(Personal reflections inspired by Who songs)
Song: “Substitute”
Album: Released as a single
Release Date: March,
1966
Below are
the 24 Who-related shows I have witnessed (in chronological order) and the set
lists for each. Events that I refer to
as “Who-related” include the solo efforts of the individual members of the band. The totality of my actual Who concert events stands
at a lucky thirteen, which is more likely than not to be a final tally. (** added note: This list needs to be amended, seeing as I attended the Who show at Fenway Park with my son, Peter, on Sept. 13, 2019. It was a lifetime hilite for Peter to be there with me and the Who were fantastic, including a Tommy and Quadrophenia set, as well as never before seen "Imagine a Man", and new songs "Hero Ground Zero" and "Ball and Chain" . Also at the show were Mac and my brother-in-law Paul. We spent some time in a private party looming over the Green Monster -thanks to Paul - where the Red Sox prior World Series trophy was displayed and where we got to hobnob with Peter Gammons).
Instead of
putting time this week into creative writing, my time was spent compiling the
list below by searching high and low on the web. Only one show was impossible to track a set
list for (the John Entwistle concert at the Living Room in Providence Rhode
Island in the summer of ’88 with Nancy).
Included in the compilation is bolded-red text of deep-cut Who and Pete
Townshend nuggets that were rarely performed.
I also added the names of friends and family who were in attendance with
me for each show (it may not be a perfect attendance estimate, although I’m
thinking it’s pretty darn good; however correct me if I’m wrong) and a note or
two about the event itself.
Also, I
did a little tally of all the Who songs I have witnessed more than twice at these
“Who-related” shows. My prior prediction
of the song I had heard the most proved true (“Won’t Get Fooled” at 18). Here is that summary, which I am guessing is a pretty good barometer of song ratio for all Who shows since the passing of Keith Moon: Eighteen:
“Won’t Get Fooled Again”; Seventeen:
“Behind Blue Eyes”; Fifteen: “Who
Are You”; Fourteen: “5:15”; Thirteen: “Baba O’Riley”, “Pinball
Wizard”, “My Generation”, “The Real Me”; Twelve:
“We’re Not Gonna Take It” (“See Me Feel Me”), “Love Reign O’er Me”; Ten: “My Wife”, “You Better You Bet”; Nine: “I’m One”, “Sparks”; Eight: “I Can’t Explain”, “Boris the
Spider”, “Amazing Journey”; Seven: “Substitute”,
“Eminence Front”, “The Punk and the Godfather”, “Drowned”, “Magic Bus”, “The
Kids Are Alright”; Six: “Trick of
the Light”, “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, “Sea and Sand”; Five: “I Can See For Miles”, “Doctor Jimmy”, “I’ve Had Enough”, “Cut
My Hair”; Four: “Sister Disco”, “A
Little Is Enough”, “Bell Boy”, “Helpless Dancer”, “Is It In My Head”, “Dirty
Jobs”, “Quadrophenia”, “The Rock”; Three:
“Long Live Rock”, “Naked Eye”, “The Seeker”, “Pictures of Lily”, “Bargain”, “The
Acid Queen”, “I’m Free”, “Rough Boys”, “Join Together”, “Relay”; (many at two and one)
The first
Who song I ever saw live was “Substitute” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eswQl-hcvU0).
This song was always so much fun to watch the Who play, which was often
performed at or near the beginning of the set.
There was the harmonized backing vocal tandem of John Entwistle and Pete
Townshend (such an underrated component of the Who’s potency). There was the
magnificent bass solo (not so underrated). Yes, unlike many great bands, the Who could
always tap into their earliest hits for high-bar intensity.
