The Heinemann English Dictionary put my way on reaching secondary school in September 1980 (soon covered in wallpaper, like every other recommended text) lists serendipity as ‘the faculty of making unexpected but desirable discoveries.’
Slipping into the English language via Henry Walpole’s 1754 fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip, relating to an ancient name for Sri Lanka, its main characters were always making accidental and fortunate discoveries.
I tend to prefer the word fate, ‘the power that determines events,’ or even non-Heinemann-listed North American noun happenstance, ‘chance, especially when it results in something good,’ all three happily popping up in my life from time to time.
I posted something rather flippant via social media last Friday relating to a late-remembered non-encounter the previous weekend at Strensham Services, southbound on the M5, my better half returning from the loos while I was walking the grass verges enticing the dog to have a wee, telling me she’d just spotted Roger Daltrey. Yeah, right. Just the latest lookalike spot on our travels, no doubt. I checked on heading inside, but he was nowhere to be seen. Not so much as an echo from a cubicle of ‘Can you see the real me?’ And there was no sign of the Land Rover used in that 1985 American Express TV on the forecourt.
Five days later I remembered that on reading that friends of mine were heading to The Who at Cornwall’s Eden Project (tonight, July 25th). Yes, it turned out that she really did see him, en route to Badminton last Sunday. I also spotted that this legendary outfit were playing not so far off my Lancashire patch at Langtree Park, home of St Helens RFC (I can’t quite bring myself to write ‘Totally Wicked Stadium’, although the ‘Totally Wired Stadium’ would appeal to my inner Fall fan).
I immediately dismissed any notion of attending. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always loved The Who, and the thought of catching Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend certainly appealed, but I don’t tend to do stadium gigs, I had a lot going on, and chances of getting a ticket were slim. But then came a message from my friend, publisher and fellow author, Richard Houghton, just after 4pm on the day, reading, ‘Off to see The Who in a couple of hours. Not sure if it’s your kind of thing but I just bought two tickets, so if you fancy a rainy night in St Helens…’ Well, I couldn’t turn that offer down, could I?
Funny how the songwriter and the singer behind the line, ‘I hope I die before I get old’, first put our way 58 years ago, are still going strong and, as it turns out, remain at the heart of a dynamic live outfit in 2023. And the sentiment remains relevant – neither Pete, 78, nor Rog, 79, have grown old.
I mentioned September 1980 at the top, and the band were recording Face Dances then, which became their 12th top-10 LP and included their 14th and final top-10 single, ‘You Better You Bet’. But with Keith Moon already gone, they were considered yesterday’s men in some quarters by then. In fact, Pete was insistent by 1982 that the band should quit the live circuit and concentrate on being a studio outfit, hence a supposed farewell tour of North America later that year, with The Clash as support.
By then, the first ‘best of’ that came my way, my older brother’s cassette version of compilation The Story of The Who, had already been out six years, released less than three weeks after he started his first full-time job and I started middle school. But that double album made a big impression on me, and while I didn’t get to see Quadrophenia for some time, I caught Ken Russell’s ‘characteristically vibrant’ take on Townshend’s rock opera, Tommy on its UK television debut on August Bank Holiday Monday 1982 at my big sister’s house on the Surrey/Hants border, her fella Andy having caught the film’s premiere back in ’75 and setting me up that night – a couple of months before my 15th birthday – with headphones, a 10pm BBC Two showing simultaneously broadcast, Radio Times suggesting ‘viewers with stereo Radio 1… turn off TV sound and position their speakers on either side of the screen, but a few feet away. Stereo headphones provide a suitable alternative.’
My love for The Jam helped point me in the right direction about this iconic Mod outfit too, and in later days I’d truly appreciate the earlier material, debut LP My Generation a particular favourite, along with the Quadrophenia soundtrack album including those High Numbers tracks alongside other ‘60s classics.
On Friday night Pete told us this was the band’s first visit to St Helens (in barely six months short of 60 years), despite lots of shows in not far off Liverpool and Warrington back in the day, this scribe returning to his travelling companion’s book on the band – currently being updated, revised and expanded as This Guitar Has Seconds to Live: A People’s History of The Who – for eyewitness accounts of dates at Warrington’s Parr Hall (March 22nd 1965) and Co-Op Hall (January 23rd 1966). And while The Who today is clearly very much a different animal, their 2023 return proved another memorable night in an arguably unlikely setting.
For a set of shows billed as The Who Hits Back! – postponed by the pandemic, this appearance on the back of those at Hull’s Craven Park, Edinburgh Castle, the O2 in London, Derby’s County Ground, Badminton, and Durham Riverside, with Sussex CCC, Hove, and the Eden Project ahead – Pete and Rog were joined by (Pete’s younger brother) Simon Townshend (second guitar/backing vocals), Jon Button (bass), Loren Gold and Emily Marshall (keyboards), Zak Starkey (drums), and Billy Nicholls (backing vocals), along with the Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Keith Levenson, including Katie Jacoby (lead violin) and Audrey Snyder (lead cello).
