So I had this idea in my head that I’ve been tossing around and basically it goes if you could pick 10 dates and places to visit in the past, where would you go? I picked 10 because apparently that’s the most popular number that there is when it comes to making lists. So over the next 10 or so days I will write the day, the place and explain why I want to go there. Now I am ignoring the butterfly effect and simply choosing events that I would like to have witnessed firsthand. Also just to keep things grounded; I can only name specific dates and places and not be vague and say that I want to go back and see a dinosaur cause I don’t; shit is scary. Please also be aware that the dates are not ranked in order.

So without further ado:

1. December 15th, 1975 – Philadelphia – The Spectrum

Believe it or not the first concert I ever went to was The Who in 2002. It was a month or so after beloved bassist John “The Ox” Entwistle died and I wasn’t even supposed to go to the concert. My Dad introduced The Who to my neighbor who got tickets to the show only after my Uncle had promised he got a ticket for himself and my dad. Low and behold Uncle P was lying and there were only 3 tickets. I told my Dad repeatedly to go but he made me go instead and I am forever grateful. He turned me from a casual classic rock and music fan into a concert junkie. Even with only two original members the godfathers of punk rock put on an unbelievable show. The show was also memorable because I saw my Uncle get chased by security and smoke a bong with a guy in a wheelchair.

Since that day I’ve been to many concerts and I’ve seen The Who each time they stopped in Philly for a total of five times. Unfortunately I will never get to see all four members together on stage as Entwistle died in 2002 and the drummer Keith Moon left us in 1978. The last time that all four band members played together on stage in Philadelphia was December 15th, 1975 at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Now I’ve seen two shows at the Spectrum and they were amazing and I cannot begin to fathom the energy that was produced on stage that night. Watching videos of the four working together on stage, Moon pounding away on the drums, Roger belting out each line like it was his last, Entwistle quietly but powerfully keeping the band on beat and of course the unmistakable sound and playing style of Townshend on guitar will never compare to seeing the four playing together live.