Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Venue: Mesa Arts Center, Ikeda Theater ( https://www.mesaartscenter.com/ )
Date: Sunday August 23rd, 2026
Tour: A Great Night Out!
Growing up, while most of my friends thought the Beatles were it, I was listening to THE WHO. I loved their music and their stage antics. I was lucky enough to see the entire band in 1976 here in Arizona at the Veterans Memorial Colosseum. Since then, I have seen the band a number of times. The one tour I really missed was their “Quadrophenia” Tour. That is favorite album. Only Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshand still remain, but hopefully they might tour again. Roger indicated that he and Pete might still have another album in them.
I have seen a number of older artists that have been doing solo tours. Most of the time they make the show more of a story telling show and only have a couple of other band members with them. That is what I was expecting. But what we got was a full 9-piece band backing up Roger. With the full band, Roger was able to cover songs that normally have synthesizer parts. He did do some stories but most of the show was the songs. I really like that he brought Pete’s brother, Simon Townshend on the tour.
The concert started with a short 30-minute set by Dan Bern and his band. Dan’s music is a mixture of Americana/Indie. His set was good. The crowd really liked his “The Ballad of Caitlin Clark”. It was a song about coming to Phoenix to see Caitlin Clark play against the Phoenix Mercury. He sang about the extreme heat while waiting to get into the arena. Everyone in the audience could really appreciate it. I believe it was probably his best song.
To go along with Dan singing about the heat in the valley, after Roger’s 4th or 5th song, the cell phones in the venue started to go off indicating a server dust storm was hitting the valley and where we were at.
After a short break to clear the stage of Dan’s equipment. Roger and his band took the stage. This was the first night of Roger’s current solo tour, and he told us to expect a few “cock ups” (slang for mistakes). During the show they did have a few of them, including when Roger had to stop and restart a song because he could only hear the accordion and it was messing him up. Then during “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” Roger forgot the lyrics. Since this was the first night of the tour, I am sure they will get all of these issues worked out.
When Roger came on stage, he told us that he was going deaf and his eye sight was going, but his voice was still good. But then he jokes that if his voice goes, he will turn into Tommy. This brought a great roar from the audience.
It was nice that we all sang “Happy Birthday” to the late Keith Moon. It was his birthday and he would have been 80.
I was a little disappointed (and the audience also) that Roger had no songs from Tommy or Quadrophenia in the setlist. However, they perform the huge hits “Baba O’Riley”, “Who Are You” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. We also got “Let My Love Open The Door”, “The Kids Are Alright” and “Squeeze Box”.
The one issue I had with the show was the audience constantly yelling out for different songs. I understand they want to hear certain songs, but it seems very rude doing this. The artists have a select number of songs that they rehearse and if they deviate from them, they might have major issues. So please, let the band perform what they have rehearsed.
I loved the show. My son even enjoyed the show. If you like The WHO and their music, then I can very highly recommend seeing this concert. Roger voice is still solid even though he refuses to hit the high notes and screams (he told us his voice just can’t do it anymore). Check out his website and social media pages to see if he will be performing in your area. You will really love their performance.
Special note: The Mesa Arts Center Ikeda Theater is one of my favorite venues. It is a small venue that holds about 1600 people. Every seat is great and the sound and lighting is outstanding. I have seen a number of different acts here including Dream Theater, Tesla, Kansas and Experience Hendrix. If you get to see a concert here, I am sure you will fall in love with this venue also.
Roger Daltrey Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.thewho.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialthewho/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thewho5803
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialthewho
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
Dan Bern Social Media sites:
Website: https://danbern.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danbern
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdanbern
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxG6z2QQb62Aw338No49HJQ
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
Roger Daltrey Setlist:
Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townshend cover)
Freedom Ride (Largo cover)
Who Are You (The Who song)
Waiting for a Friend
After the Fire
Days of Light
Giving It All Away (Leo Sayer cover)
The Kids Are Alright (The Who song)
The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon cover)
Squeeze Box (The Who song)
Won’t Get Fooled Again (The Who song)
Going Mobile (The Who song)
(with Simon Townshend)
As Long as I Have You (Garnet Mimms cover)
Happy Birthday to You (Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill cover)
(For Keith Moon)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Without Your Love (Billy Nicholls cover)
Baba O’Riley (The Who song)
Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young cover)
Encore:
Days (The Kinks cover)
(Roger Daltrey solo on acoustic guitar)
