The Who planned an America tour in support of Who Are You before Keith Moon’s death. They pressed on the next year with Faces drummer Kenny Jones and assorted sidemen.
This Chicago show was broadcast on closed circuit teevee across the country. It was 1979’s version of a live stream.
Kenny Jones was the worst possible replacement for Moon. Bland, and way too controlled (IMHO).
The only drummer who even comes close is Zak Starkey, and he was much too young to have stepped in after Moon’s death. I’m glad they did join up with him later on, though.
Townshend didn’t want another Moon. His stock line on him is “Keith was more fun to listen to than to play with.”
I saw them play Reunion Arena on that tour. Funny story, I was, in those days, a (extremely bad) teacher of high school mathematics in nearby suburb Duncanville. My daughter was three and we lived across the street from a relatively new family, the patriarch an exec with American Airlines. Their only child was Sheila the carpet-bagging valedictorian at our local high school who came with them as a junior. They were from Minneapolis.
I got two nosebleed tickets, and ended up with a sign trying to sell them in my yard. It turned out that Sheila was not only a brainiac, but was also a big fan who once flew unescorted from MSP to San Francisco to see a show. So, I took her. When the doobies came down the row, she passed and I passed, me being a responsible adult and all, her for her own, undisclosed reasons.
I thought of that night when I saw the first Daltrey mic fling/catch. Good times.