The Who bring an orchestra, Eddie Vedder and new songs for epic Wembley Stadium show

The band also acknowledged high ticket prices

The Who performed an epic show backed by a full orchestra at Wembley Stadium in London last night (July 6).

The veteran rockers, who last played at the landmark venue for Live Aid in 1985, played over two and a half hours as they dipped into hits and cuts from their back catalogue.

As promised at a recent Q&A, the band also played two new songs from their forthcoming new album – ‘Still Waiting For The Big Cigar’ and ‘Hero Ground Zero’, the latter of which you can listen to below.

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The show had caused controversy when first announced with many fans complaining about the high ticket prices. Despite the prices coming down in recent weeks there were still many empty seats in the stadium.

Acknowledging the high prices early on, guitarist Pete Townshend told the crowd: “Thank you so much for working so hard to pay for the tickets. It means a lot to us.”

Townshend also paid tribute to his long-term guitar tech Alan Rogan, who passed away days before the concert was due to take place.

“Some of you may already know that Alan Rogan passed away two days ago” he said, ahead of ‘Substitute’.

“He was my guitar tech for over 40 years. He battled cancer and he finally lost his battle. He was a great guy and he was chipper and in high spirits until the end.”

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Townshend added: “When you’re in a family and people say you’ve only got days or months to live, it’s so weird. You take life for granted. It really does mean a lot to be alive and it’s great that you’re all here tonight.”

The show was also noticeable for a rare stripped back acoustic version of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, which saw just frontman Roger Daltrey and Townshend perform the track together. You can watch footage below.

Later, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who supported the band earlier in the evening, joined The Who onstage during a section dedicated to their 1973 album ‘Quadrophenia’, for ‘The Punk And The Godfather’.

They wrapped up their set with ‘Baba O’Riley’.

The Who’s setlist was:

‘Overture’
‘It’s A Boy’
‘1921’
‘Amazing Journey’
‘Sparks’
‘Pinball Wizard’
‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’
‘Who Are You’
‘Eminence Front’
‘Imagine A Man’
‘Hero Ground Zero’
‘Join Together’
‘Substitute’
‘The Seeker’
‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’
‘Behind Blue Eyes’
‘Still Waiting For The Big Cigar’
‘The Real Me’
‘I’m One’
‘The Punk And The Godfather’
‘5:15’
‘Drowned’
‘The Rock’
‘Love, Reign O’er Me’
‘Baba O’Riley’

Earlier in the evening, Vedder supported the band with a number of Pearl Jam cuts including ‘Black’, ‘Porche’, ‘Better Man’, ‘I Am Mine’ and ‘Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town’.

He was also joined by Simon Townshend, Pete Townshend’s brother, for his track ‘I’m The Answer’ before Vedder later teamed up with Glen Hansard for a cover of Queen’s ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.

Kaiser Chiefs also provided support for The Who with a short set which saw the band showcase ‘Golden Oldies’ and ‘People Know How To Love One Another’ from their forthcoming new album ‘Duck’ alongside the likes of ‘I Predict A Riot’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Everyday I Love You Less And Less’ and ‘Oh My God’

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