The Who's manager, Bill Curbishley, talked about feeling emotional after the band's return to Cincinnati decades after the fatal concert.
After 43 years, The Who made a historic return to Cincinnati and held a concert at the TQL Stadium. The event became a memorial for the 11 fans who died during the band's show at the Heritage Bank Center, formerly Riverfront Coliseum, in 1979.
In a new interview with Billboard, The Who's longtime manager opened up about the "very, very emotional" life as they paid homage to the victims of the 1979 crowd rush.
"Firstly, the general feeling was one of emotion because of the many, many years gone by since then, so for all of us, it was the closing of a circle in quite a few different ways," he said after the two-hour event. "When I think about it - which I've been doing constantly for the last few days - so many people played a part in what happened, and it was a very, very emotional night for us."
According to Curbishley, Pete Townshend looked like he was struggling to find the right words to deliver at the beginning of the concert. Fortunately, he felt comfortable after continuing his statement.
Bill Curbishley Says Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Was Also Devastated
Aside from The Who, Eddie Vedder was also said to be devastated as the COVID-19 prevented him from supporting the rockers with an on-stage vocal cameo.
"Funnily enough, I was going to send Pete a note last night to tell him it's the last time I'll talk to you or Roger about Cincinnati and tell him a couple of things. As they were walking to the stage, he said, 'Bill I know how many difficult decisions you had to make that day,' and I thought, 'you don't know how many!'" the manager went on.
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For what it's worth, a video message from Eddie Vedder played on the screen, expressing his hope to be there in person. According to Pearl Jam rocker, everyone is thinking about the fans. He also noted how great it is to remember the young people they lost years ago.
The manager added that he never told the band how many people were injured and how many fans died on that night in 1979.
So in their recent concert, they paid homage to the 11 victims -- Walter Adams Jr., Peter Bowe, Connie Sue Burns, Jacqueline Eckerle, David Heck, Teva Rae Ladd, Karen Morrison, Stephan Preston, Philip Snyder, Bryan Wagner, and James Warmoth - by showing their images during The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" performance and displaying their names on ribbon screens.
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