Roger Daltrey is nearing the end of his Alive & Kicking tour, an informal affair that finds The Who frontman playing material from throughout his career and engaging in Q&A sessions with fans.
Last weekend the tour arrived at Wolverhampton's 3400-capacity Civic Hall, where Daltrey played a selection of Who classics including Who Are You, Another Tricky Day, Squeeze Box, Won't Be Fooled Again, Going Mobile, Substitute and Baba O'Riley. Not bad, eh?
Well, it wasn't enough for one fan, who engaged in a loud, lengthy and possibly lubricated conversation with Daltrey as he attempted to play his encore, an acoustic cover of The Kinks' 1968 classic Days.
The 'discussion' started on friendly terms, with the punter shouting "We love you, Roger!" before events took a more boisterous turn.
Daltrey: "I’m gonna do this … ’cause it’s a band that we forget how good they were and how great they are."
Fan: “Play Pinball Wizard! Pinball Wizard! PINBALL WIZARD!"
Daltrey: "I’m fed up with that. Done it too much."
Fan: "But we’re not!"
Daltrey then begins performing a rather tender version of Days, before he's interrupted again.
Fan: "It’s not as good as Pinball Wizard!"
Daltrey (laughing): "Shut the fuck up!”
Fan (yelling): "It still don’t make any difference. I’m of a generation where Pinball Wizard was our favourite."
Daltrey: "I can’t play Pinball Wizard. I’m the world’s worst pinball player you’ve ever seen in your life."
Fan: "Just do it!"
Daltrey: "I don’t want to do it, ’cause I just don’t want to do it."
Fan: "But we want you to do it!"
Daltrey: "Open your fucking ears and listen to this. Much as I appreciate you, I am not going to play Pinball Wizard"
Fan: "I'm in my sixties and I need you to do it!"
At this point, it appears that fellow audience members encourage the Pinball Wizard lady to rein in her enthusiasm, and Daltrey is able to complete Days without further interruption. The full discussion can be followed in the video below.
Daltrey has not performed Pinball Wizard during a solo show since playing it at the Koussevitzky Music Shed in Lenox, MA, USA, last June. He has three shows remaining on his current UK tour to put that right.
April 30: Edinburgh The Usher Hall
May 01: Gateshead The Glasshouse – Sage 1
May 04: Manchester Bridgewater Hall
