It had been 34 years since the Who made their name at the original famed Isle of Wight Concert back in 1970, which was sort of like the British version of Woodstock. The festival itself re-opened back in 2002, and this is the first time the famed Mod Squad had played in England since bassist John Entwistle died. Here, on cd and dvd, you have a kind of British Invasion family affair, as along with original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, the band includes son Simon Townsend/g-voc and the son of Beatle drummer Ringo Starr, namely Zak Starkey, is on the drums. The rest of the team, Pino Palladino/b and John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick/key form an impressive lineup, and the selection of material is superb, mixing classics from the early days with some hip obscurities.
Daltry, with a voice that has leathered over time, sounds impressive and with gravitas while Townsend snaps out the chords to pieces such as “I Can’t Explain” and “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere.” Material from their halcyon days include “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Bargain,” a riveting “Baba O’Reilly” rockingly hip “5:15” and wondrous “Amazing Journey.” Townsend, for his part delivers on his aria “Drowned” from Quadrophenia” and the band’s new tracks such as “Real Good Looking Boy” hold up impressively well. By the time they close out with a rollicking “Magic Bus,” the venerable band shows that they can still pack a wallop.