#50GreatestConcerts: The Who, 1970
Pete Townshend considered the crowd at the University of Leeds the greatest audience the band had played to
The Who. Left to right: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend. Photo: Jim Summaria/CC BY-SA 3.0/ Wikimedia Commons
After 1969’S rock opera Tommy, The Who wanted to return to their raw roots with a live album. Pete Townshend hated the recordings they made on their U.S. tour so much he threw them onto a bonfire.
But everything clicked back home in England, in front of 2,000 ravenous fans at the University of Leeds, where the band tore through 38 songs, including a nearly 15-minute “My Generation.” Townshend later called it “the greatest audience we’ve ever played to.”
Click here to check out the entire story in the digital edition of Rolling Stone India.
Watch a few clips of The Who’s show at the University of Leeds in 1970:
