It’s been nearly 50 years since The Who played the final gig of its last tour as a full-time band. There would be reunions and celebrations that would bring singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend together in the subsequent years, but The Who Hits Back! Tour, which concludes in Las Vegas with two weekend dates, is something fans have never experienced before.
The Who have played Tommy and Quadrophenia in their entirety for past tours, and first played in concert with an orchestra in 1972. The Who Hits Back! employs classical musicians to perform suites from both albums, with the entire ensemble playing most of the first side of Tommy before “Pinball Wizard” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” get the symphonic treatment.
A rock set dives deep into rarities and cuts from 1971’s Who’s Next, with longtime drummer Zak Starkey channeling Keith Moon’s spirit and Simon Townshend adding the guitar layers from recordings that older brother Pete used to compensate for on his own when The Who toured as a four-member unit. The late John Entwistle is sorely missed, but his French horn lines are faithfully reproduced during such songs as “The Real Me” from the Quadrophenia suite.
That album’s “Love Reign O’er Me” promises to be majestic with live strings, and as of last month the band had begun closing sets with Mose Allison’s “Young Man Blues,” famously covered for 1970’s Live at Leeds and rarely performed since then.
Dolby Live at Park MGM, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4-5, starting at $74 plus tax + fee. ticketmaster.com
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