Roger Daltrey Wins Wall Of Fame Honor During ‘Who Was I?’ Solo Tour

Roger Daltrey’s date last night (27) on his Who Was I? solo tour of the UK at the Guildhall in Portsmouth was preceded by his induction into the venue’s Wall of Fame. The honor marks The Who frontman’s longtime relationship with the venue and the city in Hampshire, on England’s south coast, and also recognizes his outstanding contribution to music.

Daltrey’s Guildhall show was his fourth on the Who Was I? itinerary, which is now in full swing after being postponed because of pandemic restrictions last year. It continues up and down the UK until it concludes at the London Palladium on July 17.

As promised, the frontman is digging deep into his and The Who’s catalog in the shows; the Portsmouth concert included such lesser played band songs as “Another Tricky Day,” from Face Dances, and “Break The News,” from 2019’s WHO. Solo numbers included Daltrey’s first hit in his own name, 1973’s “Giving It All Away,” as well as “After The Fire,“ “As Long As I Have You,” and “Without Your Love.”

“We are delighted to honour Roger Daltrey’s lifelong dedication to music and his connection to Portsmouth and the Guildhall through our Wall of Fame,” said Andy Grays, CEO of the Guildhall Trust. “It is a privilege to welcome an artist of Roger’s calibre in our first induction post-Covid and we enjoyed celebrating his many successes and achievements while reminiscing on his memories of the venue and city’.

The Portsmouth Guildhall Wall of Fame was introduced in 2014, and has also recognized the local achievements of the Osmonds, Steve Hackett of Genesis, and Mark King of Level 42.

The Who played several times during their formative years at the Portsmouth club the Birdcage, which opened in February 1965. On Sunday, July 11 that year, the band headlined a show promoted by the Birdcage but staged at the city’s Savoy Ballroom, supported by local act The Crow. The poster for the event, as captured at michaelcooper.org.uk (to whom we are indebted for information for this story), proclaimed “For one night only!! The pop art guitar smashing sensation.”

By the time of their return to the Birdcage that December, the description had changed to “the pop art guitar smashing epic (‘My Generation’).” Further headline shows followed in March 1966 and February 1967, and after the Birdcage was superseded by the Brave New World, the group played there in January 1968. The same month, that venue also welcomed the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Eric Burdon and the Animals, the Moody Blues, and Long John Baldry among others.

Years later, with their worldwide reputation infinitely enhanced, The Who came back to Portsmouth to play at the Guildhall in May 1974, in support of their Quadrophenia album. They performed there again in 2002.

Listen to the best of Roger Daltrey on Apple Music and Spotify.