Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 10/10
Towards the end of The Who’s impressive, even epic set, there was a small message that blinked into existence for just the briefest of seconds which uttered the instruction, “Keep rocking, Liverpool’, in truth this is a city that doesn’t need telling twice but as instructions go it was up there with the best of them.
The Who, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend may well have expected some sort of heroes’ return to the city but even for one of the loudest groups to ever grace a stage, the wall of sound that greeted them as they made their way to the front part of the platform at The Echo Arena would have been unexpected, perhaps surprising that the audience’s mood would have been electric even before the first crashing of waves from I Am The Sea played out over the auditorium.
The Who were in town to perform Quadrophenia, the London band’s sixth and perhaps seminal studio album. In true Who style they delivered the objective with sheer force of will, a set full of majesty and a huge chunk of nostalgia that was just as much entertaining and compelling as just closing your eyes and letting tracks such as Cut My Hair, The Punk and The Godfather, 5.15, Bell Boy and Doctor Jimmy could ever do. The album itself is nearly 40 years old and yet listening to the inspiring music that defines a generation is not enough sometimes, it is the imagery that frames the lives of the two men on stage and the two that are so sadly missed, the late great Keith Moon and the colossus that was John Entwhistle.
Behind the band, the screen showed images from the band’s early career, the svelte looking Roger Daltrey still looking amazingly like he did all those years ago and the heart twinge of regret as the audience saw images of Keith and John doing what they did best. This was not just a gig, a chance to drink in one of the finest albums ever recorded but it felt sadly as if this was a final goodbye, the band will live on forever but eventually even the best have to stop before it’s too late.
The near reverential way that the band had been listened to during the recreation of Quadrophenia was replaced by a sound of ecstasy that shook the foundations as the band and crowd really let loose for extras, the small wonderful gesture by all in which the classics, Who Are You, the awesome You Better You Better You Bet, Pinball Wizard and Won’t Get Fooled Again amongst others were greeted and revelled in as if it was the last ever time these songs would be performed live by the two remaining members. Won’t Get Fooled Again was especially poignant as the crowd realised as ever only a Liverpool crowd could sing this line with so much meaning in their hearts as if sending a message out to a city a few hundred miles south.
This wasn’t a gig, not even an event, this was pure spectacle. A demonstration that no matter how hard they try you cannot keep a good sound, band or city down.
Ian D. Hall