Timeline The Who: Maximum R&B

Smashed guitars, rock operas and the loudest band in the world — The Who from the London mod clubs to the Super Bowl.

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Dashed left edge = started before this timeline · Dashed right edge = still ongoing

The Who: Maximum R&B 19

1964 The Detours become The Who Shepherd's Bush, London Daltrey, Townshend and Entwistle rename their band. Keith Moon joins in the spring.
1964 The Who's Pete Townshend smashes his first guitar Railway Hotel, Harrow An accident with a low ceiling becomes the band's trademark act.
1965 The Who release My Generation Hope I die before I get old The stuttering mod anthem reaches number two in Britain.
1967 The Who play the Monterey Pop Festival American breakthrough Their instrument-destroying finale stuns the American audience.
1969 The Who release Tommy The first rock opera A double album about a deaf, dumb and blind pinball champion.
1969 The Who play Woodstock Dawn set Play Tommy as the sun rises — Townshend kicks Abbie Hoffman off the stage.
1970 The Who record Live at Leeds Leeds University Often called the greatest live rock album, released that May.
1971 The Who release Who's Next Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again Rescued from the abandoned Lifehouse project, with pioneering synthesizers.
1973 The Who release Quadrophenia Second rock opera A double album about a young mod in 1965 Brighton.
1975 The Who's Tommy released as a film Directed by Ken Russell With Roger Daltrey as Tommy, Elton John as the Pinball Wizard and Tina Turner.
1978 The Who's Keith Moon dies Aged 32 Dies of an overdose in London, weeks after the release of Who Are You.
1979 The Who concert crush in Cincinnati 11 fans killed A crowd crush at Riverfront Coliseum kills eleven people before the show.
1982 The Who's farewell tour First breakup A North American farewell tour, followed by a split in 1983.
1985 The Who reunite at Live Aid Wembley Stadium A one-off reunion with Kenney Jones on drums.
1990 The Who inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Inducted in their first year of eligibility.
2002 The Who's John Entwistle dies Las Vegas The bassist dies on the eve of a US tour, which goes ahead.
2006 The Who release Endless Wire First album in 24 years Their first studio album since It's Hard in 1982.
2010 The Who play the Super Bowl halftime show Super Bowl XLIV A medley of their hits at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.
2019 The Who release WHO Twelfth studio album Townshend and Daltrey's first album in 13 years.