Little Drummer Boy

I really wanna know

I really wanna know

Who are you?

-The Who

In 1973, Dale City, California kicked off the opening night of The Who’s Quardrphenia tour. Drummer Keith Moon’s body was never confused with a holy temple. An incredibly exhuberant percussionist, he took little ownership in his body and led a self-destructive lifestyle. It has been said that Keith swallowed anything handed to him without question. Before the concert at the Cow Palace, he had trouble digesting the elephant tranquilizer he washed down with brandy. He collapsed unconscious over his drum kit during “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and was carried off the stage by roadies.

A short intermission followed for the fans, a cold shower for Keith Moon. He somehow returned to the stage under his own recognizance but, as you might expect, he could not rock on. He fell unconscious again before getting through the next song. Pete Townsend grabbed the microphone and with a “show must go on” creedo he asked if anyone in the audience could play the drums, play the drums real good. Working off a scalped ticket from the parking lot no less, Scot Halpin worked his way to the front of the stage. On stage, there was no time for practice. Halprin positioned himself and aptly finished the set banging Keith Moon’s drums.

Scott never pursued music as a profession. He died of a brain tumor at the age of fifty-four. Scott might have left the planet the way he left the stage that night…arm and arm with members of one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. Sometimes it is better to leave them wanting more.