“Quadrophenia” is one of my favorite Who albums, so when I saw they were touring and performing the album in its entirety, I didn’t even hesitate. My friend Jim also wanted to go, so we got the general admission field tickets, which were pretty cheap. We figured we would get there early and snag a decent spot, which was what we did.
Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ was the opening act. I had not seen them before, but I had heard of them. They were good; better than your average opener. But I was definitely stoked to see The Who.
How to describe the energy when the band kicked in to “The Real Me”? Words fail me. John Entwistle was all over that bass with his spider fingers. “The Real Me” was my buddy Jim’s favorite Who song, so he was instantly blown away.
The rest of the show was nothing short of excellent. They played through all of “Quadrophenia” and then returned for an encore which was actually more like a second set. They even tossed in some Who silliness and played a little bit of “It’s a Small World,” conjuring the Disney energy of being in Florida.
But what stands out the most for me about this particular show was the very end… the last note of “Who Are You.” Pete took his guitar and slammed in into the stage. While this was not the wanton guitar destruction of yore, it was the only time I saw Townsend “smash” a guitar on stage. It is one of those iconic rock images that is burned into the collective rock and roll consciousness.
I would see The Who perform Quadrophenia again years later, after Entwistle’s death. That show was great for other reasons, but this one has a warm spot in my heart.
Here is the full setlist. “Long Live Rock!”
Quadrophenia
- I Am the Sea
- The Real Me
- Quadrophenia
- Cut My Hair
- The Punk and the Godfather
- I’m One
- The Dirty Jobs
- Helpless Dancer
- Is It in My Head?
- I’ve Had Enough
- 5:15
- Sea and Sand
- Drowned
- Bell Boy
- Doctor Jimmy
- The Rock
- Love, Reign O’er Me
Encore
- I’m the Face
- Won’t Get Fooled Again
- Behind Blue Eyes
- Substitute
- I Can’t Explain
- It’s a Small World ([Disney] cover) (Partial; sung by Roger)
- The Kids Are Alright
- Who Are You
The Stub Collection 
Cool review ,the fact that Pete still took that guitar and slammed it down is what u want as the Who was built on stage destruction…Nice to see at least in 1987 Pete still had some stage rage in him…
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Yeah. If memory serves me correct (big if), this was the final show of the tour, which may have inspired him to put a little extra in there. Hope all is well. Thanks for stopping by. Rock on!
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Wow. What a great set. I saw them 20 years later than this but they did a mini Quadrophenia set in the middle of the show. Still amazing live. Roger’s voice seems to be getting better and better
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No doubt! Roger is one of the greatest rock singers of all time. They are touring again this year, but nowhere near to me. Oh well, still have some great memories. Cheers!
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Great story, as usual, Jeff! I’ve only seen videos of the guitar-smashing…
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Yeah, I’ve seen The Who quite a few times, and that was the only time. They are always great in concert.
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We saw them a couple of months after John Entwistle died (’02 I think?). They were still great, but dang his presence was missed.
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Agreed. He was a monster on the bass.
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