1965 – The Who play the Borough Assembly Hall in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Tony White in The Bucks Advertiser review the show:
Aylesbury saw the two extremes in pop entertainment last weekend — Friday bring the noisiest thing it’s ever been my misfortune to encounter in the shape of The Who and Saturday being far more enjoyable, even though mostly old hat, in the form of Screaming Lord Sutch.
Friday’s performance by the young men being lauded as the bringers of “pop art” to pop was the first, and I sincerely hope the last, time that any form of music, even in its most primitive guise, has made me physically sick.
The noise — I think that would be a better title — was so abominably loud that after 20 minutes I had to leave for a stiff whisky with aspirins to settle a throbbing head and an upset stomach.
Several questions were left unanswered by my hurried departure.
Why…why…why…
Why did two guitar players require eight of the largest amplifier I have ever seen?
Why did we not hear the singer?
Why, or why did they have to get deliberate feed back?
Why did an electrician, if that;s what he was, keep running on to the stage with a small screwdriver to fiddle about with the many guitars that were lying around?
Why did the drummer keep throwing his sticks in the air when he knew perfectly well that for 90 per cent of the time he was quite incapable of catching them?
These, and many other points of interest, I was too lame to pursue. I hope I never have the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity.
1965 – Life magazine prints an article on The Beatles. Ringo, asked if The Beatles are a “pop-art” band, says that would be The Who. “It’s a new group. When they play they slowly smash their instruments to bits.”
1966 – The Who play the Corn Exchange in Bedford, Bedfordshire
1966 – Melody Maker prints an article describing the August recording session
1966 – Disc magazine reports that The Who’s next recording will be the new Pete composition “King Rabbit.”
1966 – Brunswick’s “spoiler” Who single “The Kids Are Alright” reaches its U.K. chart peak at #41
1967 – The Who spend one last day at Gold Star Studios mixing “I Can See For Miles.” A copy of the master is then quickly sent off to Decca Records
1967 – Around this time Tom Wright takes The Who in their psychedelic regalia to Griffith Park to shoot a series of promotional photos.
1968 – Keith participates in a Wembly scooter race. Competing with him are Cathy McGowan, Richard Neville and John Peel. Footage of the race appear on”How It Is” broadcast on September 13th
1972 – The Who play the Palais des Sports in Lyon, France
Visit our friends “Les Who en France” on facebook for more about this show here: Les Who en France
1979 – The new Who with Kenney Jones on drums and John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keyboards and a horn section, makes its U.S. debut at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey. This show features the live premiere of John’s “Trick of the Light”.
1982 – The Who play the Birmingham International Arena in Birmingham, West Midlands
1994 – Roger and John continue with the orchestral Daltrey Sings Townshend tour performing in Vienna, Virginia at the Wolf Trap Filene Center
1995 – Pete does a fifty-minute set playing acoustic guitar and piano at the Paramount in New York as the opening act for Paul Simon & Friends, although the full band including Simon comes out for the opening song “The Kids Are Alright.” Pete plays acoustic guitar and a long set at the piano.
After Paul’s set, Pete returns to play and even sing some lines of Paul’s “You Can Call Me Al”.
The experience is so enjoyable for Pete that he begins to think about touring again.
2006 – The Who hold a private run-through concert at the Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
From the NY Times:
The British rock band, the Who, featuring Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, briefly came to Bridgeport last weekend to rehearse for their tour at the Arena at Harbor Yard for its North American tour.
Lynn Carlotto, the general manager of the arena, said the band played for a few hours on Sept. 9 and 10, using the same lighting and sound systems it will use on tour. The rehearsals were closed to the public, and only workers at the arena saw the shows, Ms. Carlotto said.
“Secrecy was something we had to commit to,” she said. “They wanted the rehearsals closed to the public and the media, and that’s what we provided.”
Ms. Carlotto said the band drove to Bridgeport from New York on both days. She said about 20 crew members arrived in Bridgeport a week earlier to set up the equipment and conduct technical rehearsals.
Ms. Carlotto said she began trying last year to bring the Who to Bridgeport for rehearsals after learning that their tour would coincide with a slow time for events at the arena, which seats 10,000.
“It gives us a chance to employ a lot of our people for a week and to introduce our building to an incredible band, their production people and their management,” she said. “It might help us secure future events.”
Ms. Carlotto said it was strange to watch the band in an empty arena.
“When you see them sing and perform with all the power and creativity that they have onstage, and there are all these empty seats, there really was kind of a disconnect,” she said.
The Who’s tour began in Philadelphia last Tuesday. The group will perform at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on Monday and Tuesday and at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on Dec. 1.
2009 – Pete drops by the Theatre Royal in Plymouth to meet the cast of the musical Quadrophenia.
“To hear my songs sung by new young people is a thrill. I enjoy working in music theatre and feel at ease. It is humbling and exciting at the same time.”
Read more about the musical at our friends petetownsend.net here
2016 – The Who play the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany
2019 – The Who play the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio