Poll: When did you see The Who live on stage for the first time?

1975 in Buffalo, NY for me. Toots & the Maytals opened. I begged my parents to let me go into the city to see them do Tommy at the Met Opera in 1969 but at age 13 the rule was I had to back in safe suburbia before dark.

 

I first saw them at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park NY with The Clash and David Johansen. It was the best show I ever went to mainly because it was the best audience I was ever a part of and The Who knew what they had. It was a beautiful fall day and it rained for five minutes during "Love Reign O'er Me".

 

November 20, 1973
Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA

This was the famous show when a fan from the audience replaced a passed out Keith Moon on drums.

At the time I was annoyed as the show had to be cut short because of Keith's antics but soon after changed my tune. In the long run, it is the most unique show I have attended.

I also saw the original 4 members at Winterland in San Francisco in March of 1976 when they toured in support of the Who By Numbers album.

 

Springfield Ma in 1975

 

My Dad took me to see them on what I presume was the 4th of july in 2002 (I remember fireworks). it was the first real rock concert I ever attended. I recall John Entwistle dying shortly before hand and my dad presuming it would be canceled.

hard to really judge the concert itself given I was 14 but it all seemed pretty cool to me.

 

Did anyone here see THE WHO on their 1976 Canadian tour? If so, I'd like to hear some comments/reviews. For some reason, Vancouver did not get a show.

 

So at what point in the show did everyone stand up? Was it during the first go around of Listening To You in There's A Doctor I've Found?

BTW, Nice pictures in the linked thread.

 

Assuming this was the same tour as the Shea Stadium show? David Johansen is a nice addition.

 

My parents prevented me from going to that show after the Cincinnati incident. To teen me it was reprehensible, but adult me would certainly make the same decision. Not like they were really still the Who then anyway. I saw them in 89 and several times since.

 

My parents forbade me from going to a Who concert after Cincinnati. Incidentally, I wasn't allowed to go to a Ted Nugent concert as well. That was back when kids listened to their parents

 

Not sOON enough

4 days after Cinncinati

Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit

 

I have no idea at this point. I'll check the book I mentioned later when I'm home and see when it was.

 

Fall 1967 - Saville Theater London - played some Sell Out tracks - Vanilla Fudge opened
June 1970 - Hofheinz Pavilion Houston - played all of Tommy and their typical 1970 set - Cactus opened
Dec 1971 - Sam Houston Coliseum Houston - played some Who's Next tracks - don't recall opening act

 

I saw them too damn late, or should I say I was born too late. Anyway, even though I was still fairly young at the time I could of seen them in 1982, but I was such a Keith Moon freak I boycotted them. So then I had to wait seven long years to see The Who on ice!

 

I first saw them at the Day On The Green #3 at the Oakland Coliseum on Oct. 23rd, 1982. My sophomore year in high school (odd, I remembered it as my Freshman year all this time...).
Opening were The Clash, and first T-Bone Burnett. The Clash weren't nearly as good as the one show I had seen before on the Combat Rock tour (I forget, the Fillmore? The Warfield? I had a poster....). I also dismissed T-Bone Burnett beforehand...just didn't like him.....The Who....I don't remember much about this. I don't remember what one song I recall being moved to absolute tears by (I'm serious).


I saw them later in 1989 in Oakland, and despite arriving late (hey, I didn't drive! - arrived in the middle of Pinball Wizard, if I recall right), I enjoyed this much more than back in '82, which is clearly a fuzzy memory to me...
The standouts were Love Reign O'er Me (the tearjerker) and Sister Disco, of all songs....such a perfect version.

 

I'm curious, in both The Who: Concert File book and Pete's bio it says that they had a hard time following the Fudge. I know it's a long time ago, but what is your recollection?

 

'96, Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Quad revival.

This was the first time I'd seen any real rock stars (never mind ones I loved at that young age) in person or relatively up close.

The persisting memory is the lights going up and the band kicking in to "The Real Me," and Pete looked *so* angry. Or at least deadly serious about what was happening on that stage.

Maybe not the ideal setting - at 15/16 I still had yet to dive into Quad, but I did eventually.

I'm just glad I got to see them with John (as well as in 2000).

 

I saw them at a Murry the K show way back when. It was so early Peter Townsed bounced
his guitar off the stage and caught it! The headliner was Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
Also playing was Wilson Pickett and Cream. Great Concert.

 

I've mentioned it before in other threads but I always feel bad for folks like you that would have loved to see The Who in their prime (or whatever band is being discussed) but were too young to see them.

The folks that COULD have gone but didn't, I don't feel as bad for.

If it's any consolation for you, Keith ( and the others) were exactly as great as you would have wanted them to be. Their reputation isn't over hyped. They were a powerhouse.

 

My brother saw them in 69 at melody fair in north tonawanda ny. He has photos

 

Thanks for that Glenn, all of a sudden I feel soooo much better!

 

I first saw The Who the next day at the indoor show (minus The Clash).
T-Bone Burnett was pretty good -- he had Mick Ronson in his band.
The song that moved you to tears? Maybe Behind Blue Eyes?

 

1982 with Kenney Jones at The Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX. Steel Breeze and Billy Squier opened.

 

Heh. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, because it's not your fault that you didn't see them in that era.

It's just that sometimes legends build up over the years and the reality wasn't as good as the hype.

But the Who were as good then as the hype.

I'll shut up now though, because I just realized this post won't make you feel any better either, but I'm trying to empathize with you.

 

September 1979- MSG