The Who bring British Invasion to Chester-le-Street with magical performance at Seat Unique Riverside

Wearside was alive with the buzz and energy of the British Invasion as The Who landed at Durham County Cricket Club.

From being part of the explosive British music scene in the 1960s to the development of rock opera, and their legacy of innovation, the band have been an intrinsic part of British popular culture for seven decades, and their two-hour set by the banks of the Wear gave a flavour of everything they have achieved over the decades.

‘The Who are in Chester-le-Street! This is unbelievable!’ were the words of one, perhaps slightly tipsy fan, screeched at the top of his voice between tracks.

And while not completely implausible, it is quite a thought that such cultural giants were performing on our doorstep.

The music legends, supported by UB40, are the latest big-name acts to perform at the Riverside Ground, or Seat Unique Riverside as it is presently known.

As cricket fans will know, it’s an impressive venue, surrounded by parkland with the river flowing gently by, and Lumley Castle and ancient trees poking above the stands. 

It’s a much more pleasant backdrop to that offered by football stadia, and the space allowed for nice touches such as street food stalls inside the ground, and Quadraphenia-esque scooter parked up on the field where fans could pose for pictures.

Roger Daltery and Pete Townshend are the last surviving members of The Who, sadly, but they travel with an impressive suite of musicians, including Townsend’s younger brother Simon, and the Heart of England Orchestra.

At times it seemed  the orchestra may be drowning the band out a little, but they were used to great effect at others. Standout in this was a string selection performing Behind Blue Eyes, and an explosive performance from the lead violinist in Baba O’Riley adding to the energy and spectacle.

A middle chunk of the set was performed by the band alone without the orchestra, starting with The Kids Are Alright, which provided a great contrast and gave a more nostalgic feel to some of the band’s earlier tracks.

The last time I saw The Who was when they played Newcastle in 2014, and the classic My Generation was absent from the playlist.

I remember thinking at the time it had perhaps been omitted due to the line ‘I hope I die before I get old’, with the surviving members then 69 and 70.

I was expecting it to be missing again in Chester-le-Street, but it wasn’t, and was as much a crowd-pleaser as ever.

Age is, of course, just a number, and it is very hard to think of The Who as being 'old'. Daltery, in particular, retains a youthful charisma and cuts an impressive, energetic figure on stage, while Townshend, despite making self-deprecating jokes about the age of some of the material performed, is more like a trendy uncle than a grandad.

They’re only 79 and 78 respectively, no age these days, and we hope to welcome them back to the North East for a joint 80th birthday tour.