The Who Return to ‘Quadrophenia’ 1973 Rock Opera Back Onstage

By Ed Masley

The Republic | azcentral.com

Today, it’s widely hailed as one of rock’s essential concept albums, a sprawling rock opera concerning the plight of a working-class teenager struggling with schizophrenia and heartache on the British mod scene of the early ’60s.

But it took awhile for 1973’s “Quadrophenia” to be accepted as the masterpiece it is — much less the sort of album that the Who’s two surviving members would feel the need to dust off and tour on the eve of its 40th anniversary, playing the album in its entirety night after night on the first “Quadrophenia” tour since 1996.

With the 1969 release of “Tommy,” it was Who guitarist Pete Townshend who set the standard against which all rock operas inevitably would be judged. And “Quadrophenia,” written after Town-

THE WHO When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Where: Jobing.com Arena, 9400 W. Maryland, Glendale.

Admission: $34.10-$124.10.

Details: 800-745-3000, livenation.com.

See THE WHO, Page AE5

MUSIC.AZCENTRAL.COM Find a list of the Who’s best albums.

The Who in early 1970s: (clockwise from top left) Pete Townshend, Roger Daltry, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. GRAHAM HUGHES