Three days after Roger Daltrey complained to the audience at New York's Madison Square Garden about being allergic to smoke, it was Pete Townshend's turn to make The Who's medical journal when he fell flat on his back during the opening to "Join Together" Thursday night in Nashville.
Brian Kehew, the band's keyboard tech writes in hisBackstage Blog, "I’m told smacked the guitar pretty hard... He popped up dazed, but functional... Afterward, he mentioned he’d been doing his best Mick Jagger impersonation... Pete also mentioned that people used to come to Who shows and bet on who might drop dead onstage! Could be tonight!!”
The Nashville show also saw the tour premiere of "You Better You Bet."
As for Daltrey's pot outburst at the Garden, Kehew writes, "For years this has happened, and it’s a never-ending problem – he tries to put up with it, but it doesn’t always work. We understand this is part of someone’s enjoyment for their expensive night out, same as someone else wanting a few beers to enjoy a show. But it really has an effect. We can tell onstage when it happens – the smell and the smoke is apparent – and there have been some people we’ve ejected for doing it, as smoking of any kind is still illegal in public places... This piece of the show got reported over and over in the media, so hopefully everyone has the message now – if you’re in the audience and see someone near you smoking pot, you have our permission to let them know – you don’t want your show stopped, tell them – Do It Outside!"
The Who take it outside Tuesday night at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, Illinois.