Gig review: ROGER DALTREY – London Palladium, 21 April 2025

May 2nd, 2025 by andynathan

Roger Daltrey may have retired from heading up the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts but at 81 is showing no sign of putting his feet up. Not long after the Who’s Royal Albert Hall performances (and the notorious in/out saga of Zak Starkey which he made the odd weary remark about) he was out on the road on an extensive solo tour with his own band. Indeed, doing the old Mod run in reverse, this London show was a rarity for him, a second show in two nights after opening the tour in Brighton.

Coming on stage in studiedly low key fashion after his nine piece band, he opened with a familiar, yet oddly one of Pete Townsend’s solo offerings in ‘Let My Love Open The Door’, followed by a Taj Mahal cover Freedom Ride’ which was the first of many with a folk or Americana feel, largely thanks to Katie Jacoby’s violin and the accordion of Geraint Watkins. Indeed, at times I was reminded of Slim Chance, with whom both the latter and backing singer and guitarist Billy Nicholls share a common link.

‘Who Are You?’ was the first of a fairly generous smattering of Who numbers and the arrangement was different enough to justify their inclusion, yet at the same time still recognisably familiar. I enjoyed ‘Waiting For A Friend’ while after Roger reminisced on his early days working in a factory, ‘Days Of Light’ was another given an Americana treatment, then he sat with acoustic guitar and after paying tribute to the then unknown songwriter Leo Sayer delivered a splendid ‘Giving It All Away’, one of relatively few songs from his solo career in the set.

For all his fame he retains his blokish charm, generally affable but liable to make a grumpy aside at any moment. He may move a little more gingerly these days, but that voice remains strong, clear and instantly recognisable and better than you have a right to expect at his age.

Covers of some of his contemporaries he admired formed a significant part of the evening, though not the billed audience Q and A, which may have been a good thing as an otherwise hushed quiet was punctuated by some unfunny and pointless heckles. Recounting the controversy Paul Simon’s visit to work with South African musicians in ‘Graceland’, the band made a fine job of an unexpected ‘Boy In The Bubble’.

It gave way to a more Who-heavy segment with ‘Substitute’ and ‘Squeeze Box’ which he humorously recounted was their biggest hit in America, and setting men against women in a singing contest. However he also explored some lesser known Who gems including ‘Another Tricky Day’ and ‘Naked Eye’ where he and Simon Townshend shared the vocals.

‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ was a good example of how different arrangements breathed new life into familiar Who classics; it was the violin driving the song rather than guitars and crashing drums and Roger said he was tired of doing the scream, and left it to the audience which proved quite the spectacle. It was followed by a song you wouldn’t get at a Who concert, ‘Going Mobile’- Simon emulating his brother, with Roger’s harmonica trading off the former’s very fine voice.

Paying tribute to John Fogerty and his fight to own his back catalogue, he offered a choice of songs and ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ won the vote over ‘Born On The Bayou’ as being more appropriate for England. The Billy Nicholls-penned ballad ‘Without Your Love’ was a reminder what remarkable shape his voice is still in, before a perhaps inevitable closer ‘Baba O’Riley’ with Katie playing Dave Arbus’ original solos in very lively fashion.

Surprisingly given the energetic stage performances, the crowd remained resolutely seated until applauding the band off at the end. There was a solitary encore with Roger returning alone in what, to be honest, was something of an anti-climax after what had gone before and when a song like ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ would have ended the evening nicely.

However, in paying tribute to the late Tim Hardin and playing an unfinished song of his, ‘Goodbye Hank Williams’, it fitted the recurring theme of the evening of paying tribute to musical heroes. Roger Daltrey is easily worthy of that exalted company, and I really did not expect this show to be quite as good as it was.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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