“This is for them….. ”
Buffalo 1979. The first show after the Cincinnati tragedy.
The Who concert disaster occurred on December 3, 1979 when British rock band The Who performed at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati Ohio, and a stampede of concert-goers outside the coliseum’s entry doors resulted in the deaths of eleven people. The concert was a sellout, with 18,348 tickets sold. The majority of these, 14,770, were unassigned general admission tickets that were first come first in. A few hours before the show, a sizeable crowd had already gathered at the front of the arena. Entry to the arena was through a series of individual doors all along the front of the arena, as well as a few doors at each side. The crowd focused at each of the doors. The doors were not opened at the scheduled time, causing the crowd to become increasingly agitated and impatient. During this period, the Who undertook a late soundcheck. Some members of the crowd heard this and mistakenly believed that the concert was starting. The concert went on as planned, with the band members not told of the tragedy until after their performance . The incident was the subject of a book, Are The Kids All Right? The Rock Generation And Its Hidden Death Wish, as well as a second-season episode of WKRP Radio in Cincinnati called “In Concert”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJPUFwu2eM
The Who, by all accounts, were devastated: “There’s no words to say what I feel,” Daltrey told Cincinnati rock station WEBN. “I’m a parent as well. I’ve got a boy of 15, and two little girls. All I can say is: I’m sorry for what’s happened.” Townshend added, “For us, it’s deeply, deeply painful, because we live off these kids. They’re our bread and butter.”
The Fat Angel Sings 