The Who Live
the formative years, 1964-1970
Formation of the Band
The Detours
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In the late 50s and into the early 60s, Roger Daltrey was performing with his band, The Detours. They first recruited John Entwistle as the group’s bassist and soon after, added Pete Townshend as another guitarist. At that time, the three guitarists even built their own guitars. In 1964, The Detours fully became The Who; Roger had taken over the vocals by then, making Pete the lead guitarist. In early 1964, The Detours changed their name to the Who. Their lineup was complete when Keith Moon was added as the band’s drummer. He met the group at a gig and auditioned that same night. While not being extended a formal invitation to the band, he played as their drummer from that point on; Keith once joked that he never really joined the Who, he was just filling in. This lineup lasted until 1978.
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Mods
Under the Who’s new manager, Peter Meaden, the band was encouraged to change their name to The High Numbers in an effort to appeal to the mod crowd. The group also changed their image to reflect the mod fashion. By this time, they frequently played gigs in bars and clubs in London. Their live performances during this time began to characterize their future shows. At one gig, Pete accidentally broke his guitar on stage and then proceeded to smash the instrument entirely. A week later, Keith kicked over his drum set after a gig. Both guitar smashing and drum explosions became trademarks of the Who’s shows, especially in the late 60s. Footage of the band’s earliest recorded performance was of the High Numbers at the Railway Hotel in 1964. It was released on the 2007 film, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who.
Under the name High Numbers, the band released their first single, “Zoot Suit”/“I’m the Face”. Despite their appeal to the mods, the single did not perform well in the charts. The High Numbers decided to revert back to calling themselves The Who. Although “The High Numbers” did not stick, the Who became one of the most influential and iconic mod bands of the 60s.
Growing Success
The Who’s first singles under that name were “I Can’t Explain” and “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, released in 1965. Both charted on the top ten in the UK. The Who’s third
The Who in 1965, an iconic mod band
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single, “My Generation”, is their highest charting single, reaching number two in the UK. The success of their first writing attempts resulted in The Who performing more of their own content, primarily written by Pete, instead of covers.
Beyond gaining exposure from their singles, the Who appeared on British television on the Ready Steady Go! Program. Both their TV appearance and their singles hugely boosted the Who’s popularity in the UK. The band played more gigs and toured England extensively. They even played in other countries in Europe for the first time. Their shows included, of course, the destruction of instruments that, by then, was expected of them. Pete had invented a dramatic strumming technique called the “windmill”, and Roger had begun tossing and swinging his microphone, holding it by the cord. The Who’s performance from the 1965 National Jazz and Blues Festival was included on the film Thirty Years of Maximum R&B, and recordings of the band’s Ready Steady Go! shows are on the Ready Steady Who EP.
Photo credit: http://www.thewho.info/WhoSinglesIT1.htm
My Generation
1965 had been a busy year of touring for the Who, and their performing schedule became even more packed with the release of their debut album, My Generation, in December. The album was followed by a UK tour and several performances in Europe. The Who appeared alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones on the New Musical Express Winners’ Poll Concert in 1966. Both bands were at the time, considered some of the very best in Britain.
The Who’s live performances in 1966 became increasingly vital to their career. Because of disputes with their producer, their income was severely lessened. They relied heavily on income from live shows, making 1966 their busiest touring year so far. This hugely impacted the future of the band, giving them plenty of experience with live shows which would shape their entire career.
Beyond Europe
While the Who enjoyed incredible success and popularity in the UK and Europe, by 1967 gaining a following in the United States was necessary for the survival of the band. Their first US appearance was at the Brooklyn Fox Theater, where the Who played ten days. This was followed by their US tour as supporting act for Herman’s Hermits. Both their American debut and tour boosted their reputation in the US, but the one event that solidified their popularity in America was the Monterey Pop Festival. That the Who performed at Monterey was especially significant; until that festival, British music in America had primarily been represented by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. During their performance, the Who smashed their guitars and exploded their drums, by now a regular part of any Who show. It greatly clashed with the “peace and love” attitude of the Monterey Pop Festival,
Pete Townshend at The Monterey Pop Festival.
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though, and shocked the audience, gaining the Who even more attention from American crowds.
After Monterey, the Who appeared on American television for the first time on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Like at their Monterey Pop Festival performance, the Who dramatically smashed their instruments and other equipment on the show, with a drum explosion as the grand finale.
