The Who Tour 1968

History

The group began the year continuing to support The Who Sell Out, which had been released in late 1967. A short tour of Australia and New Zealand along with Small Faces and former Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones was marred with bad press and poor sound, leading Pete Townshend to vow the group would never return (they eventually relented, but not until a 2004 stop in Australia and another in both countries in 2009). The year also saw two long stints in North America, the first of which included two dates at the Fillmore East in New York City that the band recorded in hopes of releasing a live album. The plan was eventually scrapped when they weren't satisfied with the quality of the performances, but a bootleg album called Live at the Fillmore East made use of the soundboard tapes and provided fans with one of the earliest glimpses of the group's live act. The second North American tour featured performances of the newly recorded "Magic Bus", which was released in July and quickly became a fan favourite; it was also during this time that Townshend began giving interviews related to his visions of the concept album that would become Tommy, which the band would begin recording in September and complete the following March. The last three months of the year were spent performing in England around recording dates for Tommy, including a short theatre tour in November with such artists as Small Faces, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Yes. The final show at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool included a long version of "Magic Bus" with members of other acts who had appeared on the tour joining the band on stage – ironically Keith Moon shared his drum kit with Small Faces' Kenney Jones, the man who would replace him in The Who upon his death in 1978.

One of the group's final appearances of the year occurred at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, a circus-themed rock and roll special intended to air on the BBC. Although The Rolling Stones were dissatisfied with their performance and the special did not see a release of any kind until 1996, The Who's performance of "A Quick One, While He's Away" was seen as a highlight, resulting in its appearance in The Kids Are Alright biographical film and its soundtrack in 1979.

Live releases

Live material from 1968 (excluding TV appearances where the band mimed to pre-recorded material) that has seen release all comes from the group's performance on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus on 11 December and has appeared on the following:

Despite the title, the album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour does not contain any live material.

Tour band

England, Australia, and New Zealand

The band's shows in January–February featured a mixture of early hits, material from The Who Sell Out, and covers such as "Shakin' All Over" and "Summertime Blues", which had been part of their act since 1967. Shows continued to close with "My Generation", usually culminating in the group's requisite instrument destruction. The following songs have been documented as being played at this stage (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Substitute"
2. "Pictures of Lily"
3. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
4. "Tattoo"
5. "Happy Jack"
6. "I'm a Boy"
7. "A Quick One, While He's Away"
8. "Boris the Spider" (John Entwistle)
9. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
10. "My Generation"

"Relax" and Eddie Cochran's "My Way" were also likely performed during this time.

First North American Tour

A six-week North American tour began on 21 February at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. The set was roughly the same as earlier in the year, but the band also added the popular cover "Fortune Teller" to the act, segueing it into "Tattoo". Additionally, the tour included a few performances of "Little Billy", an anti-smoking song Townshend had written for the American Cancer Society which later appeared on the Odds and Sods compilation. "I Can't Explain", the group's first single as The Who, began appearing at virtually every show around this time, whereas it had been performed more sporadically prior to this point; it has remained a staple in their act ever since. It was also on this tour that the group began expanding "My Generation" to include long jams, although this didn't occur at every show.

Songs typically played on this tour are as follows (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Substitute"
2. "Pictures of Lily"
3. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
4. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville)
5. "Tattoo"
6. "I Can't Explain"
7. "Happy Jack"
8. "Relax"
9. "I'm a Boy"
10. "A Quick One, While He's Away"
11. "My Way" (Eddie Cochran)
12. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
13. "Boris the Spider" (John Entwistle)
14. "My Generation"

Yet another Eddie Cochran number, "C'mon Everybody", was played at least once on the tour, during a show at the Fillmore East in New York City in April.

Spring UK Dates and Second North American Tour

The group played a number of shows in the UK in the spring, followed by another tour of North America that ran from late June through late August. The band added John Entwistle's "Heaven and Hell" to the act at this point, and it would be the group's exclusive show opener throughout the Tommy period in 1969–1970; they also reintroduced Mose Allison's "Young Man Blues", now in a heavier arrangement than when it had been played in 1964 and often including long jams. Starting around the time of the North American tour, the new single "Magic Bus" began featuring in the act, usually with sound engineer Bob Pridden playing the song's signature claves, although Keith Moon would eventually begin playing these himself. Instrument smash-ups still occurred at the end of shows, but with less frequency.

Songs typically played at this stage are as follows (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Substitute"
2. "I Can't Explain"
3. "Heaven and Hell" (John Entwistle) (also opened a number of shows)
4. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville)
5. "Tattoo"
6. "Pictures of Lily" (likely dropped by the North American tour)
7. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
8. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
9. "Boris the Spider" (John Entwistle)
10. "Relax"
11. "A Quick One, While He's Away"
12. "Happy Jack"
13. "I'm a Boy"
14. "Magic Bus"
15. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
16. "My Generation"

It was also reported that the band played "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Silas Stingy", both from The Who Sell Out, during their two shows at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles at the start of the North American tour. "I Can See for Miles" may also have been played occasionally around this time, though they did not perform this regularly until 1979. The show at the Jaguar Club in St. Charles, Illinois included "Daddy Rolling Stone".

October through December

The group played exclusively in the United Kingdom for the rest of the year in between recording dates for Tommy. They also appeared at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, recording their performances on 11 December. No other recordings from this period have surfaced, but their act was likely the same as on the second North American tour, although "Pictures of Lily" and "Relax" were probably excluded.