As we head towards the end of summer, there are still concerts on the schedule that are must see. One of those was to see was Sir Roger Daltrey’s doing a solo show at Artpark. This was Daltrey’s first visit to the famed venue. Daltrey is calling the tour a ‘A Great Night Out.’ Opening the show was Americana artist Amy Helm.
Taking the stage at 7:30pm sharp was Amy Helm. Accompanying Helm on lead guitar was Anthony da Costa. Helm surely made an impression during her short 5 song, 30 minute set. Helm opened up her show was “Money on 7” from her ‘Silver City’ disc. Helm, went from playing rhythm acoustic guitar to signing acapella throughout her performance. The way she delivered her songs and told stories of her later father Levon Helm warmed the audience for what was to come. She closed her set while encouraging crowd participation for the Bruce Springsteen classic “Atlantic City.” Again, Helm did a great job warming up the audience for Daltrey.
Daltry took to the stage holding his tea cup smiling ear to ear. Daltrey started off by saying he loved the venue and even made remarks of how it looked like old time America on his way to the show. Daltrey had a backing band similar to what The Who had toured with in 2025, with just a few differences. The backing band included Simon Townshend on guitar, Billy Nicholls on mandolin, Katie Jacoby on violin, Steve Weston on harmonica, Geraint Watkins on keyboards/accordion, Doug Boyle on guitar, Jody Linscott on percussion, John Hogg on bass and Scott Devours on drums.
This show was about Daltrey delivering songs the way he wanted to. Some songs were done in different melodies and some were presented the same. The setlist was compiled of both Daltrey’s solo work and various covers. Daltrey made an interesting choice to open the show with. He did his Who bandmate Pete Townsend’s solo song in “Let my Love Open the Door.” It actually worked to show what type of groundwork would be laid throughout the next 2 plus hours. Daltrey told the story of how the biggest Who song in America was the unexpected “Squeezebox,” which he found comical. He had the crowd sing his iconic scream in “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Jacoby’s sharp violin tones subbed for original lead guitar parts for this song. Linscott’s talents on percussion are unmatched. She played a bevy of various instruments which provided various lush sounds throughout the show. He paid homage to both Paul Simon, John Fogerty and Neil Young by doing select tunes from their respective catalogs.
You didn’t know what to expect and that was a good thing. With Daltrey’s humour and storytelling, it truly made it a memorable night for the concert goers. There isn’t anything else for Daltrey to prove. He has accomplished more than most musicians can ever dream of. So what drives him to still continue to tour even if he doesn’t have to? He does it for the love of performing and making a connection to his audience. He did more than that Thursday night. He showcased he still has the chops and the vocal ability perform and do that at a high level.
Setlist:
Let my Love Open the Door (Pete Townsend cover)
Freedom Ride (Largo cover)
Who Are You (The Who song)
Substitute (The Who song)
Waiting for a Friend
After the Fire
Days of Light
Giving It All Away (Leo Sayer cover)
The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon cover)
Squeeze Box (The Who song)
Won’t Get Fooled Again (The Who song)
The Way It Is (Simon Townsend cover)
As Long as I Have You (Garnet Mimms cover)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash cover)
Without Your Love (Billy Nichols cover)
Baba O’Riley (The Who song)
Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young cover)
Tribute to Hank Williams (Tim Hardin cover)
We would like to thank Penny Guyon from Firefly-Media for the credentials to review the show.