The Who will release a new archival concert album capturing a July 2023 performance by the band with orchestral accompaniment. Live At Eden Project, which is due out on May 29, was recorded at a unique, environmentally sustainable venue in St. Austell, a town in England’s Cornwall County.
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The show took place during the final leg of the British rock legends’ The Who Hits Back! tour. The Who was augmented by the U.K.-based Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, which joined the band for the first and last sets of the three-set concert.
The Eden Project is a venue made up of a network of biomes, large enclosed greenhouses that recreate natural ecosystems. According to a press release, the intimate performance space’s “natural acoustics and enclosed structures created a warm, detailed sonic environment that offered a clarity and intimacy unmatched by traditional stadium settings.”
Live At Eden Project can be pre-ordered now. It will be available as a two-CD digipak, a standard three-LP set, and a limited-edition three-LP package pressed on recycled vinyl and packed in a paper wallet. The album also will be released via all major digital platforms.
A performance of “Pinball Wizard,” a standout song from The Who’s landmark 1969 rock opera Tommy, has been released as an advance digital track from Live At Eden Project.
More About The Who’s Eden Project Performance
The Who’s performance at Eden Project, which took place on July 25, 2023, featured 24 songs. The first orchestral set began with seven tunes from Tommy, followed by the later classics “Who Are You” and “Eminence Front.”
The middle set featured The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and their touring band without the orchestra. This portion of the show found the group playing popular songs and deep cuts from various eras. It included a run of four power-pop gems from The Who’s early years—“Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” “Substitute,” “I Can’t Explain,” and “My Generation.” The segment wrapped up with the Who’s Next classics “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Behind Blue Eyes.”
The final set featured the orchestra returning to play five songs from the band’s 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia. Bringing the show to a close was a dynamic performance of the Who’s Next anthem “Baba O’Riley.”
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The Who wrapped up its most recent and possibly final trek, dubbed The Song Is Over: The North American Farewell Tour, on October 3, 2025, in Thousand Palms, California.
Townshend has hinted in recent interviews that more tour dates could be scheduled before The Who bids a final farewell. The guitarist-songwriter also has said that the band likely will continue to play special shows after it stops touring.
‘Live At Eden Project’ Track List:
- “Overture”
- “1921”
- “Amazing Journey”
- “Sparks”
- “The Acid Queen”
- “Pinball Wizard”
- “We’re Not Gonna Take It”
- “Who Are You”
- “Eminence Front”
- “The Kids Are Alright”
- “You Better You Bet”
- “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”
- “Substitute”
- “I Can’t Explain”
- “My Generation”
- “Cry If You Want”
- “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
- “Behind Blue Eyes”
- “The Real Me”
- “I’m One”
- “5:15”
- “The Rock”
- “Love Reign O’er Me”
- “Baba O’Riley”
(Photo by Brian Robinson)
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