The Who Concert Photos
The Who – Moving On! – Citizens Bank Park, Philly – May 25, 2019
Photographs By Estelle Massry
Article by Dennis Morgillo
The Who have been delighting audiences and recording some of the greatest music ever recorded for as long as I have been alive.
I have always loved The Who. I was turned onto the band at birth, by a house full of older siblings. I fell in love with their signature sound. The crazy erratic drumming of madman Keith Moon and the bombastic Bass of John “Thunderfingers” Entwistle. Roger Daltrey is one of the greatest frontmen and vocalists of all time. Pete Townshend, an incredible Guitarist, Singer and possibly the greatest songwriter of all time. What’s not to love!?
I first witnessed The Who Live, September 1979 at MSG in New York City. It was a monumental event for a 14 year old music fan. I was forever changed and I can recall it vividly, as if it were yesterday. Over the years I have seen the band perform at Shea Stadium in the 1980’s and many other venues. I even got to attend solo Roger last year.
So needless to say, I was not going to miss this show, even a recent Gallbladder surgery couldn’t keep me away.
It was a beautiful night at Citizens Bank Park in Philly. To see The Who under the stars on a warm evening is a special treat. After a nice set by J. Geils frontman Peter Wolf, the show is about to begin.
The Who stroll on stage nonchalantly. Roger dressed in black and Pete in an elegant white jacket with a pocket square. This “Moving On!” tour includes a local Symphony Orchestra backing the band. The touring band features an incredible core of musicians including Pete’s brother, Simon Townshend on Guitar, Zak Starkey (Ringo’s son) on Drums, Loren Gold on Keyboards, Jon Button on Bass, and Katie Jacoby (violin).
The band kicks off the show with 30 minutes of music from the classic rock opera “Tommy”! The Orchestra brings these amazing songs to life in a big way.
Roger & Pete are incredible specimens. They look great and sound great. Roger is still adept at spinning the microphone and Pete is windmilling like a 20 year old. They are charming and joking and having a lot of fun. They are funny AF. I love these guys.
One of my favorite songs is “Eminence Front” and they kill it. The synth opening and that funky beat sounds so good. I look around and the 50K or so other fans are enjoying it as well.
Other highlights for me are, “Imagine a Man” from “The Who By Numbers”. I have never heard them play this song live before and it sounds great. It’s a beautiful song, Pete’s acoustic playing is complemented nicely by Roger’s heartwrenching vocals. The Orchestra leaves the stage for the stripped down portion of the show, and Roger & Pete perform an acoustic version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. I Love hearing this epic masterpiece acoustically. Pete kills that acoustic. I love his playing. He is banging the crap out of that guitar, kind of like a percussion instrument.
Wait a minute, these guys have been playing for a long time. Is the show over? They didn’t play anything off “Quadrophenia”!? No need to panic, I jumped the gun. The Orchestra comes back out and they perform a set from the classic album, capped off with a show stopping version of “Love Reign O’er Me”. Keyboardist Loren Gold started the song off with an incredible piano intro. Roger put on a vocal display. It is unbelievable that this man can still hit those notes, after all these years. I have chills on my chills, it’s so damn good.
They close the show with the anthem, “Baba O’Riley”. I am so happy, yet I am sad at the same time. I am sad to think that this may be the last time I see The Who. I am sad for future generations that will never get to experience The Who. I am sad for young kids that are forced to think the nonsense they are listening to is the best we have to offer. However, I feel blessed to have lived during the 20th century. This was the century that produced the greatest music ever recorded. It was a Rock n Roll Renaissance, and The Who played a huge part of that. Thank You Pete & Roger. It was an honor sirs.