By the time the Who toured for their third album, The Who Sell Out, in early 1968, they had more than secured an American following. It was this year that the Who toured the US on their own, not as a supporting act. Even more appearances in America included their performance at the Fillmore East, which was recorded for a live album, not released until 2018. They also played at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus; their performance was considered the height of the show, and because the Rolling Stones performed so poorly in comparison, the plan to show the concert on television was aborted.
John Entwistle at Woodstock
Photo credit: [unknown]
1969
Tommy
For years, the Who had relied on income from their live shows to support themselves. The year of 1969 was a turning point for them financially. Their double album, Tommy, a concept album about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy, was an incredible success. It was highly influential as a rock opera and inspired many future concept albums from other bands. Roger has credited Tommy as the album that helped him find and develop his own voice.
Tommy became a huge part of the Who’s live shows. They performed it at many festivals in 1969 and 1970, such as the Isle of Wight Festival and Woodstock; and in opera houses and other high-end venues. In 1989 they
performed Tommy in its entirety for the first time in over a decade; more recently, in 2017, the band held a short Tommy tour, and in 2018, Roger Daltrey performed the album with members of the Who band.
Woodstock & Isle of Wight Festivals
The Who performed at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair on August 17. While the band themselves admit it was not a particularly good performance, the group’s appearance at such an iconic moment in music history helped solidify their status as a worthwhile rock and roll band. During their performance, the Who were interrupted by Abbie Hoffman, who had come on stage to discuss political injustice. Pete, who later admitted he agreed with Abbie’s sentiments, smashes him over the head with a guitar, telling him, “Fuck off my fucking stage!” This event was considered by Time magazine to be one of the top ten music festival moments. The Who’s appearance at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival was a much better performance. Compared to Woodstock, there were few incidents. Tommy was performed at both festivals, and both festivals proved the Who had become an incredible live band.
The Who’s extensive touring and live performing had worked to shape them into the band they now were. Most of the instrument destruction that characterized the Who’s concerts before had subsided by this time. Windmills and microphone tossing remained without the chaotic explosions of the previous years. The image of the Who had completely changed from their days as a mod band, particularly evident in the band’s frontman. Pete said of
Roger at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival
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Roger, “My big moment with Roger [Daltrey] was at Woodstock. He’d grown his hair long. His wife had suggested this. She’d also suggested that, to accentuate his rather wooden movements, he wear a shawl. So he had a hippy shawl with bits hanging off it. He had this chamois leather coat made, with strands on it. [Director] Mike Wadleigh lit Roger and I with single spotlights. This was about four in the morning. I’m on my knees, playing, and I look over and he looks like a god. He looks beautiful. He looks happy, he looks kind. That’s when everybody in the band said, 'Oh, fuck. We’ve actually got a singer, a star. Someone who’s going to carry us.'"
Into the 1970s
Confirming the Who’s reputation as one of the best live bands of the time is their 1970 album Live at Leeds. Recorded a year earlier at the University of Leeds, the album has been called “the best live rock album ever made”, accurately capturing the difference of sound in the Who’s live performances from their studio recordings.
Throughout the 70s, the Who toured extensively. They broke several records for live shows, such as having the loudest concert (Charlton Athletic Football Stadium, May 1976), and the largest indoor concert (Pontiac Silverdome, December 1975).
The Who at Anaheim Stadium, 1970
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1980s - present
Disagreements surrounding touring lead to the Who’s disbandment in 1983; Pete wanted to stop touring with the Who and focus on his solo career, his primary focus after the band split. In 1985, the Who performed together at Live Aid, and a reunion tour followed in 1989. In 1990, the Who joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.The Who toured for their album Quadrophenia throughout 1996-1997, and performed several tours in the early 2000s. The day before their 2002 tour was scheduled to start, John Entwistle was found dead in his
hotel room. Like with Keith, the band continued on, dedicating several of the tour’s shows to John.
Following John’s death, in 2006, the Who released their first album in almost 25 years, Endless Wire. In 2007 and 2015, the band headlined the Glastonbury Festival; in 2010 they played half-time at the Super Bowl; played at the 2012 Olympic Games; were the headlining act at the 2015 Hyde Park Festival; and performed a 50th anniversary tour in 2015 and 2016. Most recently, the Who performed a 2017 tour of Tommy, followed by a solo Tommy tour by Roger in 2018.