Young Man Blues."