There are countless live records from The Who, but Live at Leeds remains their most famous. After that concert though, they performed at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, in the middle of recording what would become Who’s Next. That Isle of Wight performance is captured in the group’s latest vinyl release, The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.
The show follows the format of the group’s live performances at that time. With Tommy still at the height of public consciousness, the group performed the entire rock opera from start to finish. It’s hard to imagine a group performing an entire album these days, but The Who did that repeatedly. They didn’t just perform “Pinball Wizard.” So Tommy takes up the majority of the show.
For many, hearing a live version of an entire album might sound pointless, but it doesn’t when it comes to Tommy. The album comes alive on stage, without the production to hold The Who back. By the time of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, Tommy had already become a well-worn show, but the group could still re-invent the album each time they performed it.
The rest of Isle of Wight includes several Who stage classics. The show kicks off with John Entwistle’s “Heaven and Hell,” which is admittedly a bit stale. But when they rip through “Young Man’s Blues” and “I Can’t Explain,” the group is already in high gear. There’s also a live version of “I Don’t Even Know Myself,” a song recorded during the Who’s Next sessions that didn’t make the final album. “Water,” a forgotten Who classic (at least in my opinion), is their final song before launching into Tommy.
After Tommy, there’s a neat medley of ‘50s songs, an absolutely incredible long version of “My Generation,” “Naked Eye” and they finish off with “Magic Bus.”
It’s really cool to have the show on vinyl from Eagle Rock. It is spread out over three LPs, with each record a different color (LP 1 is red, LP 2 is white and LP 3 is blue). The set also includes a digital download card.
Isle of Wight is a great, enjoyable show, with Entwistle, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon at their best.
Here’s the full setlist:
- Heaven and Hell
- I Can’t Explain
- Young Man Blues
- I Don’t Even Know Myself
- Water
- Tommy
- Summertime Blues
- Shakin’ All Over/Spoonful/Twist and Shout
- Substitute
- My Generation
- Naked Eye
- Magic Bus