10 Oct 2025
Thursday 25 September 2025: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
Show Report: September 25, 2025; Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
Another big arena, the classic 10,000 seats, roughly. I notice one unusual thing. Down at the opposite end from the stage, they’ve covered up the metal side wall with a big sound absorber in black; something to stop what would otherwise be an awful slap-echo bouncing back. That’s not to say that it’s ideal sound in here, as it’s made for hockey and basketball, mainly. But it’s a nice attempt to have “good sound” when most arenas don’t try at all. Nice. (I’ve heard that the Barclay’s Center – a big arena we played in Brooklyn – was designed to make basketball crowds sound huge; so they were thinking of sound – but the bouncing and echo needed for that is exactly the opposite of what sounds good for a band!)
Climate Pledge Arena – they are trying/hoping for a city that has zero emissions/waste in a few years. San Francisco is the most current city for that, as I hear. But inside the arena they have signs showing how they try and try to make everything work better; local food sources, FREE transportation to and from the venue! Plus recycling of all kinds, offsets of carbon emissions etc. It’s a good motion to make, and big, big, big events like this do cause a lot of effects in the other direction. This used to be the Key Arena, and before that The Colisseum. So there are photos backstage of many artists playing here recently, all the way back to The Beatles in this very room. Incredible history. One of the security guys here says he saw The Who here in the early 70s, plus Zeppelin and so on.
The Beatles at what was the Seattle Center Coliseum (now the Climate Pledge Arena) on 21 August 1964
Today’s soundcheck is the usual, but always different stuff. “I can’t believe you’ve paid to suffer through this, which we have to do every day!” Roger tells the crowd. But of course, this audience doesn’t normally get to go behind-the-scenes and see them in working mode, off the cuff, and more natural. It’s cool. “Is the PA on?” he says after one song. Yes, it is! But he can’t hear it as normal. Robert, out front, says “I can bring it up, it was a bit of a timid start . . . Roger laughs; “Not from US!” Something rare to hear that they want to hear more of the PA onstage… (quite the exact opposite of the Shoreline situation!). This helps fill in the sound they are hearing onstage; it does sound more full and warm. They try something new with the ‘5:15’ band parts, and things are then winding down.
Simon plays a small part of his “I’m the Answer” song on a 12-string; it seems someone in the audience called it out. When the rehearsal ends, most of the stage is empty, but our sound man Robert Collins asks Simon “Don’t you have something to play? Go on!!” and encourages him to go. So Simon gives the crowd a solo performance of one of his best pieces! Very cool. Then ‘Substitute’, same thing – it’s solid and loud, and we’re on-track for a good one.
Video courtesy of Devin Creisler Studios
Candlebox opens again – and this is their hometown crowd. So those are always nice, knowing that family and friends are here to see them doing so well. Then The Who come out and I’ Can’t Explain’ storms right out – maybe the best one I’ve seen all tour. A great start!
Roger remembers: “When we first came here, it was just a steel town. But there was the Edgewater Inn – what would we have done without that!? (Then hollers from the crowd, who know it. The Inn was a legend, right on the water and allowed the bands to fish from their room windows – which leads to a very INfamous Led Zeppelin story.) Keith Moon used to fish from the windows, and then keep them in the tub. Of course they all died. We apologize to the roomkeepers!”
Video courtesy of Pure and Easy
On ‘Another Tricky Day’, Roger comments that headlines are “only trying to grab you by the balls.” A good comment – so much of the news has no depth and wants you to read and move on very quickly.
‘Going Mobile’ – Pete comments that, “Simon is so much better at it than I am these days.” It’s true that this has become a highlight of the show, one of the many peaks, but an unexpected one for so many. It’s always enjoyable, and Simon Townshend has that natural onstage energy that brings the show up.
‘My Generation’ – Pete’s done a nightly intro, talking about how they thought they were “too old” to play it by the late ‘60s. Meanwhile, behind is a 1970s photo by Kevin Mazur showing young Pete, Mick Jagger, and McCartney! So long ago, and already were “old” then – by rock and roll standards of the time.
