The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Originally composed of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, the band is considered one of the most influential rock groups of the 20th century. Over the course of their career, The Who have played thousands of live concerts around the world.
The Who’s Concert History
According to available data on setlist.fm, an online database that complies live performance information, The Who have played approximately 2,389 concerts over the span of their career from 1964 to 2022.
The band played their first concert at the Goldhawk Social Club in London on May 15, 1964. From 1964-1978 when Keith Moon was the drummer, The Who played about 1,618 concerts. After Keith Moon’s death in 1978, Kenney Jones became the drummer and they played around 546 shows from 1979-1982. From 1982 onwards, different drummers have joined including Simon Phillips, Zak Starkey and others, and The Who have played about 225 more shows.
So in summary:
- 1964-1978 with Keith Moon: ~1,618 concerts
- 1979-1982 with Kenney Jones: ~546 concerts
- 1982-2022 with various drummers: ~225 concerts
Adding those up brings us to the approximate total of 2,389 concerts played by The Who over 58 years, as of 2022.
The Who Concerts by Decade
Looking at the concert history broken down by decade:
- 1960s: ~552 concerts
- 1970s: ~1,066 concerts
- 1980s: ~349 concerts
- 1990s: ~133 concerts
- 2000s: ~141 concerts
- 2010s: ~109 concerts
- 2020s: ~39 concerts (so far)
The band was most active in the 1970s, when they played over 1,000 shows. Their touring schedule slowed down in the 1980s and 1990s but saw a bit of a resurgence in the 2000s. They continue to do selective shows and tours in recent years.
Notable or Longest Tours
Some of The Who’s most notable or lengthy tours include:
- 1965 – Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Pete Townshend tour the UK as The High Numbers, playing nearly 100 shows
- 1966 – Another lengthy UK tour with around 120 dates
- 1969 – First US tour with around 60 dates
- 1970 – Over 100 shows on the US Tour
- 1973 – Quadrophenia Tour with over 60 shows in the UK, Europe and North America
- 1975 – Tommy Tour with 90+ dates
- 1979 – First tour with Kenney Jones as drummer, nearly 80 shows
- 1982 – Farewell Tour with around 50 dates in Europe and the US
- 1989 – Reunion Tour with over 50 shows in the US
- 1996-1997 – Quadrophenia Tour with around 70 concerts across the US and Canada
- 2002 – Over 120 shows on year-long tour supporting compilation album Ultimate Collection
- 2006-2007 – 65th Birthday Tour with 40+ dates
- 2008-2010 – Closing stages of a 2-year world tour with around 90 shows
These tours stand out for their length and the significance of supporting new albums or celebrating reunions and milestones.
Noteworthy Concert Performances
Beyond the tours, The Who have had many noteworthy one-off concert performances over the decades.
- June 1967 – Monterey Pop Festival, one of the first major rock festivals
- August 1969 – Woodstock Festival during their breakthrough in America
- February 1970 – Live at Leeds, hailed as one of the best live albums of all time
- December 1973 – Tommy movie premiere performance with an all-star cast
- July 1985 – Live Aid charity concert at Wembley Stadium
- February 1988 – Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- July 2005 – Live 8 benefit concert in London
- February 2010 – Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show
- August 2012 – Closing ceremony of the London Summer Olympics
- October 2013 – ‘Tommy’ Broadway production opening gala
- September 2014 – Performance at Invictus Games opening ceremony
- February 2019 – Grammys performance honoring lifetime achievement award
These shows at major events, festivals, awards ceremonies and more demonstrate The Who’s iconic status in rock history.
Concerts by Country
Given their worldwide popularity, The Who have performed concerts in many countries and cities around the globe.
Here is a breakdown of the approximate number of shows in some of their most-visited countries:
Country | # of Concerts |
---|---|
United Kingdom | 723 |
United States | 915 |
Canada | 103 |
Germany | 92 |
France | 64 |
Japan | 26 |
Australia | 44 |
Italy | 42 |
Netherlands | 48 |
Belgium | 31 |
The US leads with over 900 concerts, while their home country the UK is also over 700 shows. Canada, Germany, France and Australia round out the places they have toured extensively. They have performed at least a few shows in several more countries in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
Songs Played Live
With a catalog of over 200 songs recorded over their decades of performing, The Who have played a vast variety of songs live in concert. However, there are certain staples that are concert favorites.
