Roger Daltrey Alive and Kicking…And Having Fun! Live Review: The Who's frontman performs solo and band hits on his current tour with style

21st April 2025 London Palladium

As the frontman of The Who, Roger Daltrey has been a bonafide rock God for 60 years. He recently finished shows with The Who as part of this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust, and he’s back on the road again. The title of his solo tour is a testament and a celebration of his longevity in the music business. At 81, he’s not prepared to hang up the microphone just yet.

This show at the London Palladium is also a pretty relaxed and small affair compared to the massive live arenas he’s used to playing in his day job. The 9-piece band accompanies him on the road as he plays through solo songs and The Who classics with a markedly different sound. The semi-acoustic, often Americana feel to the tracks helps the laid-back feel. To be honest, it’s actually a joy to see Daltrey play in a smaller venue rather than his usual habitat.

What really comes across is how much fun he seems to be having. It’s evident that he’s enjoying the rapport of playing with a large troupe of musicians and interacting with the audience too: something that is very hard to do when you have a sea of faces at a stadium.

He puts pay to any recent brew-ha-ha about The Who sacking their drummer as fake news. In classic Daltrey fashion, he does it with blunt humour and a ruthless take-down of social media, saying it has ‘brought civilisation to the pits’. You can’t help thinking that he has a point.

Having performed in Brighton the previous night and not having his obligatory night off between shows, you wouldn’t tell if it was a strain. Vocally, he still sounds as strong and as distinctive as ever. ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ gives the audience a chance to do the scream after Daltrey reveals that he’s only going to do that at The Who’s shows. Even with a count in there are some fans who have waited years for the opportunity to let out the iconic primal scream, that they are a tad premature. No matter, it’s all in the spirit of the evening. Another chance for the audience to shine comes on a battle of the sexes during ‘Squeeze Box’ (the ladies win).

Daltrey takes a pic from his solo career with songs that have meant something to him. ‘Days of Light’ taken from his 1992 album ‘Rocks in the Head’ is an ode to his days working in a sheet metal factor. ‘‘Giving it All Away’ a Leo Sayer-penned track from 1973 that takes on a world-weary edge, but delivered with the maturity you’d expect. It certainly warrants the standing ovation that it receives.

There are a few tracks from McVicar and an unexpected cover of Paul Simon’s ‘Boy in the Bubble’ that really utilises the talents of the band.

Simon Townshend rocks things up with a cover of ‘Going Mobile’. It’s the quiet moments like ‘Without Your Love’ dedicated to his fans who have given him the life that he’s had, with the added reminder that none of us do anything alone.

A rousing version of ‘Baba O’Reilly’ which allows the fiddle player to let rip brings the show to a close. An encore of Tim Hardin’s ‘Tribute to Hank Williams’ with just Daltrey alone on stage with a guitar really brings the intimacy and power of live music in a medium-sized venue to the fore.

It must take Daltrey back to the smaller gigs he played all those years ago. I, for one, know I much prefer seeing musicians up close rather than in impersonal aircraft hangers or giant tents. It’s another reminder to echo Daltrey’s earlier words of supporting live music, because it’s all we have left of the music industry.

Words Cathy Clark

Photos Gerry Driver