The Who, or Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, are set to take the worlds biggest stage this Sunday for Super Bowl XLIV at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida. One of the most anticipated spectacles of the year, the Super Bowl halftime show attracts more than 150 million viewers from more than 230 countries. Joining the ranks of U2, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, the Who will perform a 15-song medley of their classics during the 12-minute slot. Despite the mammoth reach of the halftime show, singer Roger Daltrey recently poked fun at the gig:
"It's an honor to do it, but it's only 12 minutes!" Daltrey told NME.com. "It's kind of weird! I suppose it gives people time to take a slash and that's about it. That's what you do at half-time isn't it?! You plan your toilet break!"
The Who's Super Bowl appearance at Dolphin Stadium certainly isn't their first stadium show. In October 1982 and August 1989, the classic rockers headlined San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium (now the Q). As a sophomore at San Diego State in 1989, I attended the second stadium show with my dorm buddy Devon Thaggard. To be quite honest, other than Townshend stomping on a giant spider prop during "Boris," I don't remember much of the show (again, we were SDSU students in the '80s). After poking around on the interweb, I found the following set list from Tte Who's Aug, 22, 1989, show at Jack Murphy Stadium:
- Overture
- 1921
- Amazing Journey
- Sparks
- Acid Queen
- Pinball Wizard
- We're Not Gonna Take It
- Eminence Front
- Let My Love Open the Door
- Face the Face
- I'm a Man
- I Can't Explain
- Substitute
- I Can See for Miles
- Trick of the Light
- Boris the Spider
- Who Are You
- Magic Bus
- Baba O'Riley
- My Generation
- A Little Is Enough
- 5.15
- Love Reign O'er Me
- Sister Disco
- Rough Boys
- Join Together
- You Better You Bet
- Behind Blue Eyes
- Won't Get Fooled Again
- Pictures of Lily
- Twist and Shout
The Who, who have been performing in San Diego since the late 1960s (including shows at the Sports Arena and Community Concourse), possess deep roots to our city. Specifically, Townshend and the La Jolla Playhouse teamed up together (in 1992) to produce the Tony award-winning musical Tommy (based on the iconic album). Several years later, Townshend returned to the Playhouse to play a two-night benefit show. A guest of Des McAnuff's at the time, it was one of the most incredible (live music) experiences of my life.
The Who perform in the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday.