According to setlist data, their most played songs in concert are:
- My Generation – played at ~40% of concerts
- Pinball Wizard – ~30% of concerts
- Won’t Get Fooled Again – ~28%
- Who Are You – ~23%
- Baba O’Riley – ~22%
- See Me, Feel Me – ~21%
- Behind Blue Eyes – ~21%
- I Can’t Explain – ~20% of concerts
- The Kids Are Alright – ~19%
- You Better You Bet – ~18%
These songs come from albums like My Generation, Tommy, Who’s Next and other classic records. Anthems like “Won’t Get Fooled Again” with its famous synthesizer intro are rock concert staples. Newer songs like “You Better You Bet” also became setlist favorites in the 1980s and beyond.
Cover Songs
The Who are also known for putting their own spin on cover songs live. Some of the standout covers they’ve performed in concert include:
- “Summertime Blues” (Eddie Cochran) – over 150 times
- “Fortune Teller” (Allen Toussaint) – 130+ times
- “Young Man Blues” (Mose Allison) – 120+ times
- “Shaking All Over” (Johnny Kidd and the Pirates) – 100+ times
- “Twist and Shout” (The Top Notes) – 80+ times
- “Happy Jack” (Ivor Cutler) – 50+ times
- “Peggy Sue Got Married” (Buddy Holly) – 40+ times
These covers allow The Who to pay homage to the artists who influenced them, while also showcasing their ability to masterfully reinterpret songs and make them their own.
Setlist Variety
While they have go-to songs they play at most shows, The Who have mixed up their setlists over the years to keep things fresh. Setlist variety also allows them to tailor shows to specific tours.
For example, during their 1973 Quadrophenia tour they played most of that album. The 1989 reunion tour featured a “greatest hits” heavy setlist. In 1996-97 they brought back Quadrophenia again. And their 2002 and 2004 tours highlighted songs from their Ultimate Collection release.
This ability to rework their live show has allowed The Who to keep things exciting for their fans over decades of touring. It also showcases the strength and diversity of their catalog.
Ticket Sales
With thousands of shows performed over almost 60 years, The Who have sold an enormous number of tickets. Let’s review some of the notable ticket sale highlights:
- Their 1979 Cincinnati show tragedy resulted in 11 deaths when many fans were crushed trying to get in. An estimated over 18,000 tickets were sold for a venue that only held about 14,770 people.
- Their first farewell tour in 1982 sold over 3 million tickets across North America and Europe.
- For their 25th anniversary tour in 1989, they sold out arenas and stadiums across the US, selling around 1 million tickets.
- Between 1996-97 they sold around 1.5 million tickets for the Quadrophenia revival tour across 50+ dates.
- Their 2000 Guinness world record breaking tour sold around 1 million tickets.
- Over 1 million tickets were sold for their 2008-2010 tour across 90+ dates.
Routinely selling millions of tickets, often in a matter of hours, The Who have remained one of the highest-grossing live bands – a testament to their stellar reputation and live performances.
Live Recordings
The Who are known for some of the greatest live albums of all time, most notably:
- Live at Leeds (1970) – A classic live album of their 1969 US tour, often ranked among the best live recordings.
- The Who at Kilburn 1977 (2008) – Recording originally from their webcast reunion concert.
- Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (1996) – Legendary performance marking their live comeback.
- Live at Hull 1970 (2012) – UK show from their Lifehouse tour.
- Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2003) – Charity performance from 2000.
- View from a Backstage Pass (2007) – Recordings from 1969 to 1976.
- Greatest Hits Live (2010) – Compilation from their 2010 tour.
These albums and more capture The Who’s raw energy and innovation in concert, cementing their stature as one of the best live rock acts of all time.
Conclusion
With an astounding nearly 2,400 concerts performed over six decades, The Who have more than earned their reputation as one of the hardest working and most impressive live bands in rock history. Their concert resume is staggering – early club shows and major festivals, lengthy world tours and special one-off performances, stadium rock anthems and intimate acoustic renditions. They have headlined landmark benefit concerts and opened the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. While the loss of Keith Moon and John Entwistle has changed the sound over the years, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have kept the spirit of The Who alive with younger touring members. The band shows no signs of slowing down, as they continue to play select shows and tours to celebrate their enduring musical legacy.