SAN JOSE, Calif. — Roger Daltrey delivered his own very apt preview of what fans could expect from his solo show on Wednesday (Sept. 2) at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.

“Tonight is about having a laugh, having some fun — forgetting about what’s going on in the rest of the world,” the 82-year-old vocalist told the crowd at the start of his 16-song set. “This is not the Who. So, if you ask for a (expletive) Who song that we don’t play — (expletive)!”

He’d then later add:

“In this show, (expletive) happens.”

It most certainly does. The singer’s current solo trek, which follows the Who’s (latest) North American farewell tour in 2025, is an utterly wild and somewhat woolly affair, filled with humor, expletives, minor mistakes, massive highlights and, most importantly, a feel that is very much different than a regular Who show. It’s pure Daltrey for the better part of two hours, mixing solo cuts, Who classics and covers in front of a large band that favors folksy, yet still quite powerful arrangements.

And the fiesty onstage chatter is often as much fun as the tunes themselves, given that Daltrey clearly left his filter — if indeed he even has one — back at his home in Sussex. He just lets his words fly and, when they do, anybody and everybody better watch out. In Saratoga that translated to humorous/hard-hitting spears tossed at Led Zeppelin, Neil Young and even the Who’s own late great bassist John Entwistle. (We’ll get to all of those, one by one, below.)

Daltrey opened the show with “Let My Love Open the Door” — originally found on his Who partner Pete Townshend’s third solo studio album, “Empty Glass,” from 1980 — although he’d only get less than a minute into the number before pulling the plug due to sound issues.

“We do a sound check,” Daltrey commented. “What a (expletive) waste of time.”

A few tweaks here and there and the newly knighted Sir Roger Daltrey was back in business, immediately showing the fans that his legendary singing voice still ranks among the best in the business. His vocals were strong throughout the night, hitting all his notes quite comfortably as he went from blues-rock growl to the upper reaches of a baritenor.

Dressed like he was on his way to Target rather than a big rock show — wearing a white T-shirt over a black long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes — Daltrey took a seat on a tall stool, grabbed a guitar and got the house rocking with a terrific version of “Who Are You.” He then ventured into his often-overlooked solo catalog — which consists of 10 albums released from 1973 to 2018 — for a trio of a numbers (“Waiting for a Friend,” “After the Fire” and “Days of Light”).

Along the way, Daltrey also talked about his mates from the classic Who lineup — Townshend, of course, as well as the late, great Keith Moon and John Entwistle. He called the latter “the Jimi Hendrix of the bass,” but added that he was a very poor songwriter.

“His lyrics were crap,” said Daltrey, who added that he himself was the one who wrote the Who’s “Dangerous,” even though the song was credited to Entwistle. “You could tell (the lyrics) were mine because they actually rhymed.”

Led Zeppelin would also get taken to task when it came time for Daltrey to cover “As Long as I Have You,” a Garnet Mimms number that served as the title track to Daltrey’s 2018 solo album.

“Led Zeppelin did a cover of this song too — absolute (expletive),” Daltrey critiqued.

(Daltrey was also critical of Zeppelin in our recent interview leading up to the concert when, asked to compare Led Zep with the Who, he’d say “I don’t think that their music carries quite the weight of Townshend’s music.”)

Covers played a sizable part of the show, with the first big standout occurring when the band revitalized the seldom-attempted Paul Simon “Graceland” gem “The Boy in the Bubble.”

“Have you ever heard anyone else cover this song?” Daltrey remarked. “So I thought to myself, ‘Why not do it?'”

He moved on to “Squeeze Box” — which Daltrey called “The Who’s most popular single” — before getting around to the marquee number “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

“I do this song,” Daltrey said of the latter. “But I have given up the scream.”

That was not good news for the crowd, given that Daltrey’s signature howl captured in “Won’t Get Fooled Again” ranks as one of the greatest moments in rock ‘n’ roll history. But — at 82 and with 55 years of doing that scream weighing on his vocal cords — Daltrey has handed it off to the crowd.

“When it comes time for the scream, I will cue you,” Daltrey explained.

And the crowd ended up doing a solid job with the scream.

Daltrey’s band was terrific, with topnotch contributions coming from all corners of the stage. In particular, Katie Jacoby was a revelation on violin, doing so much to flesh out “Who Are You,” “Baba O’Riley” and other tunes in a completely live setting — i.e., sans the kinds of prerecorded keyboard tracks that the Who relied on. Also, Simon Townshend, the brother of Pete and a longtime collaborator with Daltrey, played guitar in the group and did a nice job handling lead vocals on “Going Mobile.”

Daltrey ended the night with a solid rendition of the anthem “Rockin’ in the Free World,” but not before taking a shot at the song’s author — Neil Young.

“He sings it (expletive),” Daltrey critiqued.

I beg to differ with that assessment, having always felt that tune represented Young at his very best. But Daltrey is entitled to his opinions — and you’ll likely hear a lot of them if you go see him in concert. I’m OK with that, especially since you’re also going to get so many amazing songs performed by a legendary vocalist still operating at such a high level.

Roger Daltrey setlist:

1. “Let My Love Open the Door”

2. “Freedom Ride”

3. “Who Are You”

4. “Waiting for a Friend”

5. “After the Fire”

6. “Days of Light”

7. “Giving It All Away”

8. “The Boy in the Bubble”

9. “Squeeze Box”

10. “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

11. “Going Mobile”

12. “As Long as I Have You”

13. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”

14. “Without Your Love”

15. “Baba O’Riley”

16. “Rockin’ in the Free World”

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