A performance of The Who’s classic track, My Generation, has been hailed by fans who believe that Keith Moon is the “driving force” of the performance.
The band’s performance at the Monterey Pop Festival has been partly uploaded to YouTube, where members of the public shared their love for the group. Crucial to that love was the performance of My Generation, a song which featured on the band’s first album of the same name. The Roger Daltrey-fronted group would tour extensively following the release of their debut record, and the show at Monterey Pop Festival stands out to fans as one of their early, best moments. Some recalled the thrill of being at the show, while others say the performance highlights just how volatile the band could be when at their best. An upload of the show from twelve years ago saw fans share their love of The Who, with one even suggesting the band is the first “punk” outfit.
One fan of the performance wrote: “I was there! Sixteen years old. It was amazing.” Another added: “The first rock band, the first metal band, the first punk band… yep!” A third shared: “The Who have the most fun live clips of any band. The four of them were magnificent.”
Others were thrilled by the consistency of The Who’s live shows. One listener pointed out the rapid succession of performances from the band in their early years. A fan wrote: “One of the many things I love about The Who is they were always out there touring, and playing the festivals that really mattered – Monterey, Woodstock, and The Isle Of Wight 1970.”
Another added: “Superb. Keith Moon’s drumming is the driving force.” A third shared: “Fantastic! John Entwhistle’s bass runs are awesome on this… at the peak of their powers The Who were one of, if not the best live British band. I found them to be a much better live act than The Rolling Stones to be honest.”
The Who’s rock and roll would soon be adapted to other stages, including Broadway. Guitarist Pete Townshend would bring Tommy to the stage after leaving the band. He suggested the reason to do so was that he wanted to “claim” back venues from the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber and prove rock had a place in theatre.
Townshend said: “I like the fact that when rock and roll comes to Broadway there are no heroes. No Keith Moon’s to go up in smoke. It’s a group effort, a true ensemble. And for me, it is a new place in which I can experiment. I have long felt that I have a place in musical theatre; I feel I have a function there, a duty.”
That duty was questioned by Sheff, with Townshend replying: “To give Andrew Lloyd Webber some competition. Rock and roll needed to be brought to Broadway, and in doing that I always felt that Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Jesus Christ Superstar, rode off with part of my inheritance. I wanted to claim it back. Now I’ve done so. And Tommy is my way in. I plan to become more involved in musical theatre.”
When it came to the audience, which was a much more mixed collection of people than an average show by The Who, Townshend suggested there was always an interest in Tommy, specifically from the “nonrock” crowd.
Townshend said: “But there always was a wide non-rock audience that was interested in Tommy, even at the beginning. They didn’t know anything about the Who and would confuse the two names – which was the name of the group and which was the name of the album.”
