Tragedy struck The Who and the music industry 40 years ago tonight -- December 3rd, 1979 -- when 11 people were trampled to death while trying to enter the band's show through two turnstiles at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.
The show went on with the band unaware of what happened until afterwards.
“You know, I’m still traumatized by it,” says Pete Townshend. “It’s a weird thing to have in your autobiography that, you know, 11 kids died at one of your concerts. It’s a strange, disturbing, heavy load to carry.”
And Roger Daltrey adds, “That dreadful night of the third of December became one of the worst dreams I’ve had in my life.”
The two, along with their longtime manager Bill Curbishley-- who witnessed the stampede and made the decision to go on with the show -- were interviewed earlier this year for The Night That Changed Rock, an hour-long documentary on the tragic events of that day, which airs tonight (Tuesday) on WCPO-TVin Cincinnati.
It will be streamed live at WCPO.com. A companion podcast will be available tomorrow (Wednesday).