The Who Tour 1970

History

As in most of 1969, the band's stage act was dominated by the stage performance of the rock opera Tommy, which had been the centerpiece of their show since the previous spring. The year began with the group bringing Tommy to various European opera houses, a trend they had begun in December 1969 when they performed at the London Coliseum. Included were January stops at the Champs-Elysees Theatre in Paris, the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, and three opera houses in Germany. The band then focused again on recording a live album, having abandoned the idea of wading through the hours of tape they had from recording shows during their North American tour the previous autumn. While 14 February Leeds University and 15 February Hull City Hall performances were both recorded, only the Leeds recording was deemed suitable for release, as the bass track was inadvertently not captured during the first few songs at the Hull show. The result was the legendary Live at Leeds, which became a hallmark live rock album and has been released three more times since its initial May 1970 debut (the 2010 "Super Deluxe" edition would include both the Leeds and Hull performances for the first time).

After beginning recording sessions for a planned new album, the group returned to the United States for a 30-day tour in June to support Live at Leeds. In the year since the release of Tommy, the group had become rock superstars and now commanded considerably larger venues than on previous stints in the country, when they played mostly in theatres and colleges. The tour began with the band's final opera house date, as they performed two shows at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House in what was erroneously billed as their final performance of Tommy (which in reality was kept in their act for the rest of 1970). While the rock opera remained the focal point of the set, the band also featured their latest single, "The Seeker" on this tour, although it was dropped after only two weeks and would not be performed again until 2000. They also added some material from their in-progress album (eventually abandoned in favour of Townshend's Lifehouse project), performing "Water" and "I Don't Even Know Myself" regularly; "Naked Eye", although unfinished in the studio, was performed in various arrangements on the tour as well, generally during the long show-ending jams catalysed by "My Generation". The group's stage show on this tour would basically remain for the rest of the year.

Following the American tour, the band was one of the headlining acts at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 and embarked on a short European tour shortly afterward. A number of shows in the United Kingdom followed, the last being a Christmas benefit concert at The Roundhouse in London where they included what was intended to be the last complete performance of Tommy, although it would be played again a few times in 1989. Townshend would lead the group into his Lifehouse vision when they began performing in 1971.

Live releases

Live material from 1970 (excluding TV appearances where the band mimed to pre-recorded material) has appeared on a number of different releases:

Tour band

European Opera House and Live Recording Dates

The band played several shows in various opera houses in Europe starting on 16 January at the Champs-Elysees Theatre in Paris, as well as two shows in February that were recorded for the purposes of a live album. The set for these shows was the same as in late 1969, with shows again ending with long versions of "My Generation" that included themes from Tommy and other instrumental passages. The group also played a short series of university shows in England in April and May, but no set list information for these dates has surfaced.

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"
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" (John Entwistle)
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)", "Coming Out To Get You" and "Sparks".)
34. "Magic Bus" (performed at least once, at Leeds University on 14 February)

"Fortune Teller", "Tattoo", "Happy Jack", "I'm a Boy", and "A Quick One, While He's Away" were all dropped after these dates.

US Tour

A 30-day tour of the United States began with two shows at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on 7 June, concluding with a show at Tanglewood Music Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts on 7 July that was filmed for an aborted TV special. The set for the tour was altered somewhat to allow for four new songs, "The Seeker" (dropped after two weeks), "Water", "I Don't Even Know Myself", and occasional performances of "Naked Eye".

All songs written by Pete Townshend unless otherwise specified.

1. "Heaven and Hell" (John Entwistle)
2. "I Can't Explain"
3. "Young Man Blues" (Mose Allison)
4. "The Seeker" (dropped after 19 June)
5. "Water"
6. "I Don't Even Know Myself" (not played every night)
7. "Overture"
8. "It's a Boy"
9. "1921"
10. "Amazing Journey"
11. "Sparks"
12. "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II)
13. "Christmas"
14. "The Acid Queen"
15. "Pinball Wizard"
16. "Do You Think It's Alright?"
17. "Fiddle About"
18. "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?"
19. "There's a Doctor"
20. "Go to the Mirror!"
21. "Smash the Mirror"
22. "Miracle Cure"
23. "Sally Simpson" (dropped after 9 June)
24. "I'm Free"
25. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Keith Moon)
26. "We're Not Gonna Take It"/"See Me, Feel Me"
27. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart)
28. "Shakin' All Over" (Johnny Kidd)
29. "Spoonful" (Willie Dixon) (not played every night)
30. "My Generation" (usually including "See Me, Feel Me", "Naked Eye (instrumental)" and "Sparks". "I Don't Even Know Myself" was included on 14 June.)
31. "Naked Eye" (not played every night)

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour. Some other songs were played which are not in the above lists:

August–September Dates

Following the US tour, the group played several dates in England, then the Isle of Wight Festival; a short European tour followed. The set was the same as on the previous tour, with the exception of "Shakin' All Over" now segueing into the rock standard "Twist and Shout"; the band also stopped including Tommy themes in their long versions of "My Generation" and often moved it into "Naked Eye" and "Magic Bus".

UK Tour

The band finished the year with sporadic dates in the United Kingdom starting on 6 October in Cardiff, Wales. These were the last dates in which they showcased Tommy, which would not be performed in complete form again until 1989. They continued to play the same basic set as in August and September, occasionally adding loose versions of Free's "All Right Now" towards the end of the show. Their last performance of the year was at a charity benefit at The Roundhouse in London on 20 December, which also featured Elton John. Of note is that this tour is the last in the group's history in which no live recordings have surfaced.