List of The Who tours and performances

The following is an index of performances and tours by The Who. Click each year for full details, including history, setlists, and performance dates.

Year(s) Details
1962–1963 Then known as The Detours, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and John Entwistle perform with varying personnel in and around the London area.
1964 The group becomes The Who (and for a short period, The High Numbers), performing strictly in England. In May, drummer Keith Moon joins Daltrey, Townshend, and Entwistle, completing the band’s classic lineup. They release their first two singles, "Zoot Suit/I'm the Face" (as The High Numbers) "I Can't Explain".
1965 The band performs mostly in the United Kingdom, with a few dates in Paris and a short tour of Sweden. Supported releases include "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and My Generation (album and single).
1966 Performances mostly in the United Kingdom, with various short tours around Europe. Supported releases include "Substitute", "I'm a Boy", and A Quick One.
1967 Performances in the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as the band’s first trips to North America. Supported releases include "Pictures of Lily" and The Who Sell Out.
1968 Dates in the United Kingdom and tours of Australia/New Zealand and North America. Supported releases include The Who Sell Out and "Magic Bus".
1969 Various dates in the United Kingdom and three separate trips to North America; the group also performs its first opera house shows later in the year in support of Tommy.
1970 Opera house dates in Europe, as well as various dates and tours of the United Kingdom and the United States. Supported releases include Tommy and Live at Leeds, the latter recorded in February.
1971 A series of performances at the Young Vic in London for the Lifehouse project, as well as tours of the United Kingdom and the United States supporting Who's Next.
1972 A five-week European tour promoting Who's Next.
1973 One TV live special in the Netherlands early in the year, with tours of England and North America later in the year in support of Quadrophenia.
1974 A tour of France, sporadic dates in England, and four shows in New York, supporting Quadrophenia.
1975 Tours of the United Kingdom and North America supporting The Who By Numbers.
1976 Two tours of North America and sporadic dates in the United Kingdom and Europe, supporting The Who By Numbers. The group’s last tours with Keith Moon.
1977–1978 Two special performances in London filmed for The Kids Are Alright rockumentary, marking Keith Moon’s last performances before his death.
1979 New drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick join the band for a brief run of shows throughout Europe in the summer and fall and the New York metro area in September. These shows serve to reestablish the Who as a band. In the late autumn, the band undertake a short tour of the Midwest and Northeast promoting The Kids Are Alright and Quadrophenia films. Eleven fans die prior to a December show in Cincinnati.
1980 European warm-up dates and two tours of North America, supporting Who Are You.
1981 Tour of the United Kingdom and appearance on the German TV program Rockpalast, supporting Face Dances.
1982 Two warm-up shows in Birmingham, England, followed by two tours of North America, supporting It's Hard. Tim Gorman serves as the keyboardist for the year, while the group intends at the time for this to be their last tour. The live album Who's Last is recorded in North America.
1985 and 1988 The band reunites for short performances at Live Aid in 1985 and again for the 1988 BPI Awards, their last appearances with Kenney Jones.
1989 Reunion tours of North America and England with drummer Simon Phillips and several other supporting musicians and singers, including lead guitarist Steve Bolton. The live album Join Together and part of the Tommy and Quadrophenia Live DVD results.
1996–1997 The group reunites again for a charity show in Hyde Park with drummer Zak Starkey and a number of other support musicians for a full-scale performances of Quadrophenia; tours of North America and Europe follow. Part of the Tommy and Quadrophenia Live DVD is recorded.
1999 The band plays as a five-piece for the first time since 1982, including two acoustic shows for the Bridge School Benefit and two charity shows in Chicago, followed by two Christmas shows in London. The live albums The Vegas Job and Blues to the Bush are recorded.
2000 Tours of the United States and England, the last charity date in at the Royal Albert Hall in London released as a live album and DVD.
The Concert for New York City The group plays four songs at the benefit concert in New York following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
2002 Five shows in England early in the year mark the group’s final performances with John Entwistle. A North American tour commences with bassist Pino Palladino a few days after Entwistle’s death. The Encore Series 2002 includes all but two shows from the North American tour.
2004 A series of dates in the United Kingdom and the United States in addition to the band’s first trip to Japan and their first shows in Australia since 1968. Supporting the Then and Now compilation album, which included two new songs. Shows are chronicled in the Encore Series 2004.
2005 Charity acoustic performance in New York and an appearance at Live 8, the latter with bassist Damon Minchella and drummer Steve White filling in for Pino Palladino and Zak Starkey.
2006–2007 Tours of the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, supporting Endless Wire. Shows are chronicled in the Encore Series 2006 and 2007
2008–2009 Various shows in England and the United States as well as tours of North America, Japan, and New Zealand/Australia.
2010 The band is the featured act for the Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show. They also perform Quadrophenia for their Teenage Cancer Trust concert in London.
2011 A short performance in London for the Killing Cancer charity.