John Sanderline
"We're all back," shouted Pete Townshend, "We're all back." And we were. After 36 years of legend, decades of reminiscing and many grey hairs, here we were again in the crowded Leeds University refectory, waiting to hear The Who.
I was one of the team of three that organised the band's now legendary 'Live at Leeds' concert on Valentine's Day 1970, with Simon Brogan and Pete Hart. Then I was a 21-year-old final year physics student in a white shirt and trademark tie. Last night I was there in a casual shirt with my grown-up daughter Katie. But with Simon, Pete and apparently hundreds more 'first timers' in the sell-out audience (half of us were my age, I would say), we were transported back in time.
The crowd were standing, not sitting, this time, and less sophisticated than before, pushing and shoving a lot in the sweaty heat. But the refectory itself, where Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Status Quo and Bob Marley have all played, is almost unchanged.
When the band launched straight into the hard stuff with "Who Are You", the crowd erupted. That was followed by a crowd-pleasing singalong to "I Can't Explain", "The Seeker", and another singalong to "Substitute" before they tried out their new mini-opera.
I've dined out on 1970 for years, but at the time we had no idea what we were a part of. Leeds University refectory had become a major venue. A couple of weeks before we had had Led Zeppelin, the week before we had The Faces with new singer Rod Stewart. On the night it was a really good gig - they performed really well - but it's not one that stands out as a memory.
Earlier the university unveiled a blue plaque in honour of the venue and Sir Peter Blake's design for the new album cover for tonight's gig, Live at Leeds 2. I asked Townshend if he remembered the first gig. He said no, he doesn't, but he remembers being in the gents afterwards and hearing someone saying "they were not as good as Free". That hasn't stopped so many of us coming back. An elderly couple paid £140 for their tickets on eBay - they only cost £75 originally.
Keith Moon and John Entwhistle, of course, weren't there. But there's still tremendous rapport between Roger Daltrey and Townshend: he swung his arm like a cartwheel onto the guitar, and Daltrey swung the mic over his head like a lassoo. Just like in the good old days.
