The Who Celebrate 50 Years of "Live at Leeds" w/ Intimate Shows

For a band that has seemingly never sought out the opportunity to take extended hiatuses since their complete formation in 1964, the year 1970 just happened to be notable one for The Who.

Coming off the recent release and immense success of Tommy (1969), the London natives used much of 1970 to promote the latest record and prepare for the forthcoming Who’s Next (1971) album.

In the meantime, The Who would stumble upon a unique opportunity that would lead to one of their most critically acclaimed acts in their nearly six-decade-long career.

Valentines Day, 1970. The Who prepare for another show on their UK run at the University of Leeds. The blonde locks of frontman Roger Daltrey could only be upended by Pete Townshend’s guitar windmills, John Entwistle’s hard-hitting bass slides and Keith Moon’s chaotic drumming genius.

While college shows were part of a normal routine for many rock acts of the time, the University of Leeds was not a frequently sought out venue. Nonetheless, The Who was prepared to use this show as more than another concert. In the end, on this night exactly fifty years ago, the band would record their ground-breaking live album Live at Leeds.

The Who Tweet About 50 Year 'Live at Leeds' Celebration 2020

Often referenced as one of the greatest live albums of all time, Live at Leeds was a significant follow-up to Tommy. What may have originally been an attempt to fill a gap in between full-studio album releases, became a hit album, reaching No. 4 on the UK and U.S. charts and remaining on the U.S. chart for over forty weeks.

Although many live albums include additional dubbed tracks to add to the often lackluster live sound, Live at Leeds is virtually untouched in regard to its live recording. Other than a couple of recorded background vocals to replace what’s missing after a microphone fell over on stage, the live recording is as it was on that night at the University of Leeds.

The album track list consists of fourteen live performances featuring a fair handful of hits off of A Quick One (1966), The Who Sell Out (1967) and Tommy, alongside numerous singles and covers as the now-legendary rock band only had three full-studio albums under their belt at the time.

Of course, not every song from the night made it onto the album. In fact, less than half of the full setlist would find its way onto the published pristine recording.

In total, The Who performed 33 songs including almost the entire track list off of Tommy following a 9-song introduction of hits like “I Can’t Explain,” “Substitute,” “I’m a Boy,” “Happy Jack” and “A Quick One (While He’s Away).”

The Who's "Substitute" Live at Leeds 1970

Check out the full setlist from their 1970 Valentine’s Day show here!

The Who Setlist @ University of Leeds 02/14/1970

Not coincidentally, The Who scheduled four shows in celebration of the Live at Leeds 50th anniversary including two performances today, exactly fifty years to the day since the original 1970 show.

Based in Kingston upon Thames, England, the venue sits a couple hundred miles away from the original Leeds location, but nevertheless embodies a similar setting that sold out in minutes.

The most intimate shows The Who has played in nearly four decades, the four celebratory sets have consisted of about 10 acoustic songs featuring tracks from the historic Leeds performance as well as a few of their greatest hits since.

The Who Perform "Substitute" Live 02/12/20

And let’s not forget the two live debuts of “She Rocked My World” and “Break The News” off of their most recent album Who (2019).

The Who Live Debut "She Rocked My World" Live 02/12/20

See the setlist from tonight’s first 50th Anniversary performance here!

The Who Setlist @ PRYZM 02/14/2020

With only a month remaining until the kickoff of the UK leg of their Moving On! tour, these Live at Leeds anniversary shows have only added to the anticipation of what is to come.

Check out a full list of The Who Moving On! 2020 tour dates below and see The Who’s official website for ticketing information!

The Who Moving On! 2020 UK Tour Dates:

03/16 – Manchester Arena
03/18 – Dublin 3 Arena
03/21 – Newcastle Utilita Arena
03/23 – Glasgow SSE Hydro Arena
03/25 – Leeds First Direct Arena
03/30 – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
04/01 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena
04/03 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
04/06 – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
04/08 – London SSE Wembley Arena

The Who Moving On! 2020 U.S. Tour Dates:

04/21 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
04/23 – Highland Heights, KY – BB&T Arena
04/25 – New Orleans, LA – Jazz Fest
04/27 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center (rescheduled)
04/30 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center (rescheduled)
05/02 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
05/05 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
05/07 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
05/09 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
05/12 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
05/14 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
05/16 – Las Vegas, NV – The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

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Last updated: 29 Mar 2024, 05:03 Etc/UTC