When the band did a sound check, fans waiting outside thought that the concert had already started and tried to force their way inside. A bottleneck situation ensued, and the crush became deadly, killing 11 fans. The Who were not told until after the show because civic authorities feared crowd problems if the concert were cancelled. The following evening, in Buffalo, New York, Daltrey told the crowd that the band had "lost a lot of family last night and this show's for them."

Do you really think I care
What you eat or what you wear
Won't you join together with the band
There's a million ways to laugh
Ev'ry one's a path

During the 1973 Quadrophenia tour, at the Who's U.S. debut at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, drummer Keith Moon ingested a mixture of tranquilizers and brandy. During the concert, Moon passed out on his drum kit during "Won't Get Fooled Again." The band stopped playing, and a group of roadies carried Moon offstage. They gave him a shower and an injection of cortisone, sending him back onstage after a thirty-minute delay. Moon passed out again during "Magic Bus," and was again removed from the stage. The band continued without him for several songs before Townshend asked, "Can anyone play the drums? I mean somebody good?" A drummer in the audience, Scot Halpin, came up and played the rest of the show.

At a 1976 concert at the Valley, the band hit a record 120 decibels. The feat got them featured in the Guinness Book of Records, but was soon topped by several other bands. Eventually Guinness World Record stopped listing this record to discourage bands from damaging their fans' eardrums.

Police determined that there were 32 clomethiazole pills in Moon's system. Six were digested, sufficient to cause his death; the other 26 were undigested when he died.

Hey little girl who's dancing so lightly,
My XKE is shining so brightly,
The noose around us is slowly tightening,
I'm gonna show you why they call me lightning

Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey joined the Who in 1996. Starkey had been given a drum kit by former Who drummer Keith Moon (whom he called "Uncle Keith") before his death.

Entwistle died in Room 658 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada, on 27 June 2002, one day before the scheduled first show of the Who's 2002 United States tour. The Clark County medical examiner determined that his death was due to a heart attack induced by a cocaine overdose.

"Summertime Blues" was co-written by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. The Who covered the song on their 1970 album Live at Leeds. The single from this album peaked at number 38 in the UK and number 27 in the US.

Daltrey took a break in 1980 to work on the film McVicar, in which he played the lead role of bank robber John McVicar.