Without
further ado, here then are the 24 Who-related set lists:
The Who: Rich Stadium, Buffalo, New York, September 26,
1982 (with
4 busses full of Canadians from Ottawa…..see “Under the Big Topo # 3” for
hilites)
Substitute, I Can't Explain , Dangerous, Sister Disco, The Quiet One, It's Hard, Eminence Front, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O'Riley, I'm One, The Punk And The Godfather, Drowned, A Man Is A Man, Cry If You Want, Who Are You, Pinball Wizard, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), 5.15, Love Reign O'er Me, Long
Live Rock, Won't Get Fooled Again, (encore): Naked Eye, Summertime Blues, Twist and Shout
Roger Daltrey: Orpheum Theater, Boston, Massachusetts,
August 12, 1985 (with Mac, Bouv…. a great show)
Martyrs
and Madmen, Don’t Talk to Strangers, Breaking Down Paradise, Substitute,
Pictures of Lily, Under a Raging Moon, Behind Blue Eyes,
5:15, Your Time Is Gonna Come, After the Fire, Giving It All Away, Won’t Get Fooled
Again, The Pride You Hide, Move Better In the Night, Let Me Down Easy, Free Me,
Summertime Blues, C’mon Everybody
John Entwistle: The Channel, Boston, Massachusetts, November
19, 1987 (with Mac, Becca, Dave, Bouv…. very close to stage. Very cool!)
Summertime
Blues, Pinball Wizard, My Wife, 5:15, Bargain, Boris the Spider, Behind Blue
Eyes, Shakin’ All Over, My Generation, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me),
Higher, Sparks, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Young Man Blues, Twist and Shout
John Entwistle: The Channel, Boston, Massachusetts, June 25,
1988
(with Fred, Mac… an extremely hot evening. Even the Ox complained)
No
set list, but I did track down a set list from a show on this tour which
consisted of the following: Stranger In A Strange Land, Love Is A Heart Attack, Bridges Under the Water, Billy, You, Trick Of the Light,
Heartache, My Wife, Boris the Spider, Suzie, Life After Love, Last Song,
(encore): Shakin’ All Over, Twist and Shout
John Entwistle: The Living Room, Providence, Rhode Island,
June 29, 1988 (with Nancy…funky place)
No
setlist: See previous entry (Entwistle at The Channel) for a taste of the
setlist
The Who: Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts, July
12, 1989 (with virtually everyone…. the house party of a lifetime at Jen’s before
the show…. one of the best Who set lists
I’ve witnessed)
Overture,
It’s a Boy, 1921, Amazing Journey, Sparks, The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Do
You Think It’s Alright?, Fiddle About, I’m Free, Tommy’s Holiday Camp, We’re
Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), A Friend Is a Friend, A Little Is Enough,
Face the Face, I’m a Man (Bo Diddley
cover), I Can’t Explain, Substitute, I Can See for Miles, Trick of the Light,
Boris the Spider, Who Are You, Magic Bus, Mary Ann With the Shaky Hands, Baba O’Riley, My
Generation, Secondhand Love, 5:15, Love Reign
O’er Me, My Wife, Sister Disco, Rough Boys, Join Together, You Better You Bet,
Won’t Get Fooled Again, (encore): Twist and Shout
The Who: Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts, July
14, 1989 (with Kurt, Mac)
Overture,
It’s a Boy, 1921, Amazing Journey, Sparks, The Acid Queen, Pinball Wizard, Do
You Think It’s Alright?, Fiddle About, I’m Free, Tommy’s Holiday Camp, We’re
Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), I’m One, A Little Is Enough, A Friend Is a
Friend, I’m a Man (Bo Diddley cover), I
Can’t Explain, Substitute, I Can See for Miles, Trick of the Light, Boris the
Spider, Who Are You, Too Much of Anything, Magic Bus, Baba O’Riley, My
Generation, Face the Face, 5:15, Love Reign O’er Me, Love Hurts, My Wife,
Sister Disco, Rough Boys, Join Together, You Better You Bet, Behind
Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Hey Joe, Dig, Summertime Blues
Pete Townshend: Great Woods, Mansfield
Massachusetts, August 9, 1993 (with Nancy, Mac, Becca, Dave, Bouv, others….
Nancy and I snuck up to the front seats.
