The Who Tour 1969

History

1969 was an extremely transitional year for the band, due almost entirely to Pete Townshend's rock opera Tommy, which they had begun recording the previous autumn. For the first part of the year, the group alternated between recording in the studio during the week and performing in clubs and universities on the weekends. With recording completed in March, the rock opera was reportedly performed for the first time in April at Bolton Institute of Technology and several other times in the United Kingdom through the early part of May. As no recordings of these shows have surfaced, it is not known exactly how much of Tommy was played at this stage, but by the time the group travelled to North America for a tour in May and June they featured roughly 40 minutes of the piece during certain shows, omitting songs like the "Overture", "Cousin Kevin", the "Underture", and "Sally Simpson" because they weren't considered suitable for live performance. Aside from the new material, songs such as "Happy Jack", "A Quick One, While He's Away", "Young Man Blues", "Summertime Blues", "My Generation", and "Magic Bus" continued to feature heavily in the group's stage show, among others. Meanwhile, the instrument smashing that had characterised their performances for several years prior diminished considerably by this point.

By the second half of the year, the success of Tommy began to elevate the status of the band, who continued to feature it as the focal point of their act. The group played high-profile shows at London's Royal Albert Hall and was one of the few acts to be paid for appearing at the Woodstock Festival in August, having travelled back to the United States specifically to perform at this event and just one other date before returning to England; they also were one of the headlining acts at the Isle of Wight Festival 1969. In the fall, they elected to expand the stage presentation of Tommy further, adding songs like the "Overture" and "Sally Simpson" that had been skipped in earlier performances; additionally, show-ending performances of "My Generation" were stretched out to reprise certain parts of the rock opera along with other instrumental passages (such as the chord progression that eventually evolved into "Naked Eye"). Following a second stint in North America, the group took Tommy to the London Coliseum in December, the first in a series of European opera house dates that would continue in early 1970.

Live Releases

Live material from 1969 (excluding TV appearances where the band mimed to pre-recorded material) has appeared on a number of different releases:

Tour band

Winter/Spring

The band performed sporadically in the United Kingdom from January through early May. No recordings of these shows have surfaced, but the group reportedly began playing Tommy (likely in a shortened arrangement) by the end of April.

First North American Tour

A six-week tour in North America began with shows at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit starting on 9 May, concluding with the second of two shows at the Fillmore West in San Francisco on 19 June. Set lists varied and many dates featured two shows per night. In addition to material from Tommy, shows from this tour were characterised by long, free-form versions of "Magic Bus". Songs played on the tour were as follows (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Heaven and Hell" (John Entwistle)
2. "I Can't Explain"
3. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville)
4. "Tattoo"
5. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
6. "Substitute"
7. "Happy Jack"
8. "I'm a Boy"
9. "A Quick One, While He's Away" (performed only on the early part of the tour)
10. "It's a Boy"
11. "1921"
12. "Amazing Journey"
13. "Sparks"
14. "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II)
15. "Christmas"
16. "The Acid Queen"
17. "Pinball Wizard"
18. "Do You Think It's Alright?"
19. "Fiddle About"
20. "There's a Doctor"
21. "Go to the Mirror!"
22. "Smash the Mirror"
23. "I'm Free"
24. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Keith Moon)
25. "We're Not Gonna Take It"/"See Me, Feel Me"
26. "Boris the Spider" (John Entwistle) (performed occasionally)
27. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
28. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
29. "My Generation" (performed only on the early part of the tour)
30. "Magic Bus" (sometimes including themes of "Naked Eye")

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour. Many shows only featured a short segment of Tommy. Some other songs were played which are not in the above lists:

July Through Mid-September

A series of shows in England were interrupted by a return to the United States to appear at the Tanglewood Music Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts and the Woodstock Festival. Later the group was one of the main attractions at the Isle of Wight Festival 1969. A typical set for these shows is as follows (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Heaven and Hell" (John Entwistle)
2. "I Can't Explain"
3. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville)
4. "Tattoo" (not played at every show)
5. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
6. "It's a Boy"
7. "1921"
8. "Amazing Journey"
9. "Sparks"
10. "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II)
11. "Christmas"
12. "The Acid Queen"
13. "Pinball Wizard"
14. "Do You Think It's Alright?"
15. "Fiddle About"
16. "There's a Doctor"
17. "Go to the Mirror!"
18. "Smash the Mirror"
19. "I'm Free"
20. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Keith Moon)
21. "We're Not Gonna Take It"/"See Me, Feel Me"
22. "Substitute" (occasional)
23. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
24. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
25. "My Generation" (sometimes including themes of "Naked Eye")

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during these shows.

Mid-September Through to December

Starting with the show at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, London on 21 September, the band added several songs to the Tommy set to present the rock opera in more complete form, while shows generally ended with long versions of "My Generation" that included reprised themes from Tommy, along with various other instrumental sections. A live FM radio broadcast from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam followed shortly afterwards, and the group returned to North America for another five-week tour in early October, highlighted by six nights at the Fillmore East in New York City. Many shows on this tour were recorded in hopes of compiling a live album, but the band ultimately decided not to use these tapes and opted to record the Live at Leeds album the following year instead. They finished the year with various dates in England and France, including a show at the London Coliseum on 14 December.

A typical set for these shows is as follows (all songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified):

1. "Heaven and Hell" (John Entwistle)
2. "I Can't Explain"
3. "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville)
4. "Tattoo" (not played at every show)
5. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
6. "Substitute" (not played at every show)
7. "Happy Jack" (not played at every show)
8. "I'm a Boy" (not played at every show)
9. "A Quick One, While He's Away" (not played at every show)
10. "Overture"
11. "It's a Boy"
12. "1921"
13. "Amazing Journey"
14. "Sparks"
15. "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II)
16. "Christmas"
17. "The Acid Queen"
18. "Pinball Wizard"
19. "Do You Think It's Alright?"
20. "Fiddle About"
21. "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?"
22. "There's a Doctor"
23. "Go to the Mirror!"
24. "Smash the Mirror"
25. "Miracle Cure"
26. "Sally Simpson"
27. "I'm Free"
28. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Keith Moon)
29. "We're Not Gonna Take It"/"See Me, Feel Me"
30. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
31. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
32. "Spoonful" (Willie Dixon) (not played every night)
33. "My Generation" (usually including "See Me, Feel Me", "Naked Eye (instrumental)" and "Sparks". "Overture", the opening riff of "Pinball Wizard" and "The Ox" were included on 29 September.)
34. "Magic Bus" (performed at least once, Fairfield Halls in Croydon on 21 September)

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during these shows.