Music History

The Who performed at Wolsey Hall in Cheshunt, England.

The Who performed at the Palais in Bournemouth during their seventeen-date UK tour.

The roadies of The Who visited the London Battersea Dogs Home to obtain a guard dog to protect the band's equipment. While they were inside, thieves stole their unattended van and drove away with equipment worth £5,000. The empty van was later found.

The Who had their equipment van stolen outside Battersea Dogs' Home in England while they were inside getting a guard dog. One source valued the equipment at $10,000, while another put it at more than £5,000. The van was later recovered. Some sources describe the incident as the theft of the van and equipment, while others emphasize the theft of equipment from the van.

The ABC-TV program Shindig! featured The Who's first U.S. television appearance. The same program also featured The Four Tops and Gerry and the Pacemakers; according to one version, Billie Joe Royal and Ray Peterson also appeared.

The Who performed at the Palais de Danse in Cowdenbeath, Scotland.

The Who performed at City Hall in Perth, Australia.

The Who arrived at Stockholm Airport at the start of a two-day tour of Sweden. However, their equipment had been flown to Gothenburg, so for their concert at Johanneshovs Isstadion in Stockholm they had to borrow instruments from the support acts The Moonjacks and The Mascots.

The Who recorded “My Generation” at a studio in London. Pete Townshend wrote it to express the anger and frustration of teenagers at the time. Roger Daltrey later explained that he deliberately stuttered the lyrics to match the rhythm of the music. The BBC initially refused to broadcast the song, fearing it might offend people who stuttered, but later changed its position. The single was released on October 29, became one of the band’s best-known songs, and reached number two on the UK chart, where it was beaten by “The Carnival Is Over” by The Seekers. In the US, it reached number 74.

The Who began two days of recording at IBC Studios and Pye No. 2 Studio in London. During these sessions, the group recorded “Barbara Ann” by The Regents, “Man with Money” by The Everly Brothers, “Heatwave” by Martha and the Vandellas and the theme tune from the then-popular television series Batman. The recordings were intended for a new album with the working title “Jigsaw Puzzle”. The producer was Kit Lambert and the sound engineer was Paul Clay.

The Who performed at the Locarno Ballroom in Basildon, Essex, England.

The Who began a week-long engagement at The Palais in Ilford, Essex, England. Later that day, they recorded performances of "I'm A Boy" and "Heatwave" for the British television program "Ready, Steady, GO!"

The Who performed at the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson, Lancashire, England.

The Who performed at Bath Pavilion in Bath, Somerset, England.

The Who performed at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Who spent two days at Talentmasters Studio in New York. Al Kooper joined the group on organ while they recorded two versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” One was released in the U.S. as the B-side of “I Can See For Miles,” while the other remained in the archives until the expanded version of “The Who Sell Out” was released in 1995. They also recorded a studio version of “Summertime Blues,” an organ overdub for “Relax,” and new vocals for “I Can See For Miles.”

The Who performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

They performed at Convention Hall in Asbury Park; before the concert, Keith Moon jumped from a pier into the rough sea and nearly drowned.

The Who performed at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. After the concert, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle hurried to a Jimi Hendrix performance. Hendrix spotted them in the audience and played “I Can't Explain”.

The Who's manager Kit Lambert was at Columbia Recording Studios in Hollywood mixing mono versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand”, “Summertime Blues”, “Someone’s Coming” and “Relax”.

The Who were scheduled to headline the Big Moose Showcase concert in Lorain, Ohio, but Dick Clark canceled their appearance because he did not want The Who playing near Cleveland shortly before a Herman's Hermits concert.

The Who performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Who appeared as the support act for Herman’s Hermits at the Mississippi State Coliseum in Jackson. In tribute to the location, they performed a one-off cover of Nancy Sinatra’s song “Jackson”. After the concert, Pete Townshend had to see a doctor after cutting his finger to the bone during his trademark guitar movement.

The Who spent two days at Talentmasters Studio in New York. Al Kooper joined the group on organ while recording two versions of “Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.” One was released on the B-side of the U.S. edition of the single “I Can See For Miles,” while the other remained in the archives until the release of The Who Sell Out in 1995. A studio version of “Summertime Blues,” an organ overdub of “Relax” performed by Pete, and new vocals replacing the guide vocals on “I Can See For Miles” were also recorded.

The Who recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London for the BBC Radio One program Top Gear. The BBC was allowing a musical group to record outside its own studios for the first time. They recorded alternative versions of several songs, new recordings of “Summertime Blues” and “My Way,” and five jingles for Top Gear and Radio One.

The Who performed at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The single “I Can See for Miles” was released in the UK. It reached number 10 on the UK chart and number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the only single by The Who to reach the US Top 10. In 2010, it ranked 262nd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the greatest songs.

The Who performed at the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois.

The Who performed at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Who vystoupili v Wollman Skating Rink Theater v New Yorku.

The Who released the song “Magic Bus”.

The Who began a three-night concert series at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, performing on August 13, 14, and 15, 1968. On the final night, they performed as the headline act.

The Who performed at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Who performed at the Kelker Junction Night Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Who performed at Municipal Auditorium Music Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.

American magazine Eye published the lyrics to three Pete Townshend songs: “Party Piece from Rael”, a song from the unfinished rock opera that led to “Rael” from The Who Sell Out; “Joker James”, later recorded for the Quadrophenia soundtrack; and “Join My Gang”.

The Who appeared on the television program The Ed Sullivan Show.

New Musical Express published Roger Daltrey’s response to Pete Townshend’s interview of May 31. Daltrey responded sharply to Townshend’s comments about The Who and their performances.

The Who performed at Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England, and John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful joined them on stage, as he was Townshend's guest at the time.

The Who performed at Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.

Track Records released The Who's "See Me Feel Me," backed with "Overture From Tommy," in Britain. The single failed to chart in the UK, although Decca Records reported that its "Who Month" promotion generated retail sales of Who records far above $4 million.

The Who's album Tommy reached the U.S. album Top 10.

The Who performed at the Odeon Theatre in Birmingham, England. Pete Townshend introduced one of the co-writers of "Dogs, Part Two" to the audience and brought his dog, Towser, onto the stage.

The Who performed at the Locarno Ballroom in Leeds, England.

Clothing and equipment belonging to The Who were included in one of the first rock memorabilia auctions at The Fillmore East. Items offered included broken drumsticks, a fragment of Pete Townshend’s guitar, Roger Daltrey’s fringed suede jacket, and Keith Moon’s lighter.

The fifth studio album, titled *“Who's Next,” was released, originally conceived as part of Pete Townshend's ambitious Lifehouse project. The project was ultimately not completed, but many of the songs written for it found their way onto this album. The record features now-legendary tracks such as “Baba O'Riley,” “Bargain,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Won't Get Fooled Again.”* Its prominent use of synthesizers and distinctive sound made it one of the most significant rock recordings of the early 1970s.

The Who měli vystoupit v Yale Bowl v New Havenu v Connecticutu, ale místní úřady koncert zrušily kvůli jeho blízkosti k plánovanému shromáždění Black Panthers. The Who místo toho odehráli ještě jeden večer v Bostonu.

The Who performed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, New York.

The Who performed at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.