For a number of years,The Whowere the best livemusicband on the planet. Their performances at Woodstock and on Live at Leeds demonstrated their greatness, and the following five or six years solidified their position.
With the remaining members now octogenarians, the group is heading out on their North American Farewell tour, seeking to say goodbye while blowing away audiences one last time. If the group has ever had a flaw in their concerts, though, it’s been their strict adherence to predictable setlists.
Fans can rest assured that they’ll hear “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Pinball Wizard.” For this finale, the band has a chance to surprise us with some deep cuts, honoring their remarkable history and each of the band’s past and present members.
10I’m The Face
1964
The Who could celebrate their origins by taking their show all the way back to their beginnings. The group’s first single, released under the name The High Numbers, was “Zoot Suit,” with “I’m The Face” on the flip side. The recordings leaned into the band’s Mod sound, and each, especially the latter, has cropped out now and again.
It’s not an unreasonable thought. The band has rarely played “I’m The Face,” but it was a regular part of the ‘96-‘97QuadropheniaTour. The Who aren’t generally known for their silliness (despite their sense of humor), buthere’s a lighthearted number that would provide a feel-good momentfor the audience.
9See My Way
1966
Guitarist Pete Townshend was far and away The Who’s primary songwriter, but the act was always a more collaborative affair than that point might imply. Running Townshend’s songs through the “war machine” of the band gave them extra strength and allowed them to reach their full potential.
Other members also wrote cuts, including singer Roger Daltrey. His writing is not often celebrated, but he found a great moment here and there. Daltrey’s finest bit came in 1966, when he contributed “See My Way” toA Quick One. Performing it live now wouldnod to both an overlooked album and a forgotten songwriter.
8Dogs
1968
The Who have never played “Dogs” in concert, and it’s not clear that they actually like the song, so hoping for it to show up after sixty years is a bit of a pipe dream. Even so, it’s a beloved deep cut, and pulling it out now would be a fantastic gift to fans and a shocking blast of oddness for newcomers.
Townshend’s construction of the song is surprisingly complex for a cut ostensibly about greyhound racing.
The cut stands asan incredible piece of pop. Its stunning chorus, with an earworm melody and the phrase “There was nothing in my life bigger than beer,” becomes unforgettable with just one listen. Townshend’s construction of the song is surprisingly complex for a cut ostensibly about greyhound racing, and it deserves to finally be trotted out on a big stage.
7Heaven And Hell
1970
Fans of The Who’s live shows will be intimately familiar with their sound around 1969-70. During this era, the group opened their shows with “Heaven And Hell,” a driving track by bassist John Entwistle. They quit performing it live around 1975, the cut apparently having run its course.
“Heaven And Hell” wasn’t included on the originalLive At Leedsrelease. Instead, a studio version appeared as the B-side to “Summertime Blues.” It’s not as good; this song was always meant for live performances.
Bringing it back now would bean Easter egg for fans, nodding to famous shows, including the one used forLive At Leeds. It would be more than just a curiosity, though, because the song still completely rocks, and it would show that the band - at any age - still has as much force as any rockers ever to take the stage.
6Naked Eye
1974
Wishing for “Naked Eye” doesn’t take blind optimism. The band has played the song fairly often in their live shows over the years, surprisingly for a song that didn’t make it onto an official release until four years after its recording, and then only on an oddities compilation (Odds and Sods).
The song might not mean much to a casual fan, butit’s an essential part of Who concert history. It was born out of extended jamming during those legendary 1969 shows. Townshend eventually turned his improvised tune into a full song, and it became a standout song, even if it rarely got airplay.
5The Quiet One
1981
Roger Daltrey contributed songwriting sporadically, but John Entwistle wrote songs for nearly every album, his sense of humor and proto-metal aesthetic providing unique twists to the band’s sound. His passing in 2002 was a massive loss, and The Who have regularly found ways to honor him on stage.
It might be odd to perform one of his numbers without him, butthe group could pay tribute to one of rock’s greatest bassists by performing one of his best tracks, “The Quiet One.” It’s been retired since 1982, but as the band says farewell, they could acknowledge a beloved bandmate while thrilling their audiences.
4Athena
1982
The Who’s 1980s albums often get a bad rap (only somewhat fairly), but, as with “The Quiet One,” they put out plenty of good music from that period that deserves to be remembered. They’ve frequently taken “Eminence Front” (a live masterpiece) or “Cry If You Want” to representIt’s Hard, but the album has another classic cut that should get its due.
Memorable as the song is, the band rarely chose to play it live.
“Athena” opened the album, andits bright, bouncy melody showed a different side of The Who. Memorable as the song is, the band rarely chose to play it live, and not since their 1982 run. It deserves one more run, letting the band switch gears for a minute as they cover all their bases.
3Real Good Looking Boy
2004
“Real Good Looking Boy” holds an odd spot in The Who’s discography. It was released as a single to go along with a compilation album, marking, along with “Old Red Wine,” the first new music in ages. The cut never found a proper home, but it’s one of the band’s best songs since the ’70s.
The song looks back to a time before The Who, with a boy overcoming his own adolescent anxiety first through his love of music (and Elvis Presley in particular) and then finding confidence and comfort in a mature personal relationship.It’s a moving song that covers a lifetime, and performing it on a farewell tour would give it extra impact.
2Mike Post Theme
2006
Endless Wire, The Who’s first studio album in nearly a quarter of a century, was met with mixed reviews, despite the joy that The Who were back. The album showed the band capable of recovering its old vitality as well as its inventiveness (including a mini-opera).
The album’s “Tea & Theatre” has frequently closed Who shows (a job now likely given to “The Song Is Over”), creating a touching finish to a concert. The track most suited for The Who’s live bombast, though, remains “Mike Post Theme.”
Mike Post might not be a household name, but it’s hard to imagine the sound of TV without him. He’s responsible for the themes ofHill Street Blues,L.A. Law,Law & Order, and many other shows.
The cut’s title refers to an important TV theme composer, hinting at the waypopular music provides a foundation for the ups and downs of life. “Mike Post Theme” also addresses aging with a certain anger that The Who delivers so well, and at eighty, Daltrey and Townshend could well mix that frustration with the peace of ever-present music.
1Break The News
2019
Pete’s brother, Simon Townshend, has essentially been a member of The Who since the mid-’90s, and his guitar playing has been vital to the success of their live shows since then. He also wrote one of the best songs onWho, the group’s final studio album. Playing that song now would honor his contribution in sustaining the band, as well as highlighting his own artistry.
“Break The News,” though,sounds very much unlike most Who songs. It’s a catchy, acoustic pop number with a uniquely Simon touch. The band has played it live just a handful of times, and never in North America. Doing so now would showcaseThe Who’s breadth and overlooked flexibility, an ideal part of a final statement.
