![]() When he wasn’t twirling the microphone, in apparent danger of braining one of the other musicians (or himself) with it as he whipped it further and further away from him, his dramatic gestures and movements-arms pumping, leather fringes flying, hair tossed forward and back–commanded attention. His movements on stage were designed to focus the attention of the audience on him alone. ![]() Tommy was helping him find his true rock-and-roll voice, that ranged from guttural and angry to pure, high, and piercing. He allowed his thick, blond, naturally curly hair to grow to his shoulders, his toned chest was bare, decorated only with a large cross, and he started to wear the skin-tight, fringed leather outfits that became, for a time, his concert uniform. His athleticism increasing with the longer and wilder swing of his microphone cord, he had left the mod look, the op-art look, the psychedelic look, and the short, straight hair behind to adopt what was to become his trademark appearance during the early 1970s. Roger Daltrey, however, was changing dramatically. The members of the group were their usual selves: Pete Townshend windmilling and leaping, locked in musical, mortal combat with his guitar Keith Moon flailing away at his ever-growing drum kit John Entwistle anchoring the frenzy in his normal spot on stage, improvising on his bass guitar as he kept one eye on Moon. After this show, The Who started a live tour, playing most of their new rock opera intact. No one had ever heard a story quite as unusual (perverse, many said) as this, but the praise of the live, loud performance was nearly uniform. This concert was intended for the press, as a way to promote the new double LP. ![]() The event considered the official premiere was a subsequent performance at Ronnie Scott’s Club in Soho on May 2. This was the public’s first chance to hear and, just as importantly, to see Tommy. Four musicians set up on stage and the lead singer–short, vigorous, with a mane of curly, blond hair–joined the others in singing about the birth of a baby boy. ![]() 85), something now considered an established part of rock-and-roll history happened for the very first time. On April 22, 1969, at the Institute of Technology in Bolton (from The Who: Concert File, Joe McMichael and “Irish” Jack Lyons, p. The Tommy album and live tour. “To me, it was as though I was just singing Who songs until the second time we played it on the stage, and then I realized that I was becoming something else.” (Roger Daltrey, quoted in Dave Marsh’s Before I Get Old, p.344). Roger was involved with Tommy at four separate but vital times: The recording of the original LP and the live tours that followed, the London Symphony Orchestra LP and live performances, the Tommy movie, and the 20th-anniversary tour that was part of The Who’s own 25th anniversary celebration. The now-famous Daltrey charisma blossomed during this stage of his career. In addition, the demands of the role offered Roger an unprecedented opportunity for development as a singer and performer. His total onstage identification with the character led to immense popularity among rock fans, many of whom considered Roger to be the personification of Tommy Walker as well as The Who. It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of Tommy to Roger. The release of this album and the live tour that followed also marked one of the major, watershed periods in Roger’s musical career and personal life. His success, so closely linked to that of The Who, mattered more to him than anything.Īlthough The Who had many breaks before 1969, including their incendiary performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, the single work that changed everything for them was Tommy. He knew, without any doubt, that the failure of The Who would doom him to a working-class and unremarkable life. ![]() He often referred to himself as a “shit singer,” with only adequate skill as a guitar player. Roger Daltrey’s ambition for his first real band, the Detours, became even stronger, more devouring, for The Who. For the young man whose only other career choice would have been a forced, unwilling existence as a sheet-metal worker, The Who was a life-saver. ![]()
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