Quick, name five songs that The Who, arguably the most powerful and anthemic rock 'n' roll band ever to exist, are know for. Easy, right? Now name five songs that Roger Daltrey, the band's hard-working, no-nonsense swaggering lead singer, is known for as a solo artist. Not as simple, is it? [Photos by Tracy May.]

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Which is why the idea of a solo tour (dubbed the "Use It Or Lose It") seemed intriguing. The near-capacity crowd at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday night were treated to an intimate evening with Daltrey and a very satisfying setlist. Ranging from Who classics, solo highlights and some tasteful covers, the two-hour show evoked passionate reactions from all in attendance. The crowd roared, screamed, whistled and sang along loudly on this, the final night of Daltrey's solo trek across the globe.

Much has been speculated about Roger's loss of vocal dynamics and his current inability to scream those guttural screams he's known for. True, the power of his vocals isn't what it was at the peak of The Who's reign, but no one in the crowd seemed to mind. Daltrey still found a way to tackle the rigorous vocal workouts of "The Real Me" and "Baba O'Riley" with positive results. While not as clear and ringing, his voice has now taken on a gruffer, lower-ranging pitch that still suited the material perfectly. And

judging from the reaction, the crowd in attendance seemed to approve.

Entering the stage at 8:45 p.m., Daltrey and band quickly got things rolling with an impressive version of the 1978 Who classic, "Who Are You." And his youthful backing band did not disappoint. Their faithful reading was as close to the Who's take on this rocker as could be expected. Adding to that factor was lead guitarist Simon Townshend, younger brother of Pete, the genius and mastermind behind the Who. While Simon is not necessarily trying to imitate his big brother, his vocal delivery during another Who classic, "Going Mobile," was downright eerie. [Photo galleries + setlist after the jump.]

And while there was no shortage of Who material, Daltrey visited his own solo catalog with fine results too. "Days of Light" from his largely ignored 1992 release, Rocks In The Head, was one of the evening's many highlights as was the show's closing ballad, "Without Your Love" from the soundtrack to the 1980 film McVicar, which Daltry also starred in.

Covers ranged from a great version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou" ("the only song I remember from Woodstock," Daltrey joked) to a medley of tunes by late country music legend, Johnny Cash, whom Daltrey memorialized as his "favorite singer ever." Daltrey also revealed an interest in the multi-artist collaboration album, 1998's Largo. That album, inspired by the spirituals, folk ballads and native dances that inspired Czech composer Antonin  Dvorák after his 1892 visit to America, featured contributions from Taj Mahal, Cyndi Lauper, Levon Helm and most of The Hooters. Two songs from the album, "Freedom Ride" and "Gimme A Stone," were performed and a brief history lesson was given by Daltrey. Roger seemed

very comfortable and at ease delivering his between-song banter which was as engaging as it was revealing. We were filled in on  why Pete Townshend has been so hesitant to perform "Blue, Red and Grey" (from 1975's The Who By Numbers) in concert. Seems Pete feels silly strapping on a ukulele; luckily Simon Townshend has no hang-ups about the tiny Hawaiian instrument and

flawlessly contributed to the magnificent rendition of that number.

The mood was jovial for the entire evening. Daltrey verbalized his decision to not take the customary run backstage after the end of the performance to simply be called back for an encore. He rationalized it by saying that the 10 minutes he'd be backstage waiting to return would be better filled by performing two more songs instead. Can't argue with that logic.

Daltrey's reaction to the crowd reception was unprecedented; he took time to acknowledge the response he'd received all night and expressed his gratitude for the years of support fans have granted him. "We WILL be back" he assured us as the evening came to a close. While there's NOTHING in the world like a full-blown, ear-splitting Who concert, this type of intimate setting almost

does more to show off Roger Daltrey's talents and charm. Let's hope he makes good on his promise and visits the Bay area again sometime in the near future.

Set List

WHO ARE YOU

THE REAL ME

PICTURES OF LILY

BEHIND BLUE EYES

TATTOO

DAYS OF LIGHT

GOING MOBILE

FREEDOM RIDE

GIMME A STONE

I'M A MAN / MY GENERATION

I CAN SEE FOR MILES

SQUEEZEBOX

WALK ON WATER

YOUNG MAN BLUES

BABA O'RILEY

JOHNNY CASH MEDLEY

BORN ON THE BAYOU

NAKED EYE

BLUE, RED AND GREY

WITHOUT YOUR LOVE

Roger Daltrey

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Openers Paper Zoo

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