Month: May 2024

1964 – The Who play the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford

1965 – The Who play the Raith Ballroom in Kirkcaldy, Fifeshire, Scotland

1966 – The Who play the National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Later newspaper reports say that the IRA leveled threats against The Who if they went on stage in their Union Jack jackets. The Who were reported to have already responded by having special jackets made from the Eire tricolour. However, Max Ker-Seymer, who was in the supporting band Peter Adler and The Next in Line, says there were never any threats made.

1967 – The Who play at Sommarlust in Folkets Park, Kristianstad

1967 – The Who play at MFF-Stadion in Malmö. The performance sparks a “fan-crush” as attendees rush the stage during the opening song “Substitute,” only to be shoved back by police. At least 20 fans have to be carried out, some unconscious. The Who will not return to Sweden for five years.

1971 – The Who play the Top Rank Suite in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear

1971 – Mike Heron releases his album Smiling Men with Bad Reputations. One track, “Warm Heart Pastry,” has the guitar, bass and drums credited to “Tommy and the Bijoux.” In reality they are Pete, Keith and Ronnie Lane. You can listen to “Warm Heart Pastry” on YouTube here

1975 – “However Much I Booze” is recorded by The Who at Shepperton Studios. The song appears on The Who By Numbers. You can listen to it on YouTube here

1976 – The Steve Gibbons Band album Any Road Up, produced by John and Cy Langston, is released. It fails to chart

1980 – The Who play The Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

1996 – Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band release their CD Who Stole The Hot Sauce? featuring a cover of “Squeeze Box.” You can listen to it on Youtube here

2015 – The Who were scheduled to play the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. They would finally make up this show on March 26, 2016

2019 – The Who play the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan

1965 – The Who play the Two Red Shoes Ballroom in Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. The Alex. Sutherland Sextet opened

1966 – The Who play the Top Hat Ballroom in Lisburn, Northern Ireland

1966 – Roger runs into Bob Dylan who is performing at the ABC Cinema. Bob and Roger have tea and a chat between the acoustic and electric sets of his show.

1966 – New Musical Express has coverage of the recent Poll Winners Concert which included The Who. Substitute is still in the charts at #13

1967 – Disc and Music Echo features a picture of The Who on the cover with an article entitled “Are Pop Stars Overpaid?”. “Samantha’s Scene” also has a brief mention of The Who.

1967 – Melody Maker answers a letter regarding Keith Moon. This issue also features an ad for the current issue of Disc and Music Echo (with The Who on the cover) and an ad for “The Marshall Sound”

1967 – Record Mirror carries an article titled “The Who lose money and write a science fiction story” by Bill Harry

1967 – Day six of The Who’s mini tour of Scandinavia sees the group appearing at the Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden.

1972 – The Birmingham Daily Post reports on The Who’s sponsorship of a car, “The Who Special” in the “International Welsh”

1974 – The Who hold an announced warm-up concert at the New Theatre in Oxford.

1980 – The Who play the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1997 – The Who play Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany

2000 – John Entwistle plays a benefit show for the Stow Surgery in his hometown of Stow-In-The-Wold, Gloucesterchire, England, with a bunch of other mid-50’s rockers under the name “The Stowaways”. You can watch a news report on the Stowaways on YouTube here

2014 – Roger visits the SiriusXM Studios in New York City

2016 – The Who play the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

1962 – Benny Spellman’s “Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)” enters the U.S. charts. The B-side, “Fortune Teller” will be a staple of The Who’s live act 1968-1970.

1963 – The Detours play Douglas House in Bayswater

1963 – The Detours play the White Hart Hotel in Acton.

1964 – The Who audition for Fontana Records.  Chris Parmeinter of Fontana Records as well as Jack Baverstock attend at the same basement café where they had auditioned April 9. Both Keith and Brian Redman perform “I’m The Face” and, although manager Gorden objects, Pete, Roger and John already know they must use Keith.

1966 – The Who play the Town Hall in Kidderminster. Roger was again left out of the show. After the show the 17-year old singer for the local band Listen approaches Pete and volunteers to take Roger’s place as lead singer. Pete turns Robert Plant down.

