The Who: opera and hits

In just over two hours, The Who presented their concept albums and their greatest classics in front of an enthusiastic audience, without the date being sold out.

Although they are both approaching 80 years old, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, survivors of the historic line up of The Who, keep their generosity. In 23 pieces and a little over two hours of concert, the two eternal friends present a picture that is both original and representative of their rich career. Grandiloquent with the beginning dedicated to Tommy, reinforced by an orchestra, rock ‘n’ roll with a middle of the set, without an orchestra, but with the classics “You Better You Bet” or “The Seeker”, ending with the orchestral return dedicated to Quadrophenia and even acoustic with “Tea & Theater”, a surprise encore which had not yet been played on this tour.

Gregory Hernandez

We notice that Pete Townshend, in addition to being the leader of the group, takes the lion’s share of the addresses to the public. Apart from a few touches of humor from Roger Daltrey, visibly happy to be here, it is the guitarist who holds the spittoon. Enthusiastic, he does not fail to compliment the orchestra, particularly on the part Quadropheniawithout forgetting to report a conversation with Elton John, also present in Paris for a residency at the Accor Arena.

In terms of service, the experience speaks for itself. Indeed, everyone knows their subject. If age is felt and the two main limbs have lost mobility, the benefit is there. Roger Daltrey continues to belch like a man possessed on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” while the Townshend brothers slam down well-felt riffs and leads. Unfortunately, the sound reproduction is not necessarily up to par, the echo and excessive volume making the experience difficult to bear at times.

Gregory Hernandez

Despite the program provided and the reputation of The Who, the concert is not sold out and the Paris la Défense Arena is in a fully seated configuration. Pete Townshend, talkative and friendly, nevertheless takes care of his audience, specifying in particular that he feels “younger than when he was 17”. An observation illustrated by their performance.