Early days: Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, Roger Daltry, John Entwistle.Reuters
British rock legends the Who are on a 50th anniversary tour that includes two concerts at Air Canada Centre, March 1 and April 26. We take a look back at three memorable visits by the band.
Aug. 9, 1967: The first visit to Toronto by the Who was as one of two opening acts at Maple Leaf Gardens for Herman's Hermits. Tickets ranged from $4 to $5.50, and an ad in The Globe and Mail used the words "incredible British sound" to describe the Who. Fans of the dainty, adorable mop-top headliners probably had different words to characterize the My Generation-singing ruffians.
May 19, 1969: The Who's first headlining show here happened at the Rock Pile club on Yonge Street. On the same day the band performed Amazing Journey, front-page Globe stories noted that Apollo X astronauts "rolled merrily along through space" and that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned a marijuana conviction of hallucinogenic-drug enthusiast Timothy Leary. High times, in the Age of Aquarius.
Dec. 16 and 17, 1982: Described by The Globe's Allen Abel as "worn-out minstrels of two generations," the band gave two concerts, the first being a dress rehearsal for the following night's live television and radio broadcast. The main sets ended with the anthemic Won't Get Fooled Again. Tuesday's concert at Air Canada Centre marks the Who's seventh visit here since 1982's supposed "farewell tour."
Brad Wheeler