The Who: Live at Isle of Wight Festival 2004

Returning to the Isle of Wight 34 years after their electrifying 1970 performance minus two members (drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle, the latter dying in 2002), The Who's remaining original power duo—vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist-songwriter Pete Townshend—serve up a generous 23-song set before a festival audience. Featuring drummer Zak Starkey, keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick, bassist Pino Palladino, and backup guitarist Simon Townshend (Pete's brother), the band plays one hit after another, kicking off with the early standards “I Can't Explain,” “Substitute,” and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" before delivering classics from Who's Next (“Baba O'Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Bargain”), as well as the hard-rocking “Who Are You.” The last two-thirds of the concert leans heavily on selections from the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia—including “Love Reign O'er Me,” “5:15,” “Pinball Wizard,” and “Amazing Journey”—along with the all-time favorites “Won't Get Fooled Again” and “Magic Bus.” The Who are less physical here—Daltrey does less mic twirling and Townshend no longer runs and slides on his knees across the stage—but musically the group sounds good, albeit not quite as unrestrained. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include two bonus audio CDs. Recommended. (R. Pitman)