The Who took the stage in Cincy last night for the first time since 11 people were killed in a stampede back in December 1979. The band, not knowing what had just happened, took to the stage that fateful night…but before they stepped on stage last night? They reminded everyone that the loss weighs as heavily on their hearts today – as it has always weighed on the Queen City.
- “It’s been a long time coming but finally, here we are back in Cincinnati,” they offered via socials prior to the show “We can’t wait to be back on stage and seeing so many of our friends from this great city. It’ll be quite an emotional night for everyone but we hope it’ll be a good one full of love, respect and healing.”
- Posting on Twitter, the band offered a picture of the historic marker and wrote: “May we ask you to pause for a moment today and give some thought for the following young people who lost their lives in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979.”
Once on stage the band focused on the music, but never strayed far from what they came to do: give fans the music, and healing they wanted. And that healing vibe included a number of tributes – such as the names of those lost in lights running around the stadium perimeter during a performance of “Join Together.”
For the record, those people were:
- Walter Adams, Jr., aged 22
- Peter Bowes, aged 18
- Connie Sue Burns, aged 21
- Jacqueline Eckerle, aged 15
- David Heck, aged 19
- Teva Rae Ladd, aged 27
- Karen Morrison, aged 15
- Stephan Preston, aged 19
- Philip Snyder, aged 20
- Bryan Wagner, aged 17
- James Warmoth, aged 21
Photo: Getty Images