10 Most Heartbreaking Tragedies In Rock Music
7. The Who's Cincinnati Disaster
From day one, the Who always wanted their music to mean more then just three chords. With the release of albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia, these original Mod rockers tore the entire rock scene apart, as songs flowed in a cycle that put them in line with operatic compositions. Though seeing this kind of musicality live felt like life and death for some fans, no one wanted it to actually get to those proportions.
Arriving at a show in Cincinnati, the policy of first-come first-serve ticket sales turned tragic when the Who officially arrived. As the fans waited outside, many started to mistake soundcheck for the actual concert, leading fans to rush the doors. Unable to get in, many fans were lost in the shuffle, leaving many injured and a few dead after being trampled by other over-eager concert goers.
Seeing how he built his band to be about the celebration of musical life, Pete Townshend was particularly shook by the incident, saying that he would have never played music again had he known what actually happened prior to the show. This culminated in a complete reworking of arena policies, where tickets had to be purchased beforehand and for a specific seat on the premises. While the sound of the Who can sound like these four guys unleashing war onstage, there was no way to expect this many actual casualties to result from a rock show.