The Who - Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

Incendiary concert and a career overview

There were clearly no local authority curfews when The Who rocked out in front of 600,000 on the Isle Of Wight, not hitting the stage until gone 2am. Murray Lerner’s respected movie has undergone a glorious digital transfer and captures the group at the very height of their powers: a performance still regarded by long-time fans as their best ever. The up-close cinéma vérité style, free of today’s flashy camera trickery, puts the viewer front and centre; arguably a little too close to John Entwistle’s awful skeleton jumpsuit and Roger Daltrey’s fringed suede jacket! You get the impression that you’re sitting directly under Keith Moon’s cymbals, and it’s hard not to get carried away with its sheer energy.

Eagle Rock | EREDV 610

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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