The WHO celebrates 50!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
The WHO hits 50! Concert Review:
The WHO hits 50! 5/22/15 Atlantic City, NJ
Venue: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
Opening Act: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Let's start with openers! Joan Jett & The Blackhearts displayed ageless presence and awesome power with a rockin' eleven song set. Joan played her heart out with forty years worth of her own material dating back to her 1975 debut as a teen in the Runaways. After opening her song Bad Reputation, she launched into Cherry Bomb, my second all time favorite Jett song. My number one all time favorite, Do Ya Wanna Touch followed to my heart's delight. Joan showed total cool featuring her hits including I Love Rock And Roll, her top chart hit (1981). Playing from the heart and with accomplished players behind her, she was the perfect compliment to The WHO. Her new album release is called: Unvarnished. She showcased Soulmates to Stangers off the new disc. My personal faves are Fragile and Bad As We Can Be! Joan Jett also delighted a small group of us backstage before the show with a bright and friendly personality. I give this Rock N Roll Hall Of Famer an A+ in show and "person!"
The WHO:
Pete Townshend hit 70 on May 19th and The Who showed a sold out boardwalk Hall crowd why they are still going strong after 50 years, Hit after hit after hit had the crowd aged 17-70 rockin out!
A rockin' 22-song set list, The WHO kicked it off with I Can't Explain followed up by staples' likeThe Seeker and The Kids Are Alright. The 1975 hit Squeeze Box and I Can See For Miles had me frozen in time to a better time and stellar performances from 1971's Who's Next, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley made the hairs stand up! My personal all time WHO fave, Love Reign O'er Me featuring accomplished keyboardist John Corey. Pete's brother Simon Townshend is also in this touring band and Ringo's kid Zak Starkey on drums! WOW! Performance and Showmanship: A+
Stage Effects: GREAT use of jumbotron screens for seeing our heroes up close and storyboard themes and retro artist photos of the band to match the song selection. The widescreen lighted rain was fantastic during Love Reign O'er Me! Pete Townshend's celebrated "windmill" shredding was apparent throughout and Roger Daltrey's vocal prowess was high octane for this performance. These men, all these men can still "bring it" and I would want to believe they will be back for years to come. A
Audience: Generational, from teens to 70 somethings. It's what legendary players attract. That's why I say, despite comments made by Pete Townshend to retire from touring, he has to understand new generations are discovering this great catalog of songs. The crowd was vocalBUT a polite, sitting crowd, standing only for periods toward the end of the show. NO bad behavior evident. B
Overall Grade: A
Unvarnished By Joan Jett & The Blackhearts available>
http://www.amazon.com/Unvarnished-Joan-Jett-Blackhearts/dp/B00EP22QKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432665843&sr=8-1&keywords=unvarnished+joan+jett+%26+the+blackhearts
Venue: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
Opening Act: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Let's start with openers! Joan Jett & The Blackhearts displayed ageless presence and awesome power with a rockin' eleven song set. Joan played her heart out with forty years worth of her own material dating back to her 1975 debut as a teen in the Runaways. After opening her song Bad Reputation, she launched into Cherry Bomb, my second all time favorite Jett song. My number one all time favorite, Do Ya Wanna Touch followed to my heart's delight. Joan showed total cool featuring her hits including I Love Rock And Roll, her top chart hit (1981). Playing from the heart and with accomplished players behind her, she was the perfect compliment to The WHO. Her new album release is called: Unvarnished. She showcased Soulmates to Stangers off the new disc. My personal faves are Fragile and Bad As We Can Be! Joan Jett also delighted a small group of us backstage before the show with a bright and friendly personality. I give this Rock N Roll Hall Of Famer an A+ in show and "person!"
The WHO:
Pete Townshend hit 70 on May 19th and The Who showed a sold out boardwalk Hall crowd why they are still going strong after 50 years, Hit after hit after hit had the crowd aged 17-70 rockin out!
A rockin' 22-song set list, The WHO kicked it off with I Can't Explain followed up by staples' likeThe Seeker and The Kids Are Alright. The 1975 hit Squeeze Box and I Can See For Miles had me frozen in time to a better time and stellar performances from 1971's Who's Next, Behind Blue Eyes, Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley made the hairs stand up! My personal all time WHO fave, Love Reign O'er Me featuring accomplished keyboardist John Corey. Pete's brother Simon Townshend is also in this touring band and Ringo's kid Zak Starkey on drums! WOW! Performance and Showmanship: A+
Stage Effects: GREAT use of jumbotron screens for seeing our heroes up close and storyboard themes and retro artist photos of the band to match the song selection. The widescreen lighted rain was fantastic during Love Reign O'er Me! Pete Townshend's celebrated "windmill" shredding was apparent throughout and Roger Daltrey's vocal prowess was high octane for this performance. These men, all these men can still "bring it" and I would want to believe they will be back for years to come. A
Audience: Generational, from teens to 70 somethings. It's what legendary players attract. That's why I say, despite comments made by Pete Townshend to retire from touring, he has to understand new generations are discovering this great catalog of songs. The crowd was vocalBUT a polite, sitting crowd, standing only for periods toward the end of the show. NO bad behavior evident. B
Overall Grade: A
Unvarnished By Joan Jett & The Blackhearts available>
http://www.amazon.com/Unvarnished-Joan-Jett-Blackhearts/dp/B00EP22QKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432665843&sr=8-1&keywords=unvarnished+joan+jett+%26+the+blackhearts
posted by Steve Raymond @ 3:59 AM
0 comments
