Ahead of their highly anticipated farewell tour, The Who are set to release a new live album, Live At The Oval 1971. The album is the first-ever official recording of The Who’s set at ‘Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangladesh,’ held on The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, South London on September 18th, 1971. The album is available to order in multiple formats, including CD and a limited edition splatter vinyl.
Previously only available as a poor-quality bootleg, this legendary show has never received an official release until now. At that show, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon performed a 15-song setlist highlighted with staples such as “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard,” and more for an audience of over 35,000 people.
Live At The Oval 1971 has been newly mixed from the original 8-track analogue multi-track tapes. At the time of recording, the band had released Who’s Next only a month prior on August 2nd, 1971. Five songs from the iconic album were included on the setlist. Already renowned for their unpredictable performances, the show concluded with Townshend and Moon smashing their equipment.
In August, the group will embark on their “The Song is Over” farewell tour. The North American tour, named after The Who’s 1971 song of the same name, kicks off in Newark, N.J., on August 19th before continuing onto cities including New York City, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles, and more. “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets, and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere,” Townshend said in a press release.
Order The Who’s Live at the Oval 1971 now.
