HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Roger Daltrey routinely swung the cord of his microphone while on stage and railed against the iPhone generation during Wednesday night's concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.
The 73-year-old lead vocalist was without guitarist Pete Townshend, who together make up the last surviving members of the British rock group The Who, but he found a suitable replacement in Townshend's brother, Simon Townshend. Daltrey reminded the crowd that he used to change the younger Townshend's "knickers."
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Daltrey got things started with the tambourines during a lengthy overture from The Who's 1969 album, "Tommy," before his touring band segued into "Pinball Wizard."
"I just love that overture from 'Tommy," Daltrey remarked afterward, dismissing the need for lyrics.
From there it was on to "Behind Blue Eyes" -- he told Local10.com before the concert that it was his favorite of all The Who songs -- and "Giving It All Away," the first single from his 1973 debut solo album, "Daltrey."
Daltrey made no excuses for his aging, crackling voice, sharing some of his ailments with the audience. Daltrey, who has had multiple throat surgeries, said he's losing his hearing and explained that he is "allergic to pot."
But that didn't stop him from doing his best imitation of himself with "Who Are You."
Daltrey seemed concerned about the state of affairs in the world, calling "Another Tricky Day" a song of the times.
He also took on the rise of social media, calling it "anti-social media" and challenging his fans to question how many of their Facebook "friends" are actually friends. Then he sang "How Many Friends."
Daltrey wasn't afraid to take a chance with some old "new" material, performing some of The Who songs that the band had never attempted on stage. He left his cheat sheet of lyrics on the ground within eyeshot.
He dedicated his lone ballad of the evening, "Without Your Love," to his fans and also gave a rocking tribute to the late Fats Domino with his spin on "Blueberry Hill."
Crowd participation was at its peak during the performance of "Baba O'Riley." Daltrey encouraged fans to sing the refrain, but most everyone sang along from beginning to end.
Daltrey ended the evening with an ode to his youth in "Young Man Blues." Before heading off the stage, he offered some parting words of good fortune to the crowd.
"And in this place tonight, may you all be lucky," Daltrey said.