Who’s On First? (no label)
Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA – March 21st, 1976
Disc 1 (37:42): I Can’t Explain, Substitute, My Wife, Baba O’Riley, Squeeze Box, Behind Blue Eyes, Dreaming From The Waist, Magic Bus
Disc 2 (61:26): Amazing Journey, Sparks, The Acid Queen, Fiddle About, Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, Tommy’s Holiday Camp, We’re Not Gonna Take It, Summertime Blues, My Generation, Join Together, Roadrunner, Won’t Get Fooled Again. Bonus tracks, Boston Garden, Boston, MA – March 9th, 1976: I Can’t Explain, Substitute, Keith passes out
The Who toured the US two times in 1976. Who’s On First? contains a recording of the March 21st, 1976 show at the Big A in Anaheim during the final week of the spring tour. It was first released on vinyl on Haden Hock Records (and which also contained two studio outtakes, “Glow Girl” and “Girl Eyes”) and has never been available on compact disc.
The tape is very good but thin, betraying its source as an outdoor venue. Copied from vinyl, it is complete except for “We’re Not Gonna Take,” which is missing 2:08 of the second chorus and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” fades very quickly at the end.
The band didn’t substantially change the setlist on their final tours of the US. Anaheim begins with “I Can’t Explain” and “Substitute,” which Daltrey says are “two songs from 65.” There is a tremendous amount of movement in the crowd at the beginning.
An eyewitness writes that it was “the wildest crowd I have ever been a part of. The crowd was pushing and shoving so hard I remember being pulled from side to side and back to front with little or no control over what direction I was going.” Daltrey has to tell them to “cool out a bit, it’s a long show and you’ll all gonna get through it.”
The band are very loud (they would actually set the world record for loudness two months later in Charlton). An eyewitness to the show writes: “This show is reportedly one that took its toll on Pete’s hearing and I remember him wincing and rubbing his ear with his shoulder early in the set.”
Before “Dreaming From The Waist” Daltrey explains that Entwistle usually plays a bass solo but tonight “he has the wrong color underwear on.”
The Tommy suite in the second half of the show is played to perfection, offering the perfect narrative drama in an outdoor baseball stadium. The ending “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is what we can expect from an afternoon such as this. The audience cheer and scream along with Daltrey to bring the show to a crashing climax.
Bonus tracks are taken from the opening night in Boston. Keith Moon passed out after two songs and the show was rescheduled for the day after the final night of the tour. Boston 1976 was released recently, but this comes from another source with is substantially worse sounding.
Who’s On First? is a another very strong recent Who release on silver disc. Unlike the others, which are pressed from recently excavated tapes, this is from an old tape from its vinyl source. The manufactures faithfully copy the vinyl artwork, both front and back, on the top insert.
