Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesThe Who kicked off the second North American leg of its Moving On! tour on Sunday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and the concert included the U.S. premiere of two songs that will appear on the band’s forthcoming studio album.
The tunes, “Hero Ground Zero” and “Big Cigars,” were also played at The Who’s July 6 show at London’s Wembley Stadium. You can check out fan-shot video of both performances on YouTube.
Before playing “Hero Ground Zero,” guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend told the audience that the band is planning to release its new album around the middle of November, and that it will include 11 or 12 tracks. Townshend also dedicated the tune to Robert Blacker, who helped Pete and Des MacAnuff with the book for the Tommy stage musical.
Townshend explained to the crowd that Blacker, who had died that day, had once described the character of Tommy to Pete as a “hero, ground-zero” — and that inspired the song’s title.
As for “Big Cigars,” Townshend had introduced the song under a different title, “Still Waiting for the Big Cigar,” at the Wembley Stadium concert. Pete also recorded a solo version of the tune and released it under the title “Guantanamo” on his 2015 best-of compilation Truancy.
In a recap of the show posted on TheWho.com, the band’s official blogger, Brian Kehew, notes that frontman Roger Daltrey thinks “Ball and Chain” is better title for the song.
Kehew also reports that Who touring keyboardist Loren Gold began “Love Reign O’er Me” by playing a segment of Billy Joel‘s “New York State of Mind,” in honor of the band playing the famous Manhattan venue where Joel holds his monthly residency.
The Who’s tour continues tonight in Toronto.
Here’s the full set list of the Madison Square Garden show:
“Overture”*
“1921”*
“Amazing Journey”*
“Sparks”*
“Pinball Wizard”*
“We’re Not Gonna Take It”*
“Who Are You”*
“Eminence Front”*
“Imagine a Man”*
“Hero Ground Zero”*
Substitute
The Seeker
You Better You Bet
“Won’t Get Fooled Again”**
“Behind Blue Eyes”
“Big Cigars”*
“The Real Me”*
“I’m One”*
“The Punk and the Godfather”*
“5:15″*
“Drowned”*
“The Rock”*
“Love, Reign O’er Me” ?(with “New York State of Mind” intro)*
“Baba O’Riley”*
* = with orchestra
** = just Daltrey and Townshend, acoustic
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