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On This Day in 1966, Pete Townshend Smashed His Guitar Into Keith Moon During a Chaotic Onstage Brawl Inadvertently Sparked by a Beach Boy
On this day (May 20) in 1966, the Who were playing the Ricky-Tick club in Windsor, England, as part of a long string of gigs across the United Kingdom. They were also playing host to Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston. Two members’ decision to party with Johnston led to them showing up late for the Ricky-Tick gig. Before the night ended, the concert turned into an all-out brawl in front of a packed house.
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As the story goes, drummer Keith Moon was a fan of Johnston. So, he chose to spend the day hanging out with the Beach Boy. Guitarist John Entwistle tagged along. The trio went to the studio where the show Ready Steady Go was taped and helped the visitor land a TV interview. Then, they started drinking and using various other substances.
Back at the Ricky-Tick club, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were left waiting for their bandmates to arrive. When it became clear that Moon and Entwistle weren’t going to be there on time, they started without them. They enlisted members of the evening’s opening band to fill their slots. According to Far Out Magazine, Colin Strandring and Geoff Brown of The Jimmy Brown Sound took over on bass and drums, respectively.
About halfway through the Who’s set, Entwistle and Moon finally arrived with Johnston and a healthy buzz in tow. They angrily took their places on the stage, and tempers began to simmer. Moon yelled at Townshend for letting someone else use his drums. The guitarist shot back with a dig about Moon’s tardiness.
The Who’s Nightly Ritual Turns into a Brawl
By 1966, the Who were known for destroying their instruments at the end of their concerts. On the night in question, it seemed like the perfect way to vent some of their frustrations. Then, Keith Moon kicked over his drum kit, and the cymbal crashed into Pete Townshend’s leg. The guitarist, now more angry than ever, threw his guitar at a speaker. His aim was off. Instead of hitting the speaker, his guitar connected with Moon’s head.
“I wasn’t hurt,” Townshend wrote in his biography. “Just annoyed and upset. Keith and John had been over two hours late. Then, I swung out with my guitar, not really meaning to hit Keith. I lost my grip on the instrument, and it just caught him on the head.”
Intentions aside, the blow was the first in the all-out brawl that broke out in front of the crowd. The curtain quickly came down, and the announcer assured everyone that it was “all part of the show.”
Fortunately, the fight ended quickly, and no one was seriously hurt. Moon, who got the worst of it, walked away with a black eye and other bumps and bruises. However, the brawl didn’t ease tensions within the band.
A Short Breakup
Word of the fight spread quickly. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the brawl made the front page of NME. The story included Keith Moon’s announcement that he and John Entwistle were leaving the Who.
The breakup didn’t last, though. Entwistle was back on stage with the band a day later. Moon, on the other hand, stayed away a little longer. He spent a week looking for other bands to join, including the Animals and the Small Faces. However, he ultimately chose to return to the fold.
Keith Moon and John Entwistle continued to play with the Who until they died in 1978 and 2002, respectively.
Featured Image by Koh Hasebe/Getty Images
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