Article and Photos by: Michael Flores

Sunrise, FL – This past Friday night the BB&T Center hosted the legendary British rock band The Who with a nearly sold out performance. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend shared the stage with a full orchestra that included all the bells and whistles.

The opening act was an up and coming Canadian indie & blues rock band named Reignwolf. The trio was led by their founder, Jordan Cook, who formed the band back in 2012. Reignwolf played an effective 6 song set to get the crowd started.  The multi-talented Jordan Cook rocked the stage as he led the band with his vocals, all while playing the guitar and beating with his kickdrum. Reignwolf is currently supporting The Who on select cities on their tour and promoting their recently released first full-length LP titled Hear Me Out.

The Who’s 2019 Moving On! Tour was accompanied with a full 50-person orchestra, made up of local musicians in each city, led by conductor Keith Levenson. One can only image the coordination it takes to rehearse the performance in each city with a new orchestra each and every time. The sound is nothing short of exceptional.

The rock legends, Daltrey, 75, and Townshend, 74, are still getting their fans excited to this day, evidenced by the nearly sold out BB&T Center. They played everything from their greatest hits, spanning across an incredible 55-year career, to their latest two new songs, now part of their first new album in 13 years. The latest singles they premiered on tour are “Hero Ground Zero” and “Ball and Chain.”  Both were well received by the crowd. Their new album is expected to be released on November 22nd.

Roger Daltrey would often get creative with his microphone and would suspend the microphone down to his feet as he tapped to the beat of the song. He would often perform his signature microphone swing multiple times throughout the show. However, at one point he failed to catch the mic, which led to a loud screech piercing through the stadium. Despite this minor mishap, his vocals and overall performance were still rock solid.

When The Who finally played their iconic hit “Who Are You,” revived in recent years as the intro for the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the crowd of all ages cheered and sang along in unison.  It was a great spectacle to watch, especially with the full orchestra playing in the background. Daltrey took some time from their set to thank the special members of the orchestra that made the show possible, including violinist Katie Jacoby, who rocked the infamous song “Baba O’Riley” to close the show.  Noticeably absent from the setlist was the 1965 hit “My Generation,” one of the band’s most beloved and covered tracks.

Overall, the show was so much more than the fans could ever ask for. As an added bonus to putting on a great show, the Moving On! Tour is donating $1 from every purchased ticket to benefit Teen Cancer America. If you would like to check out the legendary band, or just help a good cause, go check out The Who in a city near you, as they will continue their US tour until October before moving on to their UK tour in 2020.