The Who—Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

Technically, this performance by The Who of their seminal 1969 rock opera Tommy may be presented “live in its entirety for the first time in [The Who's] long and illustrious career,” but the content difference between this April 2017 Royal Albert Hall concert and The Who: Tommy and Quadrophenia Live—featuring a 1989 performance of Tommy—is musically miniscule, aside from a handful of guest singers on the earlier production. The more notable differences are the absence of the late John Entwistle here, the sight of guitarist Pete Townshend trying to read sheet music while pushing his sliding glasses back up his nose, and the often ragged vocals and deeply diminished mic-twirling antics by 73-year-old frontman Roger Daltrey. Simply, and hopefully not unkindly, put—The Who are getting too old for this stuff. Still, the new concert is for a good cause (Teenage Cancer Trust), and once the pressure of performing Tommy in toto is over, the two rock legends seem to relax as they serve up an encore round of hits, including “I Can't Explain,” “Who Are You,” and “Won't Get Fooled Again.” Nostalgic Who fans may still enjoy hearing less-than-optimum renditions of Tommy classics such as “Amazing Journey,” “Pinball Wizard,” and “I'm Free,” performed with a solid backup band that includes Simon Townshend on guitar and Zak Starkey on drums, but this one is mostly for diehard fans only. 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 behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage. Optional. (R. Pitman)