The only original members of The Who — Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend — bring the band to Elmont.

RUN-INS WITH THE WHO

Sue Porpora, 62, of Wantagh fell in love with The Who on her birthday when her older brother gave her the “Live at Leeds” album as a gift.

“Once I heard Keith Moon’s drums and Roger Daltrey’s voice, I was hooked,” says Porpora, who is nicknamed “Sue Who.” “No other band could come close.”

Porpora even met Daltrey face-to-face when she attended his book signing at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan in the fall of 2018.

“I got to Barnes & Noble at 6 a.m. for a 1 p.m. book signing and was number three on line,” says Porpora. “I bought five copies of the book so I would have that much more time to talk to him.”

But because she didn’t get enough time with Daltrey, Porpora spent $500 to do a one-on-one Zoom with the singer to support Team Cancer America.

“I got three minutes out of it,” says Porpora. “I told him how much he meant to me and the impact his music had on me.”

Meanwhile, singer and multi-instrumentalist John “Sully” Sullivan, 58, of Garden City from the band Sullyman the Third, developed a write-up about Vassar College’s 2007 workshop of his latest rock opus, “The Boy Who Heard Music,” The Who guitarist contacted the Long Islander.

“I broke into the outer ring of the inner circle,” says Sullivan. “If I had an artistic question, I’d shoot it his way and then he’d respond back. I’m forever indebted to him because of the accessibility he gave me.”

Sullivan began a regular email exchange that continues to this day.

“Pete’s always been so open to offer great suggestions about songwriting ideas, recording tricks and everything in between,” says Sullivan, who just released a new album, “The Reset of Our Earth, Vol. One.” “It’s always made my projects better along the way.”

For his 40th birthday, Sullivan even got to perform on stage at The Bottom Line in Manhattan with Daltrey at Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in 2003.

“As soon as Roger came on stage, you could feel the surge of the crowd from the back of the room to the front,” says Sullivan. “The experience was a little out of body.”

crazy. The song flat out rocks,” says Rock, 56, of Massapequa. “When I’m feeling beat down and I want something to pick me up, ‘5:15’ is the song. The lyrics say, ‘Out of my brain on the train, on the train.’ People can relate especially if they ride the Long Island Rail Road!”

‘My Generation’ YEAR RELEASED 1965 ALBUM “My Generation” CHART POSITION 74

At age 11, Oliveri first saw The Who at Shea Stadium in the upper tier with his older brother Joe. Watching Townshend whipping his signature windmills on “My Generation” caused him to take up guitar,

The original Who lineup: Keith Moon, left, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle.

when Pete was asked how do you feel about the ‘My Generation’ lyric, ‘Hope I die before I get old’ today? He said, ‘Well, it’s too late for that now!’ ”

Townshend wrote “My Generation” on his 20th birthday while riding a train from London to Southampton. The song originally had a slow blues feel, but then-Who manager Kit Lambert suggested the band speed it up and encouraged Daltrey to stutter in the lyrics.

‘See Me, Feel Me’ YEAR RELEASED 1969 ALBUM “Tommy” CHART POSITION 12

When Kenny Forgione, 66, of Merrick, who sings and plays bass guitar in the Long Island cover band Wonderous Stories, first heard “Tommy” at the age of 13 it changed his life. “See Me, Feel Me,” which became a single that was part of the song, “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” put him in a trance.

“ ‘See Me, Feel Me’ kind of freaked me out. Daltrey sounded like he was crying and pleading,” says Forgione. “But, I started getting into the whole ‘Tommy’ album and the story behind it. I like a band that tells a story. I need more than ‘I love you, you love me, La-di-da, la-di-dee.’ I craved something heavier and The Who provided that.”

‘The Real Me’ YEAR RELEASED 1973 ALBUM “Quadrophenia”

CHART POSITION 92

“The Real Me” spoke to John “Sully” Sullivan of Garden City because it’s about a teenage English mod named Jimmy who is struggling to find his place in the world, much like Sullivan at the time.

“When I got into ‘Quadrophenia,’ I was roughly the same age as the lead character,” says Sullivan, 58. ‘“The Real Me’ is a real take-no-prisoners type of song. It has Roger Daltrey screaming, Pete Townshend wailin’ on the guitar, John Entwistle diving bombing on bass and Keith Moon playing everything but the kitchen sink on drums. The song leaves a strong impact.”