1967 – A Friday night concert for The Who at Sporthallen in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Apparently The Who’s performance was cut down to just five numbers as Pete was unhappy about the stage set-up as they are forced to perform on a small stage meters above the heads of the audience.

1974 – Keith shows up at Ramport to record his vocal for “Tommy’s Holiday Camp.” Pete meanwhile is adding further overdubs.

1980 – The Who play the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1981 – John completes the recording of his solo LP Too Late The Hero at Ramport Studios, London

1997 – The Who play the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany

2009 – The Smithereens release a one-CD performance of Tommy. They record it as part of a deal to get their record label to issue an album of new original music. The CD cover is by William Stout and done as a parody of his famous cover for the bootleg Tales of The Who. You can listen to it on YouTube here

2012 – Pete Townshend makes a one-off Canadian appearance, performing at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards honoring his fellow creator of The Who’s Tommy, Des McAnuff. Pete performs “Pinball Wizard”. Pete is photographed with the member of the band Rush who were there to receive an award.

2015 – The Who are scheduled to play the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The show would be postponed until December, and then rescheduled again for April 29, 2016

1964 – The Who play the Glenlyn Ballroom in Forest Hill

1966 – The Who, performing as a trio with Pete and John sharing lead vocals, play the Town Hall in Stourbridge.

1967 – The Who play at the Mässhallen in Norrköping

1967 – The Who play in Jönköping at the Rigoletto where they played to a house-record crowd of 1,700 fans.

1968 – The Who play Mountford Hall at Liverpool University in Liverpool

1968 – Melody Maker carries an interview with Pete by Chris Welch. They also carry news that The Who’s U.S. tour has been extended from 3 to 9 weeks. The Who is also featured in the “Mailbag” section

1974 – This is the final day of the filming of the “Uncle Ernie” sequence

1977 – Roger appears on Capital Radio’s Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It

1996 – Pete plays the second of two nights at the Supper Club in New York City

1997 – The Who play Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany

1999 – Paul Shanklin releases the Anti-President Clinton comedy CD Executive Privileges with a parody version of “My Generation.”

2001 – Fastball, who are performing “The Real Me” on the forthcoming official Who tribute CD, say they learned the song after finding the guitar tabs at Whotabs on thewho.net. Listen to Fastball performing “The Real Me” on YouTube here

2004 – The Times reports on recent remarks made by Roger Daltrey to a Radio Academy conference. “Why can’t rock music be about growing old? I believe Pete Townshend is the only person in rock and roll who can write about that path from middle to old age. I’m still angry about lots of things. So many things we thought would get better when we were young have not. Pete is the one person who can articulate this and drag rock and roll into old age.”

2009 – Lisztomania is released on DVD for the first time, but only in the U.K

2010 – Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby release their album Two-Way Family Favorites featuring a cover of “Endless Wire”You can listen to it on YouTube here

2016 – The Who play the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

1961 – John Entwistle performs at the Acton Schools Music Association Fourteenth Annual Music Festival. A newspaper report in the Hammersmith & Shepards Bush Gazette reports: “John Entwistle was the only soloist of the evening. He played the finale from the Horn Concerto No. 4, by Mozart. It’s a popular horn solo which calls for nimble fingering. John could have given it a little more volume without any injustice to Mozart.”

1965 – The Who play the Majestic Ballroom in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England

1966 – The Who were to have appeared  at the Winter Gardens in Malvern but the show is cancelled and the disappointed audience is told that The Who could not make it due to a van break down. Some of the audience members aren’t having it and go on a window-smashing rampage. They are correct to be disbelieving. The van breakdown is merely a cover story for the fact that Pete, John and Keith have collectively refused to share a stage with Roger. Again he is out of the band

1967 – The Who’s manager Kit Lambert sends a telegram to the Monterey Pop Festival organizers telling them The Who have agreed to perform there in exchange for six 1st-class plane tickets. The Who, along with Jimi Hendrix, had been recommended for the festival by Paul McCartney during a U.S. visit the month before.

1967 – The Who were in Sweden playing two shows at Circus Lorensbergparken in Gothenburg. First show at 7:00pm followed by a second at 9:15pm.

1968 – The Who play the West Refectory at Hull University in Hull with the Amboy Dukes and Circus

1969 – The Tommy album is premiered in its entirety on BBC Radio 1’s Paul Drummond show

1969 – “Pinball Wizard” enters the Tio i Topp Swedish charts where it will peak at #12.

