June–September

25th Anniversary Tour

The Who reformed for a lucrative tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the release of Tommy. The US leg saw them perform 40 shows over four months and play to capacity crowds. In New Jersey alone they played to nigh on a quarter of a million people over four nights, grossing $5 million. Kenney Jones was replaced on drums by Simon Phillips, and the band employed a further 11 musicians to boost the sound. Two charity performances of Tommy also took place. In Tacoma Townshend damaged his hand and the band finished the show without him.

October

Return To The UK Live

For the UK leg they played a four-night stand at the Birmingham NEC, followed by four nights at Wembley. Two charity performances of Tommy at the Royal Albert Hall concluded the tour. Although Townshend admitted they did the tour for the money, it is hard to deny that the band gave the audiences value for theirs. Most shows on The Kids Are Alright tour clocked in at three hours plus, and included songs never played before or since. Each founder member was given space to perform solo or cover material and, unusually for The Who, they had rehearsed around 70 songs.

Personalities | Introducing The Who
Personalities | The Who | Reunited & Revitalized (1990) | Key Events