Nostalgia at the Waldbühne in Berlin: On Tuesday evening, the rock band The Who gave their only concert in Germany on their “The Who Hits Back!” tour. According to the organizer, 14,000 spectators gathered to celebrate the big hits of the past together with the rock veterans.
Together with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra, the songs of the rock legends seemed almost cinematic. In the heat of the summer sun, the audience first had to thaw a bit on the chairs of the open-air theatre. But at the latest when the classic “Pinball Wizard” sounded from the stage, true memories awoke in the diverse audience.
It’s been almost 60 years since The Who formed at Swinging London. From the original line-up, frontman Roger Daltrey (79) is the only survivor alongside guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend (77).
“Each show could be the last”
About halfway through the set, the orchestra left the stage. Guitarist Pete Townshend said almost wistfully: “We’re trying to recreate our sound from before. Back when we were young. That’s unlikely to work.” Despite their age, the power of the two musicians was remarkable. The rocking, full and solid sound lifted a large part of the audience from their chairs.
But it wasn’t quite as wild as it was when the band was young: No smashed instruments, no ecstatic jumping on stage. Nevertheless, singer Roger Daltrey insisted on swinging his microphone around to applause at every opportunity – like in the old days. The 79-year-old once again showed his vocal power in the energetic song “Won’t Get Fooled Again”: After a long instrumental break, he belted out an “Ah” – so rough, so to the point that it carried everyone away.
The evening ended, how could it be otherwise, with the legendary “Baba O’Riley”. Nobody knows if that might have been the last time The Who was in Germany – it wasn’t a farewell tour. As late as May, Daltrey did not want to rule out that their concert in Berlin will be the last appearance in Germany for The Who. “I have to be realistic at the age of 79,” said Daltrey in an interview with the German Press Agency in London. “Each show could be the last.”
