Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
The Who Plans 1st Cincinnati Area Concert Since ’79 Tragedy
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
December 4, 2019

Share

CINCINNATI — The rock band The Who announced Tuesday night it will play its first Cincinnati area concert since 11 fans died 40 years ago in a pre-show stampede.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band will play April 23 at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena, across the Ohio River 7 miles south of the Dec. 3, 1979, concert site, where another two dozen people were injured Dec. 3, 1979, amid confusion and lack of preparation for thousands of fans lined up for hours for first-come seats.

“Now we can have a conversation about it when we go back.”The Who guitarist Pete Townshend
The announcement came after WCPO-TV in Cincinnati aired a Tuesday night documentary featuring interviews with lead singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, the remaining original members of the British band that emerged in the 1960s featuring songs of youthful rebellion such as “My Generation” and its “Summertime Blues” cover.
Both have said they’ve been haunted by the tragedy. Townshend recently told The Associated Press he was looking forward to discussing it in Cincinnati.
“Now we can have a conversation about it when we go back,” Townshend said.
FILE – In this Dec. 3, 1979 file photo, a security guard and an unidentified man look at an area where several people were killed as they were caught in a surging crowd entering Cincinnati’s riverfront coliseum for a concert by the British rock band The Who. (AP Photo/Brian Horton, File)

The Band Is Adding the Concert to Its ‘Moving On!’ Tour 2020 Dates

“We will meet people and we’ll be there. We’ll be there. That’s what’s important,” he said. “I’m so glad that we’ve got this opportunity to go back.”

“Despite everything, I still feel inadequate. I don’t know about the guys, but for me, I left a little bit of my soul in Cincinnati.”The Who manager Bill Curbishley
The band is adding the concert to its “Moving On!” tour 2020 dates.
The Who said it will donate a portion of proceeds from the Cincinnati area concert to a memorial scholarship fund benefiting students in the Cincinnati suburb of Finneytown. Daltrey visited a Finneytown High School memorial site in 2018 and the band has for years supported the scholarship effort there. Three of the 11 killed, including two 15-year-old girls who were the youngest victims, had attended Finneytown High.
The band didn’t know about the tragedy until the concert was ending. Longtime manager Bill Curbishley had made the decision to have the show go on, warning Cincinnati authorities that they wouldn’t be able to control the crowd if the concert was called off.
“Despite everything, I still feel inadequate,” he told WCPO. “I don’t know about the guys, but for me, I left a little bit of my soul in Cincinnati.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

DON'T MISS

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

DON'T MISS

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

DON'T MISS

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

DON'T MISS

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

DON'T MISS

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

DON'T MISS

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Ecstasy and Bribery Accusations in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial Bolster Racketeering Charge

UP NEXT

Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Leads Record Box Office Over US Memorial Day Weekend

UP NEXT

No Yard? No Excuses—You Can Still Grow Your Own Food and Slash Your Grocery Bill

UP NEXT

How to Travel Without a Phone

UP NEXT

Explore the Wild Side of Route 66 With These Natural Wonders

UP NEXT

Billy Joel Cancels Touring After Being Diagnosed With a Brain Disorder

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

UP NEXT

Kid Cudi Says His Car Was Set on Fire Weeks After Sean Combs Broke into His Home

UP NEXT

Kim Kardashian Dons a Graduation Cap and Marches Closer to Becoming a Lawyer

UP NEXT

What Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

11 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

11 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

11 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

11 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

12 hours ago

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

12 hours ago

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

12 hours ago

Dealmaker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

12 hours ago

Fresno Will Build New Firehouse, Replacing ‘Temporary’ Station After 50 Years

12 hours ago

Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.

12 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

A Tulare County jury has convicted a Porterville man of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a home burglary in 2020, prosecutors said Thursda...

9 hours ago

Serafin Narcisco, 44, of Porterville, was convicted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a 2020 home burglary. (Tulare County SO)
9 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

9 hours ago

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

A man accused of stealing a City of Fresno vehicle was arrested Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Madera County after a pursuit that sparked small fires and ended with a crash. (Madera County SO)
10 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

11 hours ago

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

11 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

11 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

Tulare County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a double shooting in Goshen after two people were found wounded Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Tulare County SO)
11 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

12 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend