Fact #169344
When:
Short story:
The Who play the first of two nights at The National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England, UK, Europe. These will be the band's only UK dates in this year.Full article:
Pete Townshend (guitarist, The Who) : After the Rainbow fiasco (in February 81), I had difficulty proving to Roger in particular that I was going to enjoy working with The Who, and that it was important to me that the band end properly, rather than end because of my fucking mental demise. I love the group.
What I couldn't stand was the tension of not knowing when it was going to end. I just had to know when it would finish – I couldn't stand the indecision. So we agreed to wind everything down between eighteen months and two years from that time.
John Atkins (reviewer, Generations magazine) : The atmosphere of the show was terrific and I think many people sensed that this would be the last time they might see the band. Pete told the audience that The Who would be doing a "proper British tour next year", but of course they never did.
They sounded immaculate and powerful, and gave great hope for the future, displaying none of the apathy that seemed to set in mid-way through the subsequent North American tour. It was really a last gasp for the band, of course. It just happened to be a good night from an era when they had stopped having good or bad nights and performances now merged into a highly regulated uninspired stability.
Once again, Pete was on top form, playing stupendous solos. This was the first show where Roger played guitar - unfortunately it was hardly noticeable! I thought the flashbombs that exploded at the start of 'Won't Get Fooled Again' were wholly unnecessary; this band never needed such things in the past.
Some fans, I know, just couldn't believe they'd witnessed a Who show without hearing My Generation. Post-concert entertainment was provided immediately afterwards in the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre. Several exuberant (male) fans stripped naked and swam towards the centre of a huge ornamental lake and succeeded in stopping a giant water fountain.'
(Source : not known)
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What I couldn't stand was the tension of not knowing when it was going to end. I just had to know when it would finish – I couldn't stand the indecision. So we agreed to wind everything down between eighteen months and two years from that time.
John Atkins (reviewer, Generations magazine) : The atmosphere of the show was terrific and I think many people sensed that this would be the last time they might see the band. Pete told the audience that The Who would be doing a "proper British tour next year", but of course they never did.
They sounded immaculate and powerful, and gave great hope for the future, displaying none of the apathy that seemed to set in mid-way through the subsequent North American tour. It was really a last gasp for the band, of course. It just happened to be a good night from an era when they had stopped having good or bad nights and performances now merged into a highly regulated uninspired stability.
Once again, Pete was on top form, playing stupendous solos. This was the first show where Roger played guitar - unfortunately it was hardly noticeable! I thought the flashbombs that exploded at the start of 'Won't Get Fooled Again' were wholly unnecessary; this band never needed such things in the past.
Some fans, I know, just couldn't believe they'd witnessed a Who show without hearing My Generation. Post-concert entertainment was provided immediately afterwards in the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre. Several exuberant (male) fans stripped naked and swam towards the centre of a huge ornamental lake and succeeded in stopping a giant water fountain.'
(Source : not known)