The Who, photo by William Synder

On Saturday, Aug. 16, The Who touched down stateside to formally commence their “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour.  With their kickoff performance at Sunrise, Fla., Amerant Bank Arena, the legendary rock innovators set a high bar for the tour to come, tearing through a 24-track spanning their six-decade career and complete with a healthy helping of surprises. The highlight of the evening was the group’s long-awaited live debut of “Going Mobile,” following the band’s recent habit of unearthing classics that never made it to the stage.

The Who set off their show on Saturday night 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 “Substitute” and “The Seeker” before 1967’s The Who Sell Out centerpiece “I Can See for Miles.” With “Bargain,” the group dug deep into 1971’s Who’s Next, including treatments of “Love Ain’t for Keepin’,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and their first-ever “Going Mobile,” featuring guest vocals from guitarist Pete Townsend’s younger brother Simon while frontman Roger Daltrey rotated to the harmonica. Watch a fan-recorded video of the historic rendition below.

The Who proceeded by turning to their 1969 rock opera Tommy with “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me,” then jumped forward to the pioneering electrified grooves of 1982’s It’s Hard with “Eminence Front” and “Cry If You Want,” the latter of which was deftly merged with their early anthem “My Generation.” The band’s 2000s revival saw some play with “You Better Bet” before the group provided an in-depth exploration of Quadrophenia with five cuts, including “The Real Me,” “5:15” and “Love, Reign O’er Me.” To conclude their final performance in the Sunshine State, the band tore through the titanic hits “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Tea & Theatre” and the fitting show-closer of “The Song Is Over.”

The Who currently feature 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. Through Sept. 28, the iconic outfit will deliver 15 further shows at massive venues across the U.S. and Canada, including stops at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Boston’s Fenway Park, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and a closing program at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. They’ll take the stage tonight at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center.
Find tickets and more information on The Who’s “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour here. Read more on the final outing, with potent reflections from Daltrey and Townshend, here.