ROGER DALTREY: Kicks Off “Tommy” Tour To Critical Acclaim

DATE:             SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

FROM:           TODD BRODGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

ROGER DALTREY KICKS OFF “TOMMY” TOUR
TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM;

CLASSICS FROM THE WHO’S ESTEEMED REPERTOIRE
PERFORMED ON NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

“…truly triumphant.”  —Newark Star Ledger 9/20/11

 “…it was…heartening to hear Daltrey…sing his history with grizzled power and heart-on-sleeve sincerity.” —Boston Globe  9/19/11

“…Daltrey brings devastating power of ‘Tommy’ to life in great live show…a truly amazing, mind-blowing; over-the-top performance…an audio orgasm backed by subliminal visuals.”  —Palm Beach Post 9/14/11

“Roger Daltrey delivered a fantastic and passionate performance and those lucky enough to witness the spectacle will be talking about the singer’s booming voice and remarkable vigor for days.”  —Daily Free Press (MA) 9/21/11

ROGER DALTREY–the lead singer of THE WHO–has launched his six-week North American tour to critical acclaim, performing the band’s legendary 1969 rock opera Tommy album in its entirety, from start to finish, for the first time. (The Who never actually played the complete Tommy.)  Employing the use of striking visuals to accompany the music, every show is an unforgettable concert experience for lifelong fans and newcomers alike.

Before the trek kicked off in Hollywood, FL last week (9/13), DALTREY performed Tommy’s biggest hit “Pinball Wizard” on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”  Rolling Stone cited DALTREY’s “energetic rendition” on the program, adding that “he went all out with the theatricality. As he bounced around stage belting out his warm, raspy voice, cuts from an electrified, CGI’d pinball game sliced in and out of the performance…Daltrey’s still got it (9/7/11).”

After wrapping the “Tommy” portion of the show with the anthemic “We’re Not Gonna Take It” DALTREY and co. tear through an array of classics from THE WHO, including “Pictures of Lily,” “Baba O’Reilly,” “My Generation” and “I Can See For Miles” as well as a few select covers.  DALTREY is backed by a stellar band: SIMON TOWNSHEND, younger brother of The Who’s guitarist PETE TOWNSHEND on guitar and vocals, Frank Simes (guitar and also music director/arranger), Scott Deavours (drums), Jon Button (bass) and Loren Gold (keyboards).

The in-progress tour hits the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY 9/23 before heading to Canada, with stops in major markets including Toronto (9/30), St. Louis (10/8), Los Angeles (10/19) and Las Vegas (10/22) before wrapping up in Winnipeg (11/2).

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.

Of the new “Tommy” tour, DALTREY told the Boston Globe’s Sarah Rodman, “I can appreciate it much more. I’ve got no battle to win, so I can enjoy it. It always felt like there was a battle to be won when we used to play it in the early days. And that was great because we had the strength and the youth and the testosterone to win it every night. But now I can relax into it, and the music’s better for it in a way. It’s different, but it’s better.  “I’ve never felt the narrative of ‘Tommy’ has ever been about one person.  For me, ‘Tommy’ has always been about all of us: you, me, and everyone else in the audience. It’s the spiritual journey that we all go through in life. The characters in it – Uncle Ernie and Cousin Kevin and the Acid Queen – they’re all part of the human condition, things that are thrown at us. The way I feel about it is, I just hope that whatever light that you find at the end of your life is a bright one (9/11/11).’’

The tour dates are as follows:

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

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