under the baton of Keith Levenson . The opening salvo encapsulating 1969 ’ s Tommy album is omitted from this live album , save for a rhapsodic run through the aforementioned “ Pinball Wizard .” Instead , the needle drops onto a bristling “ Who Are You ,” with the band fully warmed up and in flight . Guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend sings lead vocal on the moody “ Eminence Front ,” twisting the familiar radio single ’ s cadence like a jazz singer with his gravelly voice . Deeper cuts include the plaintive “ Imagine a Man ” from The Who by Numbers . Singer Roger Daltrey belts the anthemic “ Hero Ground Zero ,” a fresh cut from the then-unreleased Who album due that December . Bluesy protest rocker “ Ball and Chain ” is another new song . Both are documented here in their concert debut . As the strings and brass players depart for a break , Townshend addresses the massive crowd . “ We ’ re going to try our best without them , in the old tradition ,” he says . The group blasts through “ Substitute ” and “ The Seeker ” before the rhythm section takes a powder as well . Surviving original bandmembers Daltrey and Townshend offer an acoustic duet of “ Won ’ t Get Fooled Again ,” introduced by Townshend as a soundtrack to activism . Daltrey ’ s rough-hewn voice brings energy and an extra measure of blues to the song , accompanied by Townshend ’ s terse and flurried strumming . The band and string players return for “ Behind Blue Eyes ,” which is the only song that seems to have its inherent anger diminished by the pops treatment . The full orchestra returns to crown the concert with a suite of seven Quadrophenia tracks . Daltrey is in a commanding voice while Townshend slashes through “ The Real Me .” Drummer Zak Starkey thunders in homage to Keith Moon during “ The Punk and the Godfather ,” and bassist Jon Button plays admirably while standing in for the inimitable John Entwistle on the chugging “ 5:15 .” The section comes to a close with a rafter-shaking and orchestrally majestic “ Love Reign O ’ er Me ,” replete with Daltrey ’ s feral and pleading howl before the crowd roars to greet Who ’ s Next showstopper “ Baba O ’ Riley .” Katie Jacoby ’ s violin leads the dervish dance as the song reaches its frenzied peak .
The recording concludes with Daltrey and Townshend alone again , toasting old partnership and years gone by with the reflective duet “ Tea & Theatre ” from 2006 ’ s Endless Wire album . As long as Daltrey and Townshend remain fit and willing to shake up what it means to mount a Who tour as they do here in spirited fashion , fans should hope for the same .
– Jeff Elbel
7
THE FLAMING LIPS Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition ( Warner Bros .)
If the Flaming Lips had never released Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots , Wayne Coyne and his bandmates would still have secured underground musical immortality . The band had notched a psychedelic pop and alternative rock evergreen track with “ She Don ’ t Use Jelly ” from 1993 ’ s Transmissions from the Satellite Heart . A few projects later , the band returned with 1999 ’ s The Soft Bulletin and symphonic pop gems like the ecstatic “ Race for the Prize ” and careworn “ Waitin ’ for a Superman .” But then came Yoshimi . The band ’ s tenth album pushed the Lips ’ music to its glittering mirror-ball apex and confetti-strewn peak . The psych-rock and symphonic elements were fused with pop sensibilities that connected with a mass audience . “ Do You Realize ??” joined Coyne ’ s wide-eyed hippie-influenced optimism and his musings on death to create an unlikely hit anthem about living in the moment . The album ’ s loopy title cut coalesced around musical mad scientist Steven Drozd and producer David Fridmann ’ s campy sonics that combined electro-pop , tape effects , acoustic folk , and hip-hop rhythms . Coyne ’ s Yoshimi character is cast in the track as both underdog and superhero in a David-vs . -Goliath battle . “ In the Morning of the Magicians ” jettisons a bubbling bass lead to settle into Drozd ’ s gently strummed acoustic guitar while Coyne sings about surrendering to the will of the universe . A few of the album tracks , includ-
june 2023 illinoisentertainer . com 17