Talking of Zak Starkey, on board with The Who since 1996, I was reminded of one of his friends, Shack drummer Iain ‘Tempo’ Templeton, Zak having also served for Oasis between Who stints from 2004/08, both outfits taking Shack out on tour as a support. Liverpool lad Tempo, who died last year, told me in early 2021 how he’d taken Zak to The Empress, the Dingle hostelry featured on the cover of Ringo Starr’s 1970 solo LP, Sentimental Journey, where ‘once everybody clocked who he was, they all started ripping beermats, “Here y’are, sign this! You’re just like your auld feller!” And when he looks at you, he does look ‘Liverpool’. He looks local. A lovely guy.’
While my punk spirit always left me wary regarding the concept of the rock opera, there’s much that I love and admire about Tommy and Quadrophenia, two albums heavily featured in these shows, that quality orchestral backing just the ticket here, the band treating us to a few wonderful hits in between those bookending sets to seal the deal.
The whole ensemble started with Tommy’s scene-setting ’Overture’ (hang on, am I at a prog rock show?), tantalising hints at what was coming next all there, Pete in his element in this ‘slow burner’ opening, the tone neatly taken on through ‘1921’ (‘what about the boy?’ – well, turns out that Roger’s voice is still very much there, all these years on) and ‘Amazing Journey’ before band and orchestra alike showed true rocking out propensities on ‘Sparks’, ‘The Acid Queen’ then leading us on to the punching riffery of ‘Pinball Wizard’, the audience fully warmed up, albeit still with plenty of skyward glances, rainfall seemingly never far off for those of us out on the pitch.
My first major highlight followed, seven-minute wonder ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, but unfortunately with it came the first glitch, at the business end, the sound cutting out as Pete windmilled his way towards a thrilling climax, and with some irony as Rog sang, ‘Listening to you, I get the music…’ as everything save for the on-stage monitors went, band and orchestra seemingly oblivious and powering on, as the screens on either side of the stage confirmed, the crowd around us increasingly rattled, what seemed like an eternity ending after around 90 seconds, sound flooding back in and a huge roar ringing out.
It was history repeating itself, 38 years after Live Aid at Wembley, the sound temporarily fading away on ‘My Generation’ on that occasion. Pete was a little confused by that resultant rousing cheer, wondering if a photo of David Beckham had popped up on the screen (he really hadn’t done his research – surely Alex Murphy, Paul Sculthorpe or Keiron Cunningham would have gone down better in this setting). Order resumed, they cracked on, fans of lesser-known crime series CSI Thatto Heath’s interest peaked by ‘Who Are You’ – Roger also on guitar at that point – before 1982’s Pete-sung ‘Eminence Front’, the orchestra perhaps nipping out for a collective toke during the following band-only segment.
That’s where the defining hits were, although the sheer power I expected was missing somewhat on classic opener ‘The Kids Are Alright’ (but what a great song) before crowd singalongs on ‘You Better You Bet’ and ‘Substitute’, the clock turned back again for ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’, that true Mod identity still evident, ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘My Generation’ keeping us on that high, albeit with rain starting to fall during the latter, jumpers then waterproofs donned.
‘Cry If You Want’ reminded us of the band’s early ‘80s era again, two more set highlights following, the ever-powerful ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ something of a surprise package in this two-thirds through slot, Roger’s vocal sublime, including those blood-curdling yells following Zak’s big moment, his dad’s splendid shift on Abbey Road conjured up every bit as much as Keith’s own powerhouse contributions on Who’s Next.
Breath back (ours and his), Roger showed us the other end of his impressive range with the gorgeous ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, Katie and Audrey’s strings to the fore, a further reminder if it were ever needed of the quality of that afore-mentioned 1971 opus, with one last throw of the dice to come.
The orchestra returned, Gordon Sumner’s Ace scooter – on hand for photo opportunities to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust – brought to mind as we were treated to ‘The Real Me’, ‘I’m One’ ‘5.15’, ‘The Rock’ – the images on the big screen taking us from the oft-shown but still hard-hitting footage of the results of napalm attacks in Vietnam in ’72, around the same time the band started recording Quadrophenia, onwards – and a show-stopping ‘Love, Reign O’er Me’, this punter soaked but happy.
It wasn’t over, a belting ‘Baba O’Riley’ bringing up the rear, as vibrant today – in sound and vision – as ever, 52 years after its first airing, yours truly out in the field as Pete and Rog proved without doubt – 21 years after we lost John Entwistle, and close to 45 years since Keith Moon checked out, both touchingly remembered on the big screens in that final section – they still have the hunger, aided and abetted by Katie Jacoby behind the try line, commanding that stage with her fiddle and in fine fettle. And all the time our illustrious rock survivors have such youthful company alongside them, they’re unlikely to truly grow old.
And getting back to where we started, I happened to see on social media at half seven on Sunday morning a friend’s post, revealing that Franc Roddam’s 1979 cinematic adaptation of Quadrophenia had been aired that previous night on BBC 2, almost 41 years after my first Tommy viewing, fascination with Pete’s masterworks clearly remaining, as I found out first hand on a rather special rainy night in St Helens… be that down to serendipity, fate or happenstance.
The Who Hits Back! tour concludes at the Eden Project in Cornwall on Tuesday, July 25th, and Monday, August 28 on the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. For more details about live shows, release information and more Who-related news, head here.
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