Our Mini-Woodstock

The fans came from all directions, crossing the Chain of Rocks Bridge on Interstate 270, and shortly thereafter abandoning their cars on the side of the road to walk the last several miles to the festival. They were there to experience the power of Live at Leeds and bits from the rock opera Tommy. For the masses, this would be their first exposure to the brilliance of Who’s Next performed live. For everyone, it was a show against which all other rock concerts would be measured.

The Who at The Mississippi River Festival, Page 78

 

The Who at MRF

Radio Rich Dalton best summed up the show: “The best concert, and I’ve been to thousands of concerts, but I think easily the best concert that I’ve been to, the most mystical night was the Mississippi River Festival and it was when The Who and Wishbone Ash played. It was unbelievable. I caught a drumstick from Keith Moon.”

Rich worked for the student radio station so he was able to interview Keith Moon after the show. “He was very quiet and docile, and very nice to me. One of the things I recall about it, this was 1971 and Tommy had been the previous album. And somebody asked about Tommy. Moon said, ‘If I was at a party and somebody put Tommy on the turntable, I’d take it off and smash it.’

“Pete smashed an SG that night. I asked Keith Moon, ‘How was it for you tonight?’ He said, ‘Pete smashed one, didn’t he? He hasn’t done that in a while.’ ”

Rich Dalton, Pages 80 & 82

Jim Solomon's Photos

Jim Solomon was at the Mississippi River Festival with a local photographer, Bill Coby. who was a photo editor for the Post Dispatch. "We got there a couple hours before the show and roamed around until the music started," remembered Jim. "Then we moved into position up front by a big tent pole and hung out. It was a historical concert for a lot of reasons. Biggest crowd they'd ever had. The band was having monsterous growth both musically and their fan base. This was as tight as I'd ever seen them. [Pete] did smash his guitar and Keith demolished his drum set as well. The crowd went nuts! I'm not 100% sure but I remember the stage to only be elevated a couple of feet so the crowd was seated for most of the show. It would have been only at the very end of the show that they got on the seats. The seats were the old directors chairs with canvas backs and bottoms so they were difficult to stand on for very long. The entire experience that evening was electrifying. Most of the crowd appeared dazed as they left to go home."

You can view Jim's magnificant chronicle of the event in the icons to the upper left.

 

“All the sudden I saw Keith Moon and John standing out on the balcony [of the Edwardsville Holiday Inn] walking around and having fun. I asked where my girlfriend was and all of the sudden Pete took my feet and John took my arms and I was off the ground. They were pulling me, playing tug-of-war, like a piece of meat. Looking back on it, I was so naive.

Denise Purcell, Page 86