The Who kicked off its 2022 “Who Hits Back” tour on Friday night (April 22nd) at Hollywood, Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The show marked the first full-scale road date Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have performed since the pandemic hit. The Who's performance was split into three parts — with an opening set including a substantial portion of Tommy, along with such classics as “Who Are You,” “Eminence Front,” “Join Together,” as well a nod to the band's die-hard fanbase with 1975's “Imagine A Man” from The Who By Numbers album.
A band-only set followed, highlighted by an acoustic reading of “Won't Get Fooled Again” featuring the only time Townshend and Daltrey performed unaccompanied by either the group or the orchestra.
The third portion of the show welcomed back the orchestra and tackled key tracks from 1973's Quadrophenia, before the band closed the concert with “Baba O'Riley” — a number that has only recently been pushed to the encores and now, for the first time, is serving as the band's finale.
In an exclusive interview with us, Pete Townshend spoke frankly about the artistic and commercial merits of him and Roger Daltrey driving the Who in today's age: “It's not just about the largest numbers, it's about the greatest effectiveness. And I think that Roger and I, together — once the creative work is done — we're a good delivery system; that's what we understand. Y'know, maybe what I've done is found a balance between my solo needs, creatively, and my needs to feel that the Who was not just a stereotypical classic rock machine churning out songs that were eventually be used to sell soap powder. Y'know, we have really put down some very, very clear boundaries: This is what you get.”
The Who's opening night setlist on April 22nd, 2022 at Hollywood, Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino:
Orchestra:
“Overture”
“It's A Boy”
“1921”
“Amazing Journey”
“Sparks”
“The Acid Queen”
“”Pinball Wizard”
“We're Not Gonna Take It”
“Who Are You”
“Eminence Front”
“Imagine A Man”
“Hero Ground Zero”
“Join Together”
Band only:
“Substitute”
“The Seeker”
“I Can See For Miles”
“The Kids Are Alright”
“Won't Get Fooled Again” – Townshend & Daltrey acoustic
“Behind Blue Eyes”
Orchestra:
“Ball And Chain”
“The Real Me”
“I'm One”
“5:15”
“The Rock”
“Love, Reign O'er Me”
“Baba O'Riley”