ROGER DALTREY: KICKS OFF TOUR OF THE WHO’S LEGENDARY ‘TOMMY’ IN THE U.K. TO RAVE REVIEWS

DATE:             JULY 18, 2011

FROM:            TODD BRODGINSKI/MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER

ROGER DALTREY
KICKS OFF TOUR OF THE WHO’S LEGENDARY ‘TOMMY’
IN THE U.K. TO RAVE REVIEWS

SIX-WEEK NORTH AMERICAN TOUR LAUNCHES
SEPTEMBER 13 IN FLORIDA

Rave reviews have marked the U.K. launch of ROGER DALTREY’s tour of The Who’s legendary 1969 rock opera TOMMY, which he is performing now in its entirety from start to finish in the U.K., with the much-anticipated six-week North American tour beginning September 13. (The Who never actually played the complete Tommy.)

“Mug of tea in hand, Roger Daltrey strolls on stage announcing: ‘Let’s have some fun.’ And over the next two-and-a-half hours that’s exactly what a packed Civic [Wolverhapmton Civic Hall] does,” reports the Express & Star (7/4/11).  Of the iconic singer, The Guardian said, “his chops haven't sounded this powerful in years (7/5/11)” and the Express & Star called the show “a fantastic performance from one of rock’s good guys (7/4/11).” 

“’Hope I die before I get old’ sang Roger Daltrey, memorably, on the Who's classic 1965 hit My Generation. An amazing 46 years on and the 67-year-old singer is still inn incredible nick,” said the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, “and, thankfully, shows no sign of popping his clogs (7/5/11).”  The South Wales Argus added, “Vocally, his voice has all the depth and power of his youth, and by the time the gig moved on to its second section of classics, covers and anthems, the audience were captivated (7/11/11).”

After performing Tommy–which has sold over 20 million copies and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame–in its entirety, DALTREY tears through a set of other classics by The Who (“My Generation,” “Baba O’Reilly,” “I Can See For Miles”), rarities (“Going Mobile,” “Pictures of Lily”) and more.   The Express & Star summed up the show’s climax, saying, “‘The Acid Queen,’ ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘I’m Free’ hit the right notes before the finale ‘See Me, Feel Me’/‘Listening To You’ brings the entire audience to its feet – and they don’t sit down again.”

Daltrey treats his audiences to some great banter. At the Wolverhampton gig, he commented on the fact that Who songs don’t tend to have long guitar solos. "If I'd been in Led Zeppelin I wouldn't have a problem,” he lamented to the audience, which coincidentally included Robert Plant. “I'd have a 20-minute rest in every song for a guitar solo."  

The North American TOMMY dates kick off Saturday, September 13 in Hollywood, FL and wrap November 2 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  In a recent Rolling Stone magazine news story, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer talked about the tour, saying “My Tommy is much more like the original conception…There’s also quite a few songs from the album the Who never played.  I’m doing the whole thing (7/7/31).”  For the full DALTREY Rolling Stone interview, go here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/roger-daltrey-to-play-deep-cuts-by-the-who-on-tommy-tour-20110623

Commenting on the tour, Pete Townshend says, “Great to see Roger performing TOMMY with his band in 2011.  I will be there in spirit.  Roger has my complete and most loving support. Roger is touring his unique concert version of TOMMY using his faithful presentation of the original work as the backbone for a set of wider material.  It is wonderful to hear the way Roger and his new band re-interpret the old Who songs.”

In a recent interview with the U.K.’s Telegraph, DALTREY said “The only thing I’ll leave out is the instrumental, ‘Underture,’ which was just a lot of bits we joined together to fill a big gap on the original vinyl album (6/30/11).” 

He went on to talk about how, for him, TOMMY is not a linear story. “That’s the joy of it – it can mean whatever you want it to mean. I use the characters in it as metaphors for parts of the human condition, so it’s a kind of story of the human spirit.”

For visual effects, DALTREY wants a Tommy that’s relevant for today, so he has enlisted students from Middlesex University to create their own interpretations. His brief to them was simple: “Get in touch with the spirit of the music and do your own thing. Don’t think of Tommy as a character. Tommy is all of us.”  The Guardian comments that “Stunning visuals make it a surprisingly psychedelic experience” and adds “of course, ‘Pinball Wizard,’ ‘I'm Free’ and the rest threaten to separate the roof from the building.”

DALTREY is pulling out all the stops with a full band that will bring the rock opera’s wide-ranging sounds and textures to life vibrantly on stage every evening. Joining DALTREY will be Frank Simes (guitar and also music director/arranger), Scott Deavours (drums), Jon Button (bass), Loren Gold (keyboards) and also on guitar will be SIMON TOWNSHEND, younger brother of The Who’s guitarist PETE TOWNSHEND.

TOMMY is not only one of the most acclaimed and defining works of the rock era, it is an enduring work that resonates on radio to this day where it has found multi-generational appeal. Inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, the 20 million-selling double album also spawned a successful 1975 film of the same name–with DALTREY playing the title role–which re-underlined its place in the cultural firmament.

The tour dates are as follows:

Tickets for all shows are available at www.aeglive.com.

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