1980 – The Who play the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois

1984 – Pete reviews Philip Norman’s new book Symphony For The Devil: The Rolling Stones Story for Time Out, calling it “essentially accurate.”

1989 – The New York Times interview Pete as The Who prepare for the Celebrating 25 Years of The Who tour. The article is entitled “The pop life: Old Grandpa Who”. Pete says when it comes to touring he feels like “an 80-year-old grandfather”.

1996 – Pete appears on NBC-TV’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien performing “Barefootin'”

1996 – Pete plays the first of two nights at the Supper Club in New York City

2001 – The Hollywood Reporter says writing is complete on The Keith Moon Story. The writer is Sacha Gervasi, the planned director Brad Siberling. The movie does not make it to pre-production.

2006 – Pete announces that the Who mini-opera has changed its title from “The Glass Household” to “Wire & Glass”. On his girlfriend Rachel Fuller’s webcast In The Attic, Pete announces the upcoming release of an 11-minute version is the “short” version. The full-length “mini-opera” will be on the album. He also performs “Barefootin'” with guest Chris Difford of Squeeze.

2007 – Roger plays “Mick Keating” in the Season 4 opener, “Once Upon a Time on the Westway”, of ITV’s The Last Detective.

2009 – Pete Townshend makes The Sunday Times Rich List. He is considered the 1348th richest Briton valued at £40m. Roger Daltrey is listed at #1673 with £32m in wealth. The Who itself is considered to have earned “at least £100m”.

2012 – Roger Daltrey is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show. Roger admits The Who are “having a very long sabbatical” but at least gets to discuss the Teenage Cancer Trust and perform both “Young Man Blues” and “The Real Me”

1964 – Keith’s first official date with The Who playing a girl’s 21st birthday party upstairs in a pub on the North Circular. John is amazed to see Keith tie his drums together with rope but understands when he sees him play.

1965 – The Who play the Dungeon Club in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. They show up two hours late.

1965 – The Who’s April 27th show is broadcast on Radio Luxembourg’s Ready, Steady, Radio!

1966 – The Who play in Bath

1967 – The Who’s first gig in Norway at the Njårdhallen, a sports arena in Vestre Aker, Oslo

1969 – Roger, John, Keith, Bobby Pridden, John “Wiggy” Wolff and roadies Tony Haslam and John “Bumper” East fly to New York to prepare for the upcoming tour. Pete does not join them until the 8th, the day before the tour begins.

1970 – The Who play the Lower Refectory at the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, Yorkshire

1971 – Another attempt at the Lifehouse Project was scheduled at the Young Vic but apparently The Who cancelled the date, ending Pete’s first attempt to bring his multi-media, rock-revitalizing, science-fiction epic to fruition.

1972 – Pete records his demo for “Long Live Rock” at his home in Twickenham.
The demo would later be included on “Another Scoop” You can listen to it on YouTube here

1974 – This is the second day of filming of the “Uncle Ernie” sequence for the Tommy movie. Meanwhile, Pete spends the first of two days in Ramport Studios trying to coax a vocal performance out of Jack Nicholson who has been cast as the Doctor. Listen (and watch) Jack’s performance here

1975 – Keith’s “Don’t Worry Baby” backed with Together” is released in the U.K

1979 – The Who return for their first concert after Keith Moon’s death playing the Rainbow Theatre in London. According to John Swenson, the audience went “absolutely bonkers” and Who fans and reviewers are ecstatic about the new line up featuring Kenney Jones on drums and John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keyboards.

1980 – The Who play the Saint Paul Civic Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota

1985 – Pete attends the film premiere of the new Richard Gere/Gregory Hines movie, “The Cotton Club”, in London

1996 – Pete Townshend appears on CBS-TV’s The Late Show With David Letterman in New York City performing “Rough Boys” and “The Kids Are Alright.”

1997 – Roger Daltrey runs a game-fishing tourney at his farm to raise money for Raleigh International, a youth development charity

2004 – Polydor Records UK releases The Who: The 1st Singles Box containing CD recreations of 11 classic Who singles and the new “Real Good Looking Boy”/”Old Red Wine” songs

2004 – The Who: Then & Now 1964-2004 is released in the U.K.

