Daltrey Live At The Fillmore

Back in 2009 Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, formed a solo band and called it, 'No Plan B'. Including Simon Townshend, (Petes younger brother) on vocals and guitars, Loren Gold on Keys, Scott Devours on drums and Jon Buttonon on bass. Together they play a great balance of The Who songs intertwined with Rogers' solo endeavors and covers.

A solo career is not new to The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. In 1973 he had a hit single called, "Giving it All Away" written by the then unknown Leo Sayer. 'Giving it all away' made it to number five in the UK charts. It was also a track from his first solo album, 'Daltrey' released the same year. He went on to record four more solo albums from 1973 to 1985, all with a fairly decent success.

Roger Daltrey, in his youth was quite the lad. Born and raised in Shepherds Bush, West London, small in stature, yet tough in nature. Some may have even called him a hooligan as a young man. As an adult he has been a musician, a farmer, and an actor. He appeared on stage acting on many occasions, and his 1994 solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with The Juillard Orchestra, was the fastest selling event in the venue’s history. The next year he appeared as The Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz , and in 1998 he starred as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. He has performed with his friends, The Chieftains, an awesome Irish band on a few occasions. And has worked as an actor in the weekly British TV cop show, McVicar.

Since 2000 Daltrey has been very involved in the Teenage Cancer Trust. A charity that builds specialised wards for teenagers with cancer in the UK. He explains that teens with cancer are unlike children or adults with cancer and his trust pays attention to their specialized needs and comforts. This trust has done so well, that after 100+ shows, the donations have enabled them to build 28 hospitals for teens with cancer.

Throughout Daltreys' career, he has done solo shows and The Who and Friends shows at The Royal Albert Hall for the Teen Cancer Trust. It's a very important legacy he has built over the years, with millions of pounds coming in and increasing on a daily basis. As a result of this fundraising for teens with cancer, Daltrey has been given a Humanitarian Award in 2003 by Time magazine. And in February 2005, Roger was awarded a CBE by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for his services to music and good causes. He's truly taken his musical talents and put them to good use during his fifty plus year career.

I've seen The Who many times in the past decades, and the last time I saw The Who was last summer. After that performance, I was unsure of Rogers health, as he seemed to be having a very bad day on stage at the Outside Lands Music Festival, in San Francisco. Daltrey also told NME magazine that the 2017 tour may be the last The Who will do together. I was afraid that may be true and it may have been the last time I get the opportunity to see one of my all time favorite bands. So when I heard of Roger Daltreys upcoming solo tour, I was more than a tad curious about how his performance would pan out....I am very pleased to report that Roger Daltrey and his band exceeded expectations! Rogers voice, which he's had trouble with for many years, was good, and much stronger than expected. Simon Townshend was superb, and his talents definitley shone though. Simons vocals were crystal clear and his guitar playing was the best I've seen him play. He sang a couple solos, and it was clear who his brother was, as the family resemblance in the vocals was quite pronounced. Simon sang a couple solos - 'Going Mobile' and 'Pinball Wizard', and it was almost as if Pete was singing. The rest of the band was tight and polished. They played many Who songs including 'Behind Blue Eyes', "I Can See for Miles' and the legendary, 'Baba O'Riley' peppered with Daltreys solo tunes and covers. Including, "Giving it All Away" by Leo Sayer. He chatted with the audience and connected well with his fans, making mention of our 'strange' political climate at present, but didn't elaborate. He also played the guitar through much of the evening, something he rarely does when he's onstage with The Who. He played a strong 90 minute set to a very appreciative audience. At one point Daltrey mentioned he gets fined if he plays beyond 10.30. So he ended at 10.30 on the dot, with no encore. Even though the show was a mere 90 minutes, he gave it his all and I was thrilled to finally be able to shoot this show. I was also pleased that Daltrey was back on form with his vocals. Bravo to this band for a great show at the Fox! Another one ticked off the bucket list!

The set that night contained: Overture (The Who song), Pinball Wizard (The Who song), Who Are You (The Who song), Another Tricky Day, (dedicated to Rex Tillerson &… more ), Behind Blue Eyes (The Who song), Giving It All Away (Leo Sayer cover), Athena (The Who song), I Can See for Miles (The Who song), Days of Light, After the Fire, Dreaming From the Waist (The Who song), Going Mobile (The Who song), How Many Friends (The Who song), The Real Me (The Who song), Without Your Love, Naked Eye (The Who song), Baba O'Riley (The Who song), Young Man Blues (Mose Allison cover), Always Heading Home