So, last night. Pretty damn fantastic.
Nice drive to Biloxi, found the Hard Rock and free parking garage with no problems. The highlight of the night came first and early, when I somehow found myself held securely in Mr. Daltrey's arms. Damn, the man is 65 years old and still looking good. Rock hard chest. And after being pressed up against him like that, any hope for intelligent conversation was gone. This is actually the second time I've met Daltrey. The first time was brief and casual. Second time was brief, but he definitely showed me the love. So maybe third time will be the charm...
Dazed and confused I found myself at the bar and started slamming vodka. It was either that or freak out entirely. Once I was comfortably numb, I still had a chunk of time to kill before the show but I was too amped up to sit so I paced a few laps around the building and then went to the casino. Broke even playing penny slots.
Went inside for the show - thought there was an opening band but Roger came out at eight. So either they played while I was drinking and gambling or they didn't play that night. Fine by me - I was beyond ready for the main event.
Got up right against the stage, to the right of Daltrey. Not on Simon's side, unfortunately. Very happy to see Mr. T. again - he even got to solo on "Going Mobile" and did a great job. The rest of the band were all unknowns, but they were fantastic. Roger was in a great mood and seemed to be really enjoying the intimate setting - he did a lot of talking and story telling to the audience and, as always, put his entire heart and soul into his performance. Also got to do a lot of guitar work, and to my delight, wailed on the harmonica for a few songs.
I'd been avoiding checking out the set lists for earlier shows because I wanted to be surprised. And it was quite a pleasant surprise indeed. The set list was a great mix of Who stuff, solo stuff, and few covers. He did some obligalatory mainstream Who songs - "Who Are You", "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Baba O'Riley" but put his own twist on them. "Baba" is the song, in my experience, that the audience always latches onto the hardest and last night was no exception. Simon tried singing the "don't cry" part but gave up because he was being drown out. Incidentally, Rog seemed to thrive on that and there were a few songs where he encouraged the crowd to take over the singing. He seemed to get a big kick out of it.
I most enjoyed hearing the Who stuff that's maybe a little more obscure or at least songs they don't play live anymore. I love "BBE" and I'm always happy to hear it again, but I've seen it played live fifty times so for me it's cool to get the chance to see something I've never seen performed live. Like "Pictures of Lily" and "Squeeze Box".
He only did a few solo songs, but they were good choices. "Walk on Water" is one of his better ones, and though it's decidedly poppy, I can't deny I love "Days of Light".
Cover songs were an ecclectic mix and included "Freedom Ride", "Gimme a Stone", a Johnny Cash medly, and the only song Daltrey remembers from all of Woodstock, "Born on the Bayou".
The highlight of the whole show was an intense, blistering version of "Young Man's Blues". I thought my freaking head was going to explode, and I can't even imagine what it would have been like to see that one performed by Rog, Pete, John and Keith live.
The band left the stage, leaving Rog alone with a ukulele. He said he'd always begged Pete to do this song live, but Pete refused, saying he'd look bloody stupid on stage with a ukulele. Daltrey had no such qualms. He started the opening of "Blue, Red and Grey", which excited me because A- they never did it live and B- Pete sings it on the album. So I let out a banshee shriek and Rog screwed up the song and declared he was going to start over, blaming it on the loud scream. Naturally I repeated my enthusiasm, Daltrey looked over at me, grinned, and told me to "shut the fuck up". So, I managed to restrain myself, because he'd asked so politely. The song was undoubtedly a little rough - his voice was a little ragged after singing Fogerty, but it was still a great song.
The band returned and they closed with "Without Your Love". It's a sweet, simple song and one I like a lot, but it seemed odd to me to end with that one. I would have thought they'd want to end with the bang of "Young Man" or "Baba", but oh well.
The only gripe I have for the night is that the Hard Rock apparently has very strict rules and regulations regarding concerts and their time frames. They weren't allowed to play past 9:30 for whatever reason, so I'm thinking a few songs got cut from the show and there was no encore. I know I should be happy with the amazing show I got, but I'm a greedy sod and I wanted more ;)
Overall, it was a fabulous show. It was more informal and lighter than a Who show, and therefore a little more fun. The band was great, and Daltrey, while his voice isn't what it used to be, is still a strong singer and a magnetic presence and in top form. Hell, I'm surprised he's got any voice at all after screaming his lungs out for forty years. Personally, I like the roughness - gives him that throaty, growly voice that turns me to jello. I know, TMI... Anyway, it's obvious he's having a lot of fun on this tour, which makes it a lot of fun for the audience. And it was really great to see him in such a free setting - it's his baby, he has no restrictions or limitations and has the absolute power to sing whatever strikes his fancy. Uncompromising, unapologetic, undaunted, incomparable Daltrey. For me, that was a Bargain at any price.
Very happy the whole drive home, even though I10 was convoluted the whole way and at one point traffic came to a complete standstill because of a jeep stopped dead in the left lane, but I had the perma-grin on my face the whole time. Nothing was going to rain on my parade, because I had the sweet memory of being wrapped in my rock god's arms riding shotgun.
Kudos, Mr. Daltrey. Looking forward to 2010 and a new Who tour.
