The Who Concert Guide

Ciaran S. Kelly

My very first concert.

I was 17, and won tix on a radio call in show. KEARTH 101 offered two mezzanine tix to the 26th caller and I was it. I freely admit to not even knowing THE WHO (let he who is without sin cast the first stone!) I had seen the film Kids Are Alright, but I thought, so what? I remember that night being a Thursday and as I got to the concert hall, I was terribly unimpressed. The opening band was Something Special...and believe me they weren't.

Then The Who appeared at 20.45, and when Pete tore into Substitute, I thought whoa!

I remember being blown away by the clarity of the sound system and by the high level of musicanship. I can't remember any clunkers, and I thought Kenny Jones was superb. I don't recall being able to hear the keyboards, but I later read that that was a reoccurance on that tour. Be that as it may, Entwistle was a crack up, looking like bored stock broker in his brown pin striped suit. Townsend and Daltrey put on a stellar performance. I myself came unglued at Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, Sister Disco, Summertime Blues,and by the time they played My Generation and Won't Get Fooled Again, I had been whooly converted.

The very next day I drove to a local music store, after cleaning out my savings account, and I bought, Who Are You, Live at Leeds, Tommy and Whos Next. Since then I have every album legally pressed by them (except John Entwistle's Rock and Roll), 21 bootlegs, a million books, magazine articles, posters, T-Shirts and still to this day, I still play air (Townsend) guitar behind my wife's back.

I can say with full confidence, I have never enjoyed a concert as much. The Kinks came close, so did Peter Gabriel, but no one can match the memories that I have of The Who.