The Who, Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, 18th June 2013

[Arena Mole]

THE WHO, one of rock’s legendary and defining bands, has announced a UK arena tour where they’ll perform their iconic 1973 double album QUADROPHENIA in its entirety, along with a selection of WHO classics. The tour stops off at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield on Tuesday 18th June 2013.

 

This marks a welcome return to Yorkshire for the band who have performed at the Arena on two previous occasions in 2000 and 2007. Their first live album ‘Live At Leeds’ recorded at the University of Leeds in 1970 is widely regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time.

 

 

The UK tour follows on from a hugely successful North American tour, praised by press and fans alike as probably the definitive interpretation of Quadrophenia and “a rock 'n' roll lover's dream come true” (Telegram.com, Boston). “QUADROPHENIA is their (The Who’s) boldest and most fully realized albums,” writes Rolling Stone, “but it's never quite gotten the live show it deserves – until now”.

 

 

The critically acclaimed QUADROPHENIA marked the British band’s second rock opera (after Tommy), raised the bar for rock albums as an art form, hit #2 on the UK album chart and massively influenced the future of UK style, fashion and culture – from Paul Weller to Bradley Wiggins, from Paul Smith to Noel Gallagher. The album’s title is a variation on the popular usage of the medical diagnostic term schizophrenia and exemplifies the four varying personalities of the band members who created the album. IGN placed QUADROPHENIA at No. 1 on its list of the greatest classic rock albums of all time and Q magazine placed QUADROPHENIA on its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. It features such classic WHO songs as “The Real Me,” “5:15” and “Love Reign o’er Me.”

 

 

The band, founded in 1964, brought together four different personalities and in effect produced a musical hurricane. Each of them was a pioneer. Wildman drummer Keith Moon beat his kit with a chaotic elegance; stoic bassist John Entwistle held down the center with the melodic virtuosity of a solo guitarist; raging intellectual Pete Townshend punctuated the epic universality of his songs with the windmill slamming of his fingers across his guitar strings; and Roger Daltrey roared above it all with an impossibly virile macho swagger. They exploded conventional rhythm and blues structures, challenged pop music conventions, and redefined what was possible on stage, in the recording studio, and on vinyl.

 

 

The film QUADROPHENIA starred a young Sting, Phil Daniels, Ray Winstone, Trevor Laird and Lesley Ash. John Lydon (Rotten) was screen tested for a part, but the idea was dropped when insurance became an issue! QUADROPHENIA became one of the key influential, independent British movies, alongside other gritty real life films (known as ‘angry young man films’), like “Scum”, “The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner” and “Look Back In Anger”.

 

 

This new concert version of QUADROPHENIA, personally directed by Roger Daltrey, focuses on the original album and replaces the narrative used in previous stage versions with powerful imagery projected on an array of massive screens, designed to support, complement and propel the musical content of the work by setting it in the context of the history of the band. This is achieved to startling effect. “Quadrophenia and its coming-of-age story unfolded in songs that blended nuance and noise, a spectacle grand and gritty,” writes the Orlando Sentinel.

 

 

The Who’s 8-date UK tour features founding members ROGER DALTREY and PETE TOWNSHEND, who will be joined by Zak Starkey (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), Simon Townshend (guitar/backing vocals), John Corey (keyboards), Loren Gold (keyboards/backing vocals) and Frank Simes (musical director, keyboards/backing vocals).

 

 

Tickets, priced £60 £65 & £70 (subject to booking fee) go on general sale at 9am on Friday 1st February 2013. Mailing list members can book from 9am on Thursday 31st Jan - join now! http://www.motorpointarena.co.uk/members/register/

 

There is a ticket limit of 6 per person in place on this concert.

 

All under 14’s attending this show must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.

 

 

Souvenir ticket stock will be in use on this show - we do not have these tickets and anticpate that they will be supplied between 4 & 6 weeks proir to the show. When tickets are to be posted information will be posted here and on the Arena facebook & twitter sites.

[Nekatom]

£60 you should be ashamed

 

---------- Post added 28-01-2013 at 11:05 ----------

 

No make that £65 with your rip off booking fee.

[Marx]

Are they a two-piece outfit now?

[choogling]

Are they a two-piece outfit now?

half a band for too much money hope the concert is a flop greedy bar stewards,i saw the band in the early seventies at the cty hall for less than a fiver best show ever We wont get fooled again,dont be.

[denlin]

I saw them in 1966 at the City Hall when the tickets were 17/6d which was a fifth of my weekly wage so they have gone up slightly because £65 is about a quarter of what I get now. They were then and still are the tops, if you've never seen them - albeit only 2 left - you should take the chance while you can.:love:

[choogling]

I saw them in 1966 at the City Hall when the tickets were 17/6d which was a fifth of my weekly wage so they have gone up slightly because £65 is about a quarter of what I get now. They were then and still are the tops, if you've never seen them - albeit only 2 left - you should take the chance while you can.:love:

yes them were the days

[denlin]

yes them were the days

 

You're not wrong there, Choogling:D I saw Jimi Hendrix in 1967 when I was 16 along with Amen Corner and Cream and the year after went to Manchester to see Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I've also seen the Move 3 times. I still go to City Hall to see the solid silver 60's shows - the tickets are very reasonable as well only around the £22 mark and only £15 if you buy them this month. There are some great artists from those days still touring. Notably the Tremeloes:D

[Arena Mole]

If you are a member of the Arena Mailing list you can purchase tickets on the venue pre-sale from 9am Thursday - if not already a member click here to join http://www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk/members/register/ if you are already a member just go to the show page on the Arena web site and follow the instructions http://www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk/whats-on/the-who---quadrophenia-and-more/

[JFKvsNixon]

Live music is a lot more expensive due to the bands loosing the income from their back back catalogue, due people downloading their music for free instead of buying it. It's also why a lot of the bands are making their comebacks without releasing any new music.

[wobblybob50]

I love to see live music and travel all over the country to see bands that I like. I went to Inverness to see Runrig at an outdoor gig in the pouring rain and it cost £35 but sorry as much as I was a big fan of the Who a minimum £60 to see two original members is ridiculous.