Townshend snapped halfway through the show because of equipment
malfunction and played a riveting angry set from there)
Tommy Can
You Hear Me, Rough Boys, Let My Love Open the Door, Heart To Hang On To, Behind Blue Eyes,
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, I’m A Boy, The Kids Are Alright, Pinball
Wizard, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), English Boy, Meher Baba M3,
Let’s Get Pretentious, Meher Baba M4, Early Morning Dreams, Magic Bus, You
Better You Bet, A Little Is Enough, I Want That Thing, Outlive the Dinosaur, Now
and Then, Don’t Try To Make Me Real, English Boy (reprise), Save It For Later,
Who Are You, Face the Face, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Let’s See Action, On the
Borderline, My Generation/Big Boss Man, Eminence Front
Roger Daltrey (John Entwistle joined for
about half of this “Daltrey Sings Townshend” show): Great Woods, Mansfield, Massachusetts,
August 28, 1994 (with Mac, John, Phil, Dave…. the only Who related show I ever went to
that did not have the appearance of being sold out…still great, and with a full
orchestra to boot)
Pete
Townshend Overture, You Better You Bet, Another Tricky Day, Baba O’Riley, After
the Fire, Relay, Amazing Journey, Pinball Wizard, Sparks, I’m Free, We’re Not
Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), Who Are You, The Sea Refuses No River, My Wife, Boris the
Spider, The Real Me, The Punk and the Godfather, I’m One, Drowned, Doctor
Jimmy, I’ve Had Enough, Cut My Hair, 5:15, The Rock, Love Reign O’er Me, Naked
Eye, That’s Just the Way It Is, Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again
John Entwistle: Mama Kin Music Hall, Boston
Massachusetts, January 31, 1996 (with Mac, others…..one of the best shows
I’ve ever seen, which started out with a triple-bang of rarely heard nuggets
for us latter-day Who fans)
Heaven and Hell, Had Enough, Success Story, Trick of the Light,
Bridges Under Water, The Real Me, Love Doesn’t Last, Boris the Spider, Life
After Love, Love Is a Heart Attack, Last Song, You, My Wife, Long Live Rock,
Summertime Blues, Shaking All Over
The Who: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York,
July 20, 1996 (with Nancy, Mac, Becca, Dave, Kurt, others…one of the best shows I’ve
ever seen and the first with Zak Starkey.
He was fantastic. What a memory)
I Am the
Sea, The Real Me, Quadrophenia, Cut My Hair, The Punk and the Godfather, I’m
One, The Dirty Jobs, Helpless Dancer, Is It In My Head, I’ve Had Enough, 5:15,
Sea and Sand, Drowned, Bell Boy, Doctor Jimmy, The Rock, Love Reign O’er Me,
Behind Blue Eyes, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Magic Bus, Naked
Eye
The Who:
Worcester Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts, November 12, 1996 (with Jen, Amy, Fred,
Dale…. the family decided to join me.
Bill Weld of all people attended.
Not as intense as the Madison Square Garden show, but still solid)
I Am the
Sea, The Real Me, Quadrophenia, Cut My Hair, The Punk and the Godfather, I’m
One, The Dirty Jobs, Helpless Dancer, Is It In My Head, I’ve Had Enough, 5:15,
Sea and Sand, Drowned, Bell Boy, Doctor Jimmy, The Rock, Love Reign O’er Me,
I’m the Face, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, Who Are You
The Who:
Worcester Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts, November 14, 1996 (with Kurt, Mac,
Muff)
I Am the
Sea, The Real Me, Quadrophenia, Cut My Hair, The Punk and the Godfather, I’m
One, The Dirty Jobs, Helpless Dancer, Is It In My Head, I’ve Had Enough, 5:15,
Sea and Sand, Drowned, Bell Boy, Doctor Jimmy, The Rock, Love Reign O’er Me, I’m
the Face, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, Who Are You
Pete Townshend: Harborlights, Boston,
Massachusetts, August 14, 1998 (with Nancy, Bouv, Mac, Dave, Becca, others….