2005 – Roger attends the reunion concert of Cream at the Royal Albert Hall

2007 – The 2CD live compilation “View From a Backstage Pass” is sold with membership in the new TheWho.com website that also opens on this date.

2015 – The Who play the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas

1965 – The Who play the College of Art and Technology in Leicester. At the show a film student named Richard Stanley projects films onto The Who as they perform. Pete strikes up a friendship with the young man and will go on to collaborate on several films with Stanley.

1965 – Pop Weekly features The Who as one of its “Chart Challengers” while “I Can’t Explain” stays at #16 in their “Top Thirty”

1966 – The Who make their only appearance at one of the New Musical Express Poll Winners concerts at the Empire Pool in Wembley. They played two songs, “Substitute” and “My Generation.” The incredible line up for this concert also includes The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Spencer Davis Group, Dusty Springfield, Herman’s Hermits, Cliff Richard, Sounds Incorporated, The Alan Price Set, Crispian St. Peters, The Overlanders, The Seekers, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Shadows, The Walker Brothers, Roy Orbison and, in their last concert appearance in the U.K., The Beatles. According to Alan Smith in New Musical Express‘ review, there was one band that stood out among these great talents: “I don’t know that it was music; it was more like watching violence put to rhythm. But unquestionably, [The Who] stood out as the most remarkable appearance of the second half and I say this even though the Rolling Stones and The Beatles were to follow.” The show is videotaped and broadcast on ITV on the 8th and 15th. Rumors still circulate that a copy of this show exists but it has never gone public since its initial broadcast.

1967 – During this week the U.S. Army radio program The In Sound broadcasts a short interview with Pete. The program is later mentioned in a “commercial” on The Who Sell Out.

1967 – The May issue of Beat Instrumental features “Sounds I Like By Britain’s Top Drummers”

1968 –

1968 – The Daily Express features a story titled “Revealed today — The Who family secrets” by Judith Simons

1969 – The Who play Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho, London. Chris Welch of Melody Maker later said the sound was so loud, his ears rang for 20 hours afterwards. Disc magazine headlines the performance: “Who’s Tommy: A Masterpiece”.

1970 – The Who play the Great Hall at the University of Exeter in Exeter, Devonshire. Mighty Baby opened.

1974 – The Who spend two days of rehearsals at Shepperton Studios for their upcoming film appearances.

1981 – The second single from The Who’s Face Dances album is released in Europe. “Don’t Let Go The Coat” backed with “You” peaks at #47 on the British charts

1984 – The press reports that Pete has purchased an eel barge for conversion into a floating studio. Most of White City, The Iron Man and Psychoderelict will be recorded on board.

1995 – Filming begins on the movie Bad English 1: Tales Of A Son Of A Brit in London and Baltimore with Roger, Olivia Hussey and Dennis Christopher.

1997 – The Who play the Stadhalle in Vienna, Austria

2000 – The world premiere of the football biopic Best at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. Roger co-stars as rowdy footballer Rodney Marsh and sings “House of the Rising Sun”.

2002 – Gary Wharton puts out the book Chasing the Wind: A Quadrophenia Anthology, a guide to the film, the cast and the production of the 1979 cult classic.

2004 – Sydow Karl’s picture book Bass Culture: The John Entwistle Collection is published by Sanctuary in the U.K

2006 – Justin Kreuzman’s documentary John Entwistle: An Ox’s Tale is released on DVD in Japan and the U.K. The U.S. DVD release follows on August 22

2006 – Olle Lundin and Kjell Malmberg publish their follow-up to The Who in Sweden, The Who in Denmark & Norway & Finland.

2007 – Tom Wright’s memoir Roadwork: Rock & Roll Turned Inside Out is published giving many details on his involvement with Pete and The Who.

2009 – Ed Roman releases his CD My Roman Empire ROCKS! featuring a cover of “I Can See for Miles”.

2011 – Pete Townshend makes #47 in The Sunday Times Fifty Richest British People in music. They estimate his personal wealth at £40m

2016 – The Who play the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota

2020 – Pete appears on BBC4’s “The Shadows at 60” telling Bruce Welch how much he was influenced by his rhythm playing.