Live in Hyde Park The Who Artist

The {|Who|} spent much of 2015 celebrating their 50th anniversary, releasing a new compilation -- the aptly named {|The Who Hits 50!|} -- and performing two big concerts in the U.K.: headlining both the Hyde Park and Glastonbury festivals. {|Eagle Ro... Read more

The {|Who|} spent much of 2015 celebrating their 50th anniversary, releasing a new compilation -- the aptly named {|The Who Hits 50!|} -- and performing two big concerts in the U.K.: headlining both the Hyde Park and Glastonbury festivals. {|Eagle Rock|}'s {|Live at Hyde Park|} documents the June 26, 2015 show, presenting it as audio and video (DVD or Blu-ray according to your preference) and the band sounds older but surprisingly vigorous. Maybe one of the reasons they sound strong is the fact that {|Roger Daltrey|} and {|Pete Townshend|} don't run away from their age. {|Daltrey|} relaxes into his diminished range and {|Townshend|} is comfortable being a curmudgeon, while their supporting band sounds brawny and heavier -- not as spry as classic '70s {|Who|}, but a sound that suits the duo's nonchalant acceptance of their seniority. If they're OK with sounding older, they're not going quietly into the good night: they'd rather sharpen the set list and deliver it with all the energy they can muster and the result is a surprisingly strong show, one that feels like a summation of their enduring strengths while just escaping being a last testament. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less