Townshend came to peace with his Woodstock experience 30 years on, including
comments and the opening number.
Excellent show!)
On the
Road Again, A Little Is Enough, Drowned, Save It
For Later, Sensation, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, You Better You Bet, Diamond In
the Rough, The Real Me, The Real Me
(Reprise), Zarathustra, I Am An Animal, Now And Then, Going
Up the Country, North Country Girl (On the Borderline), Let My Love Open the
Door, The Kids Are Alright, The Acid Queen, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Magic Bus, We’re
Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me)
John Entwistle: The Lucky Dog, Worcester, Massachusetts, July
21, 1999 (with Kurt, Mac…. Entwistle kept getting zapped when singing into the
microphone. Finally lashed out at it and
stopped singing for a time. I had a nice
greeting and handshake with the Ox at the end of the show)
Horror
Rock, The Real Me, Success Story, Trick of the Light, Boris the Spider, I’ll
Try Again Today, Shaking All Over, Had Enough, Endless Vacation, Summertime
Blues, Young Man’s Blues
The Who: Great Woods, Mansfield,
Massachusetts, July 3, 2000 (with Mac, Dave, Becca, Amy, Paul, others… one of my favorite
Who shows of all time. It was the last
time I saw the Who with John Entwistle, who put some effort into backing vocals
early in the set)
I Can’t
Explain, Substitute, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, I Don’t Even Know Myself, My Wife, Bargain, Relay, Baba
O’Riley, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me, Feel Me), I’m One, Pinball Wizard,
The Real Me, Who Are You, Magic Bus, Behind Blue Eyes, 5:15, You Better You
Bet, Won’t Get Fooled Again, (encore): The Kids Are Alright, Let’s See Action,
My Generation Blues, My Generation, Young Man Blues
John Entwistle (on the “A Walk Down Abbey
Road” tour): Fleet Pavilion, Boston,
Massachusetts, July 11, 2001 (with Nancy….. this was the last time I saw
John Entwistle. He looked weathered,
which I commented to Nancy about at the time, and even I have to admit his amp
was a bit too loud for “My Wife” and “The Real Me”…. Still a great show with
Heart, Todd Rundgren, Alan Parsons, others)
Magical
Mystery Tour, Open My Eyes (Hillsong Live cover), Eye in the Sky (Alan Parsons
cover), Crazy on You (Heart cover), My Wife, Hello It’s Me (Todd Rundgren
cover), Don’t Bother Me (Beatles cover), Biggest Part of Me (Ambrosia cover),
How Much I Feel (Ambrosia cover), Band the Drum All Day (Todd Rundgren cover),
The Real Me, Dreamboat Annie (Heart cover), Games People Play (Inner Circle
cover), Barracuda (Heart cover), My Generation, Back in the U.S.S.R., Lady
Madonna, I’m Down, The Fool on the Hill, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Here
Comes the Sun, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love
Away, Maybe I’m Amazed, Rain, Blackbird, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide
Except For Me and My Monkey, Revolution, Day Tripper, Ticket to Ride, I Want to
Hold Your Hand, Hey Jude, Birthday, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
The Who: Great Woods, Mansfield, Massachusetts,
July 26, 2002 (with Mac…. First Who show after they took a break for John Entwistle’s
funeral. Pete gives a short emotional
eulogy on stage. Townshend also hovered
over his guitar as the “Birdman” for “Sparks”: Not sure I’d ever seen that before. I sang Entwistle’s high notes for “See Me
Feel Me”, a-la Woodstock)
I Can’t
Explain, Substitute, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, Who Are You, Another Tricky Day, Relay, I Can See for
Miles, Baba O’Riley, Eminence Front, Sea and Sand, 5:15, Love Reign O’er Me,
Behind Blue Eyes, You Better You Bet, The Kids Are Alright, My Generation,
Won’t Get Fooled Again, (encore): Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, Sparks,
We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me, Feel Me)
The Who: Great Woods, Mansfield, Massachusetts, May 20, 2004 (with Kurt, Mac, others….. listened to “Real Good Looking Boy”
and “Old Red Wine” all the way down and back with Kurt and his buddies from
Winchester who had not heard these songs until then)
Who Are You, Baba O’Riley, I Can’t
Explain, Long Live Rock, Behind Blue Eyes, 5:15, The Punk and the Godfather,
Love Reign O’er Me, Eminence Front, You Better You Bet, Real Good Looking Boy, Substitute, Love Ain’t for Keepin’, Magic Bus, My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, Old Red Wine, Won’t Get Fooled Again, (encore): Pinball Wizard,
Amazing Journey, Sparks, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me)
The Who: Boston Garden, Boston,
Massachusetts, September 16, 2006 (with Mac, Becca, Kurt, others… excellent seats right of
stage; toured new album Endless Wire…..
