That may have applied to some people, specifically the woman standing next to me in the middle of the 2,100-strong crowd, but I'm only 32; until Saturday night my only experience of The Who live was a few tracks at Live 8 last year and listening to the Live at Leeds LP a few dozen times over the years. No sooner has Townshend's declaration left his lips, than Roger Daltrey announces they'd like to start with a song called Who Are You. Cue major cheers from a very hot and sweaty audience enduring temperatures of well over 100 degrees, and we were underway. We're treated immediately to windmills from Pete Townshend who still plays his Stratocaster like it's his worst enemy, and a four-song stretch which goes on to include Can't Explain, The Seeker and Substitute. Within minutes the return to the Refectory ceased to be a concert but more of a sing-a-long-a-Who night with Townsend and Daltrey both clearly up for it.
 | | Detail from a ticket for the Who gig |
As for the audience, we were all jumping around and losing every drop of fluid we'd taken on in the bar before The Who appeared at half-past eight. At one point Daltrey told us to all go home and weigh ourselves: "You'll have lost a stone," he quipped. So, we had plenty of vintage Who to enjoy but also heard some of the new stuff, including a new mini rock opera due to come out next month. And while every old song was greeted with a rapturous reception, even the new songs held the audience's attention and drew more than a fair amount of applause and cheers. Watching today's Who, though, you're constantly reminded that two members are no longer with us by the way Daltrey and Townshend seem to stand forward from the rest of the band which kind-of takes a back-seat and lets the two famous ones get on with it (even though Ringo Star's son, Zak, is taking Keith Moon's place on drums). Two hours of intense noise was what we got for our money, and some people paid the touts £100 per ticket.
 | | Pete Townshend at the gig |
And although it's easy to forget the Who is now fronted by two men who're over 60, Townshend declared they needed to take a break half way through because it was just so hot and we were in 'heart attack' territory; not personally he declared, saying he was concerned about some of the older members of the audience. There were no complaints when they took their five-minute breath of fresh air and very few about the fact there was no encore. Basically, we were lucky to have been there and we knew it. As for the high-points, how long have you got? Behind Blue Eyes and a truncated but still brilliant mini-version of Tommy will stay with me for ever, as will the storming version of Won't Get Fooled Again which ended the night. And what a night, I've never been so wet outside a swimming pool, never been to a concert where everyone was happy enough just to be there and I don't think any of us will see anything like that again in our lifetimes.
Who fan John was at the original Live at Leeds concert in 1970 and also the gig in 2006. He spoke about the experience on the BBC Radio Leeds breakfast show:
 Who fan John talks about the gig >
Audio and Video links on this page require Realplayer
|
The Who were at Leeds University on Saturday 17 June 2006. The original Live at Leeds album was recorded at the same venue in 1970. Photos: John Settle | 
