11 March 2025 - Memoir of The Who Concert - Thursday, 11 March 1976

Thursday,  11th of  March 1976 is an exceedingly memorable day of extraordinary music for me. At that time I was enrolled at the Massapequa Park High School, Long Island, New York in my freshman year. While there I heard that The Who were performing live in concert at the Madison Square Garden in New York which was originally scheduled for the 10th, but instead moved to Thursday the 11th of March 1976. 

As soon as the box office opened the tickets had been already sold out. I felt rather disappointed there were not any tickets left. Still, I was so immensely keen on seeing The Who that out of pure luck a boy friend of mine from my high school and I took the train from Massapequa Park Station to Penn Station in New York, then after arriving there walked on the sidewalk along 8th avenue to scalp tickets, exclaiming 'Who tickets, Who tickets, Who tickets ! ' Luckly we found a seller whom charged us 3 times the original cost for mezzanine seating at the Madison Square Garden.  Having seats in the front row of the mezzanine section in the middle section turned out to be a fairly descent view from the left side facing the stage (although I would have prefered front row seats in the orchestra section.)   

After the warm up band played and The Who entered the stage, all of the excitement began. The audiance lights were dimmed, the stage lights were bright and The Who were performing: Pete Townshend playing guitar while doing various 'acrobats' and dancing; Roger Daltrey singing while dancing; Keith Moon playing on several drums while swinging his arms; and John Entwistle on bass standing rather still.

I was completely exhilerated for the 2 to 3 hours, with intermission and encore, in which The Who performed . In evitably, I experienced a state of ecstacy, and what I perceived as spiritual musical fulfillment. The volume of the music became increasingly loud, yet the sound of the music was great! The light show was spectacular. I felt a strong connection to The Who and the audience whom had, including me, a deep reverence of love for The Who through their music which brought this incredible congragation of 20,000 people together. The experience of The Who's live concert was extraordinarily transcendant!

When The Who's live concert ended after their encore, the exuberance which I experienced during the performance slowly wore off. Still, I had once last burst of excitement while exiting and passing the bright lighted stage where The Who performed. I distinctly remember saying out loud in so many words "I wonder what it would be like performing on stage in front of 20,000 people? It must be great!"

In essence this musical experience brought a sence of meaning to my life. From then on, The Who have been like an Avatar whom has always journeyed with me as a source of guidance in a world of music. Nonetheless, music has cultivated a positive well being in me, and has been an inspiration in many genres of rock music, orchestral music, classical music, and even opera. Music is quite enlightening!

Below are some videos and reveiws of The Who in Concert at the Madison Square Garden held on Thursday, 11 March 1976:

Videos:

The Who in Concert (excerpt) 11 March 1976 

The Who in Concert 11 March 1976 (1:53) 

The Who in Concert 11 March 1976 (1:53) 

Reviews:

New York Times Review 13 March 1976