hilites included “The Seeker” and “Mike Post Theme”)
I Can’t Explain, The Seeker, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, Fragments, Who Are You, Behind
Blue Eyes, Real Good Looking Boy, Sound Round, Pick Up the Peace, Endless Wire,
We Got a Hit, They Made My Dream Come True, Mirror Door, Baba O’Riley, Eminence
Front, Black Widow’s Eyes, Mike Post Theme, You Better You Bet, My Generation, Won’t Get Fooled Again,
(encore): Pinball Wizard, Amazing Journey, Sparks, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See
Me Feel Me), Tea & Theatre
The Who: Boston Garden, Boston,
Massachusetts, October 24, 2008 (Becca, Mac, Dave….fun talking to Who fans before the show)
I Can’t Explain, The Seeker, Anyway
Anyhow Anywhere, Fragments, Who Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, Real Good Looking
Boy, Baba O’Riley, Getting in Tune, Eminence Front, Sister Disco, Sea and Sand, 5:15, Love Reign
O’er Me, My Generation, Won’t Get Fooled Again, (encore): Pinball Wizard,
Amazing Journey, Sparks, We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), (encore 2):
Tea & Theatre
Roger Daltrey: House of
Blues, Boston, Massachusetts, November 8, 2009 (Nancy, Madeline, Mac, others…. Great show with Simon
Townshend & Zak Starkey)
Who Are You, Pictures of Lily, Behind
Blue Eyes, The Kids Are Alright, Tattoo, Days of Light,
Freedom Ride (Taj Mahal cover), Gimme a Stone (Levon Helm cover), Going Mobile, I’m A Man (Bo Diddley cover), My Generation, Who’s Gonna
Walk on Water?, Squeeze Box, I Can See for Miles, Young Man Blues, Baba O’Riley, Folsom
Prison Blues, Ring of Fire, Blue Red and Grey, Without Your Love
The Who: Boston Garden, Boston,
Massachusetts, November 16, 2012 (Kurt, Mac, Dave… great floor seats)
I Am the Sea, The Real Me,
Quadrophenia, Cut My Hair, The Punk and the Godfather, I’m One, The Dirty Jobs,
Helpless Dancer, Is It in My Head?, I’ve Had Enough, 5:15, Sea and Sand,
Drowned, Bell Boy, Doctor Jimmy, The Rock, Love Reign O’er Me, (encore): Who
Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, Pinball Wizard, Bab O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again,
Tea & Theatre
The Who: Boston Garden, Boston,
Massachusetts, March 7, 2016 (Kurt, Becca, Dave, Mac, others… see Under the Big Top # 11 for
a full review)
Who Are You, The Seeker, The Kids Are
Alright, I Can See for Miles, My Generation, The Real Me, Pictures of Lily,
Behind Blue Eyes, Bargain, Join Together, You Better You Bet, I’m One, The Rock,
Love Reign O’er Me, Eminence Front, Amazing Journey, Sparks, Pinball Wizard,
We’re Not Gonna Take It (See Me Feel Me), Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again
That was
fun: Back to my deeper musings next week.
- Pete
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