The Who Bring Tour Debut of “Another Tricky Day” to Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl
The Who, photo by Bill Kelly
On Friday, Sept. 19, The Who stepped onstage at the iconic Hollywood Bowl for the third and final Los Angeles performance of their “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour. Through their fond farewell to audiences in the US and Canada so far, he legendary rock innovators have reliably delivered electrifying performances of favorites from throughout their expansive catalog, occasionally embellished with rarities, track resurrections and other surprises. With their final send-off to Southern California, the band mixed up their routine setlist with a tour debut of “Another Tricky Day.”
The Who set off their Friday show with “I Can’t Explain,” the group’s very first single released as The Who in 1965. This retrospective opening set off an early focus on the beginning of the band’s discography, including further groundbreaking singles like “Substitute,” followed by a brief departure to their prolific late ‘70s era with “Who Are You” and “Long Live Rock,” the rare single which arrived onstage for the first time since 2014during their stop at Madison Square Garden.
The band turned to their 1969 rock opera Tommy with “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me,” then jumped forward to 1981’s Face Dances for “Another Tricky Day.” The ninth track on The Who’s often overlooked ninth studio album is something of a live rarity for the band, who have taken it to the stage only 19 times since 2002. Friday’s appearance was its first since June 2023.
The remainder of The Who’s set was largely consistent with the packed shows they’d delivered on the road since Aug. 16, if lightly reshuffled. The group dug into 1971’s Who’s Next with “Love Ain’t for Keepin” and later “Going Mobile,” which they performed for the very first time at their Florida tour kickoff and has since spotlighted guest vocals from guitarist Pete Townshend’s younger brother Simon. Following the 1982 It’s Hard inclusions “Eminence Front” and “Cry If You Want,” separated by the classic “My Generation,” the band’s 2000s revival saw some play with “You Better Bet” before an in-depth exploration of Quadrophenia with four cuts, including “The Real Me,” “5:15” and “Love, Reign O’er Me.”
To conclude their performance, the band tore through the titanic hits “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Riley,” followed by introductions to the supporting ensemble. The Who currently feature frontman Roger Daltrey and Townshend alongside guitarist Simon Townshend, bassist Jon Button, keyboardist Loren Gold, percussionists John Hogg and Jody Linscott and drummer Scott Devours, previously of Daltrey’s solo band and joining in place of his publicly ousted predecessor Zak Starkey. After “The Song is Over, this stacked cast peeled off for the grand finale of “Tea & Theatre,” delivered acoustically by the founding duo of Townshend and Daltrey.
The Who will return to the stage tomorrow for a stand at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. Following engagements in Seattle and Las Vegas, the band will finish off their North American farewell tour with a finale at Palm Desert, Calif.’s Acrisure Arena. Find tickets and more information at thewho.com.
