Alexander Sink
August 26, 2025
Fenway Park, Boston
If you are sitting back to read this review, then chances are your life has been influenced by two British Invasions in North America. Two hundred and fifty years ago it was the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” at Lexington and Concord that kicked of the American Revolution and close to two centuries later The Who would help lead the sixties rock invasion, with Roger Daltrey’s screams that could be heard just as far. Tuesday night at Boston’s Fenway Park provided the fans with one last performance for the ages and one last chance for The Who to take a bow for the New Revolution.
The Who kicked off their final North American Tour on August 16th in Sunrise, Florida, some 43 years after their original Farewell Tour of 1982 and it was anything but smooth sailing out of the gate. After the second performance in Newark, N.J., an undisclosed ailment forced the band to cancel their next two performances. This left Boston fans and Fenway staff unsure if a Boston concert would happen, as it was the next tour date. Thankfully everything fell into place and the show went on as scheduled. If either founding members Roger Daltrey or Pete Townshend had been sick, there was no sign of it by the time they took the stage. They came to rock and rock the house they did.
The weather for the show was a perfect 70 degrees when The Joe Perry Project hit the stage shortly after 7:00, and they wasted no time getting to business. Boston favorite, Joe Perry, has toured with different versions of this ensemble since the early 80s and this was probably the best version he has ever toured with. Perry and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith are the guitar cornerstones that the rest of the band is bult on, along with Aerosmith touring musician, Buck Johnson, on keyboards and backup vocals. Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes (Lead Vocals), Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots (Bass), and Jason Suttor of Smashmouth (Drums) round out the remainder of the band. Their performance was just as good, bluesy rock should be, unrefined and unchoreographed and Joe Perry was his usual New England self. It’s hard to tell when Joe is happy or not, but playing with this group at Fenway has me believing he was in a good mood throughout.
While the Joe Perry Project played from each of the Aerosmith, STP and Black Crowes catalogs, the setlist was shortened to a 45 minute, 10 song set because of the weekday curfew at Fenway Park. This was a little disappointing as they only played one Stone Temple Pilots song and one Black Crowes song. The Aerosmith catalog led the way for their hometown crowd with 4 originals that included Walk This Way and also a cover of Tiny Bradshaw’s The Train Kept A-Rollin, which Aerosmith covered on their 1974 album Get Your Wings. The song is a favorite of fans and bands, most notably it was the first song that Led Zeppelin jammed out to when they were forming in 1967.
The full Joe Perry Project Setlist was:
Let the Music Do the Talking
East Coast, West Coast
Twice as Hard (The Black Crowes cover)
Combination (Aerosmith cover)
Vasoline (Stone Temple Pilots cover)
Get It Up (Aerosmith cover)
Last Child (Aerosmith cover followed by band introductions)
Chip Away the Stone (Richard Supa cover)
Walk This Way (Aerosmith cover)
The Train Kept A-Rollin’ (Tiny Bradshaw cover)
After a quick changeover, it was time for the band of the night to take the stage and the fans were delighted to give them a high energy greeting. Daltrey came out in his standard light blue, long-sleeved shirt and jeans while Townshend came dressed to kill, sporting a blue and white striped shirt with white linen dress jacket and what appeared to be about two weeks of whisker scruff. They were joined on stage by Pete’s younger brother Simon on guitar, Jon Button on bass, Loren Gold on keyboard and Scott Devours on drums. Devours recently replaced Zak Starkey on drums, after nearly 30 years with The Who. There is still some question why this move was made but Devours did a great job and included some filthy fills throughout the night. The crowd waited with anticipation for information regarding the two canceled shows, as The Who took the stage, but the only answer they received was the opening song, I Can’t Explain, which seemed fitting.
The Who has a catalog that just about every American has heard a sample from, at one point or another. Whether due to one of many Jerry Bruckheimer productions, commercials or streaming, I think it is safe to bet that most know at least 2 songs from the band. The familiarity of the catalog kept the audience engaged and more energetic as the night went on and the Sam Adams went down. While the setlist included many favorites like Who Are You, You Better, You Bet and Baba O’Riley, two songs stuck out for me, even though there were great performances throughout. Most notable was the song Eminence Front from the 1982 album It’s Hard. This is a song that I have heard many times, but I didn’t fully get it until hearing it live. The song seemed to work through the old stadium and fill every green nook and cranny with a groove that only the imagination of Pete Townshend could create. I found myself listening to this repeatedly on the flight home and as of writing this review, I haven’t gotten enough of it. While the song includes the electronic, repeated vibes that The Who are known for, the song feels more like something straight out of the Miami Vice soundtrack. Townshend wrote it as a commentary on the lush, narcotics-fueled lifestyle of South Beach and also himself, during that period. It really is an extraordinary song and one worth checking out, if you need a refresher or introduction.
Florida fans of the band will also appreciate the next part. During the show previous to Boston, Townshend stated that their song The Seeker was written while he was visiting a friend at Weeki Wachee Springs. He shared that he was out in a boat, in the Florida swamp, when the song came to him. While I wouldn’t characterize the springs as a swamp, it’s fun to know that one of our home-state, beloved parks was the muse for such a great song. The Seeker was the second song played on the night.
The second moment that solidified the great performance for me was during Won’t Get Fooled Again. This was the second to last song of the night, and yet Daltrey was able to dig down deep and give a performance that was just as good as anything he could’ve done on the “first leg” of this tour in 1982. His vocals were solid and the scream near the end as epic of a scream as you will ever hear…from anyone at any age. Throughout the night, his vocals were fantastic, as were Pete’s and even Simon Townshend pitched in lead on Going Mobile and sounded great. This song had not been played in a number of years on tour and was brought back thanks to Simon’s wide vocal range.
The final song of the night, Tea and Theatre featured Daltrey and Townshend alone on stage and provided a nice, intimate close to the show. The crowd quickly rose to their feet and applauded for several minutes before that house lights came up and the dream of an encore faded away. Townshend did come back on stage to take a quick photo of the crowd and quickly slipped back off to the awaiting motorcade.
I honestly was not sure what to reasonably expect from two octogenarians who were getting over the flu, but I did not expect it to be as great as it ended up being. I was just grateful that the show happened, and boy did it ever. If you are a fan of The Who, I would definitely recommend trying to catch them one last time. Their tour concludes in September, and it’s safe to assume that they mean it this time when they say that The Song is Over.
The Who’s full setlist was:
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Who Are You
The Seeker
Love Ain’t for Keepin’
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me
(with Listening to You refrain)
Play Video
Behind Blue Eyes
Play Video
Eminence Front
Play Video
My Generation
Play Video
Cry If You Want
You Better You Bet
Going Mobile (Simon Townshend lead vocals)
The Real Me (Featuring CJ Reynolds on drums)
I’m One
5:15
Love, Reign O’er Me
Baba O’Riley
Won’t Get Fooled Again (followed by band intros and Pete apologizing for ending early due to curfew)
Tea & Theatre (acoustic; Roger and Pete only)
All photos and article by Alexander Sink, A.G. Sink Photography
About The Author