They run through the Quadrophenia set, which is typical, but Pete has mentioned that Ron Nevison (who recorded that album and the Tommy film) is here tonight! I remember when ‘The Real Me’ and ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ were nowhere in The Who’s sets, but now they seem so essential and perfect. Pete does tell the crowd that it was “all downhill from Who’s Next, at 24 or 25, still trying to figure it all out . . . ”
Video courtesy of LongLiveRock1
Then ‘Eminence’ Front starts with Pete experimenting on guitar noises, as he has each night. Even though he’s had such great guitar results, this unpredictable opening experiment doesn’t quite fly, even though he moves in/out from the amps, playing with the knobs and the pick scrapes – all kinds of moves that usually generate amazing sounds. It’s not bad, but not as glorious as we might hope. Then the song kicks in, and it’s begun. However, the intro is the backing track (his old E70 Yamaha organ) which leads into a band intro and groove, then a guitar solo, then the first verse, singing. However, somehow he starts soloing too soon (he does love to play more and more) which keeps him going longer over the intended solo section – so he starts to sing a bit early. I notice Jon and Loren’s eyes light up – they know he’s gone ahead (but the backing track won’t know; they look at me to try and fix it, and I’m scrambling to do so on the backup computer). Meanwhile, Pete hears the difference, knows what he’s done and adds in two more vocal lines to make it come out right on the first chorus – and all is well. This sloppier intro and misguided first verse actually illustrate a point: Most people don’t hear ANY issues in this, it sounds good and it sounds cool to them. I’m sure some fans know the song well enough, but may not know really what happened. But it’s a Who show, and things constantly are shifting, going right and going wrong – and their skill at fixing up a strange moment is well-tested; they really do make each show unique and interesting. That’s what counts in the end, did it work out and was it good in the end?
It’s right before ‘Another Tricky Day’, when Pete starts in to fill up the dead air, and then asks Rog if he wants to speak about tricky days, etc. Then Roger talks for quite a while tonight, mostly about the news and headlines, how trying and awful it seems to be, but he points out it was the same always. Especially fascinating is his talk of being born in a World War II buzz-bomb raid, when the V2 flying bombs were flying in overheard. Coming in from Germany, the V2 bombs were a terror on London – as they were only roughly guided over the English channel with just enough fuel to run out over London, then fall and explode. As Roger said, they would go “whoop whoop whoop” (propeller noises) and then go silent. Everyone had eight seconds, he says, to wait and hope. “Luckily, they missed!” he explains – and we’re here today with him leading the charge. He also mentions the climate, which “always goes up and down” and he says he’s not denying it. But feels it’s “arrogant to think we can change it” – which is a little strange given the theme of this whole building, but there you have it . . .
During ‘Love Reign O’er Me’, Roger is glancing sideways – trying to signal something, but it’s hard when he’s mid-song sometimes. So communication is sometimes guesswork. It reaches the end, the last line where Roger sings alone – and he stops it. It’s not going well, he says “I’ll do that again . . . someone’s blowing an air conditioner on me” and goes to finish it again. He’s really indicating hard that he can feel it blowing – and we do, too. A message is sent to our Production office asap to shut down the AC. But this is a hockey rink and we know there’s ice under the temporary floor. So some venues don’t want to fully shut off the AC despite our pleas. (In retrospect – it turns out it was not cold air, but a fan moving air, and someone had opened up the loading dock doors to the outside. A combination of things that caused the issue – but nothing we could control.) Frustrated after ‘Love Reign O’er Me’, Roger walks off towards Stage Right – not his usual exit. Our man Binky goes to speak to him and basically talks him into staying. Just then Pete says “Where’d he go!?” and then Roger comes back on. The issue is discussed and they launch right into ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and ‘Baba O’Riley’, then the usual ending, ‘The Song Is Over’ and ‘Tea & Theatre’. All seem fine, it was just a moment that passed, and we were in the midst of their strongest stage moments – so hardly anyone would remember.
Video courtesy of Pure and Easy
Tonight was a fun one, definitely only a small wobble at one point, with quick recovery. Pete even did some of that cool Chuck Berry duck-walk onstage with the guitar; something that’s familiar to old Who fans from some videos, but rarely seen nowadays. It’s a good sign that Pete is feeling loose and in the moment without much care. A good sign . . .
Video courtesy of Alico Venus
In the end, there is an air of finality tonight. Pete says “it will be sad to say goodbye to Seattle, this wonderful city. We’ve had some wonderful memories. I’m at a loss for words. We picked the places that we’re playing very, very carefully . . . ” I know that this tour had limits; a lot of major cities (especially for The Who) wouldn’t fit in. So many places that didn’t get visited. But Seattle was lucky – and more memories made tonight.
Onward! . . .
Tonight’s set list follows after the photos so if you don’t wish to know it look away NOW!
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Who Are You
I Can See for Miles
Long Live Rock
Pinball Wizard
See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You
Another Tricky Day
Behind Blue Eyes
Eminence Front
My Generation
Cry If You Want
You Better You Bet
Going Mobile
The Real Me
I’m One
5:15
Love, Reign O’er Me
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Baba O’Riley
The Song Is Over
Tea & Theatre
Check out The Who Store for exclusive tour merchandise including this Limited Edition Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA 2025 Poster