The Who headlined Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park last night, more than adequately supported by Paul Weller, Kaiser Chiefs and Johnny Marr. Here's what we learned from the gig.
1. Johnny Marr's a superb showman - Whatever your thoughts on The Smiths, there's no denying Marr - the band's former guitarist and co-writer of their highly influential back catalogue - is an entertaining watch. He has stage presence in abundance, and banter to match - never shying away from political messages and the odd dig at the state of modern music. In his words "there's no stubble on this stage... and no laptops either."
2. No one can top Ricky Wilson's level of enthusiasm - You'd be hard pressed to find another front man with the boundless energy of Kaiser Chiefs' Wilson, who leapt around the stage like an excitable Labrador on speed. Of course it can come at a cost - the legendary Dave Grohl may have broken his leg in a stage fall earlier this month, but when it comes to performance injuries, Wilson has suffered everything from broken ribs to torn ankle ligaments. Fortunately he got through his set unscathed.
3. The chips were way too hot - And apparently impossible to eat without significantly burning the inside of your mouth. I'm still feeling the effects today.
4. But the weather was perfect - It clouded over a bit in the evening but when the sun was beaming down in the afternoon, cold pint in hand, you really couldn't beat it.
5. Jeremy Clarkson was there - with a "mystery woman", apparently. Sadly I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him.
6. Hats off to the drummers - So often the butt of the joke (What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians? A drummer...), there were some immense drummers on display. Zak Starkey - part of The Who's hugely talented band - was particularly noteworthy. The son of Ringo Starr and given his first drum kit by Keith Moon at the age of 10, he's arguably a more accomplished drummer than both.
7. The Who still rock - Performing a string of classics - Who Are You, The Kids Are Alright, My Generation, Pinball Wizard, Baba O'Reilly, the Paul Weller-requested Pictures of Lily... basically all the songs a Who fan could wish for - it's safe to say Daltrey, Townshend et al. are still an enormously exciting live act. The duo are now in their 70s and Townshend has suggested their current tour could be their last - if that's the case then it's a fitting farewell for one of the world's most important rock bands.
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