It took 34 years, but The Who finally made their return to the Isle of Wight Festival for the first time since their legendary appearance way back in 1970, captured here in all its glory by the folks at Eagle Rock on Blu-ray as well as CD. Featuring the entire performance played in 2004 (2CDs are included in this set), the band might not have been in front of the huge crowd that they wowed back in 1970, but there were still quite a large number of fans in attendance, showing that The Who are still a massive draw even in their twilight years. At this time, founding bassist John Entwistle had just passed away less than two years prior, and his spot filled by veteran Pino Palladino, who joined Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, drummer Zak Starkey, Simon Townshend (guitar, vocals), and longtime collaborator John 'Rabbit' Bundrick on keyboards.
As you can see by the 23 song setlist, the band covered a wide assortment of classic tracks, so barely any stone was left unturned, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Mandatory staples such as "My Generation", "I Can't Explain", "Who Are You", "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", and the more popular tunes from Tommy (played in lengthy medley's) are included, but it's deeper album cuts such as "Naked Eye", a wonderful "Drowned", "The Punk and the Godfather", "5:!5" "Love Reign O'er Me" (Quadrophenia was well represented!), and a charming "You Better You Bet" are all welcome additions. Their then new track "Real Good Looking Boy" is also nicely done here, with both Daltrey & Townshend clearly having a great time digging into some new material which the fans ate up as well.
As someone who saw The Who during this time period, I can easily say that they were at the top of their game and firing on all cylinders, clearly also the case here at The Isle of Wight Festival. Camera work, video quality, and sound is all crisp and clear on both Blu-ray and CDs, and while there are no supplemental material included here, it's still another quality release from our friends over at Eagle Rock.
Track Listing
"I Can't Explain"
"Substitute"
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"
"Who Are You"
"Behind Blue Eyes"
"Bargain"
"Baba O'Riley"
"The Punk And The Godfather"
"5:15″
"Love, Reign O'er Me"
"Eminence Front"
"Drowned"
"Naked Eye"
"Real Good Looking Boy"
"You Better You Bet"
"My Generation"
"Old Red Wine"
"Won't Get Fooled Again"
"Medley: Pinball Wizard / Amazing Journey / Sparks"
"Medley: See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You"
"Magic Bus"
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