The Who Live, Featuring the Rock Opera Tommy (1989)

Taped during The Who's 25th anniversary tour, the band with guest appearances by Steve Winwood, Patti LaBelle, Phil Collins and Elton John perform the rock opera Tommy in its entirety at ... See full summary »

Director:

Lawrence Jordan

Stars:

Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Daltrey	...	Vocals / Tommy Walker / Mr. Walker / Mrs. Walker / Narrator / Specialist
Pete Townshend	...	Guitars & Vocals / Mr. Walker / Mrs. Walker / Narrator
John Entwistle	...	Bass Guitars / Vocals
Steve Bolton	...	Guitar
John Bundrick	...	Keyboard
Simon Phillips	...	Drums
Jody Linscott	...	Percussion (as J. Linscott)
Roddy Lorimer	...	Trumpet
Simon Clarke	...	Saxophone
Tim Sanders	...	Saxophone
Neil Sidwell	...	Trombone
Simon Gardner	...	Trumpet
Billy Nicholls	...	Vocals and Musical Director
Chyna	...	Vocals / Nurse
Billy Idol	...	Cousin Kevin

Storyline

Taped during The Who's 25th anniversary tour, the band with guest appearances by Steve Winwood, Patti LaBelle, Phil Collins and Elton John perform the rock opera Tommy in its entirety at the Univeral Ampetheater in Los Angeles. The second half of the concert is devoted to the band playing their greatest hits.

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Plot Keywords:

the who | rock music | concert film | independent film | character name in title

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

This actually was the second of two performances of "Tommy" The Who did on their 25th Anniversary Tour. The first one was done in New York, but with just the band and no special guests.

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Connections

References Tommy (1975)

User Reviews

An Okay Show, But Not Their Best

When I first saw this concert, I couldn't believe that this was the same band that I enjoyed looking at so much. The Who as a group operated at their beest when it was just Townshend, Daltrey, Entwhistle and Moon, as well as Moon's replacement Kenny Jones. However, I have a problem with most bands that feel they have to bring along a bunch of extra musicians, especially a horn section, to fill out their basic sound. As for the concert itself, it was pretty okay. The one person who in my opinion really stole the show was Phil Collins portrayal of everyone's favorite pedophile, Uncle Ernie. He performs the song with all the sinister gusto that Keith Moon brought to it, even going as far as wearing the same costume as Moon including the hot water bottles. The other guest performers (Steve Winwood, Patti LaBelle and Elton John) were okay but they tended to perform the songs more as straight covers, rather than add anything new to them. This is especically surprising from Elton John, whose version of "Pinball Wizard" from the film version was about the only thing close to a classic from that film. This concert was okay, but if you really want to see a great rendition of "Tommy" get the video "Listening to You: The Who At the Isle of Wight Festival" which features the band at what was perhaps their greatest performance.