Review – Roger Daltrey at the Commodore Ballroom, Oct. 10, 2009

“It’s like I’ve been singing into a beaver!” Not exactly what you’d expect Roger Daltrey to say after the first song (“Who Are You”). But there was a hair in his mouth, dammit—a hair he seemed to spend half the night trying to remove. And this was not just any night:  it was the opening night of Daltrey’s “Use It or Lose It” solo tour. It was also a night of surprises for not only Who fans, but for Daltrey and his band.

The biggest and best surprise for fans of the band that made the singer who he is was the number of Who songs. Considering this was Daltrey’s first tour since 1985, you might have expected more solo  material. Instead, only four songs were from his solo work. And rare and never-performed Who songs surfaced: “Pictures of Lily”, “Tattoo”, “Going Mobile”, and the artful Roger’s ukulele rendering of “Blue, Red, and Grey”.  “I’ve wanted to do that fucking song for years,” he said, “but Pete [Townshend] said he’d look fucking stupid with a ukulele, so now I’ll look stupid for you.”

Stupid? Hardly. But at times Daltrey and his band seemed surprised by, well, the Daltrey songs. “Who’s Gonna Walk on Water” took two run-throughs. “Days of Light” included an unexpected bridge: “Fuck it! I forgot the words! Fucking Alzheimer’s!” The band stopped playing. But the second time around, Roger and the boys rocked it 200 per cent.

And they rocked it big-time for two intense hours. Fact is, the “Fuck its!” were few, and the noticeable fuck-ups (audience members aside) even fewer. The real surprise of the night was how tight the show was for the first night of the tour. The band was top-notch (guitarists Simon Townshend and Frank Simes, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button, and drummer Scott Devours). It looked like they were seriously having fun.

The song selection was amazing and varied. There was even a Johnny Cash medley! After an encore that included a song from Quadrophenia, the crowd erupted. Daltrey shook a few of the many outstretched hands, like a messianic Tommy trying to appease the multitudes. Later, of course, there was a gathering of the faithful awaiting deity Daltrey outside the Commodore. He did not linger, but was gracious with signing autographs, and his disciples were grateful.

To quote Daltrey from the liner notes to his album Endless Wire: “I am a singer, an actor, an interpreter, an alchemist who turns words into emotions. Just like Olivier and Gielgud strove to connect the audience with Shakespeare, I strive to connect the listener with the soul of Pete Townshend’s music.”

This might seem overblown or even odd—especially considering they’re by the same man who joked about “singing into a beaver.”  But perhaps he makes a valid point. If this first show was any indication, Daltrey connected the audience in a new way with not only “the soul of Pete Townshend’s music” but, just as inseparably, Roger Daltrey’s voice. And not just the musical voice:  his humour, his enthusiasm, his personality.

If you can, see Daltrey on this rare, small venue solo tour. Daltrey in a small venue is a very big experience.