The Who were one year and three months into their Tommy tour when they played their second engagement at the Isle of Wight Festival. As in 1969, they played most of their famous rock opera, which by this time was quite familiar to the festival crowd.
Huge spotlights bathed the audience of some 600,000 attendees, and as The Who’s tour manager John Woolf recalls, attracted “every moth and flying nocturnal animal on the island”. The Who started this famous concert at 2:00am.
By August 1970, Pete Townshend was already introducing new songs to the setlist including Water, I Don't Even Know Myself,and Naked Eye. These songs, which were being recorded at the time of the festival, were intended for the upcoming Lifehouse project. Although Lifehouse was eventually abandoned, the sessions paved the way for Who’s Next.
The Who also performed some live staples such as Substitute,My Generation Magic Bus, I Can't Explain and the perennial covers SUMMERTIME BLUES.
The original recording was made for the soundtrack of the film of The Who Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970; produced and directed by Murray Lerner.
Mixed by Andy MacPherson and Jon Astley.
Mastered by Jon Astley at Close To The Edge
DISC ONE
HEAVEN AND HELL
I CAN’T EXPLAIN
YOUNG MAN BLUES
I DON’T EVEN KNOW MYSELF
WATER
OVERTURE
IT’S A BOY
1921
AMAZING JOURNEY
SPARKS
EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND (THE HAWKER)
CHRISTMAS
DISC TWO
THE ACID QUEEN
PINBALL WIZARD
DO YOU THINK IT’S ALRIGHT?
FIDDLE ABOUT
TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME?
THERE’S A DOCTOR
GO TO THE MIRROR!
SMASH THE MIRROR
MIRACLE CURE
I’M FREE
TOMMY’S HOLIDAY CAMP
WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT
SUMMERTIME BLUES
SHAKIN’ ALL OVER / SPOONFUL / TWIST AND SHOUT
SUBSTITUTE
MY GENERATION
NAKED EYE
MAGIC BUS
On 30 Aug 1969, one year before, two weeks after the Woodstock festival, the second Isle Of Wight festival took place. Over 150,000 turned up over the two days to see Bob Dylan, The Band, Blodwyn Pig, Blonde On Blonde, Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band, Edgar Broughton Band, Joe Cocker, Aynsley Dunbar, Family, Fat Mattress, Julie Felix, Free, Gypsy, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Third Ear Band and The Who. Tickets 25 shillings, ($3.00). Celebrities who attended include Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, John & Yoko, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Jane Fonder, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.
