How The Who Ended Up With The Record For The Shortest Concert Ever

The Who made its reputation with its raucous live performances. The four-piece band that was part of the mid-1960s British Invasion was always wilder, louder, and more ferocious than its fellow musicians in the Beatles and even the Rolling Stones. With lead singer Roger Daltrey swinging his microphone wildly, Pete Townshend often smashing his guitars, drummer Keith Moon thrashing behind his kit, and bassist John Entwistle (known as "The Ox") keeping up with the rest of the band, they were rock 'n' roll personified.

The Who made it into the Guinness World Records for loudest band in the world in 1976, unseating fellow Brits Deep Purple and holding onto the record for nearly a decade. But the band still holds another Guinness World Record for a way less cool reason. In 2007, the two only living original members, Townshend and Daltrey, made up the reconstituted Who, which earned the dismal distinction of giving the shortest concert in history — just 13 seconds.

The Who formed in London in 1964 and would go on to become one of the most influential bands in rock history. A big part of this came through the band's loud, electrifying, and sometimes chaotic live shows. One of these mayhem-filled performances was caught live on the American counterculture-centered television show "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in 1967. Toward the end of performing "My Generation," Pete Townshend began smashing his guitar into an amp, while Keith Moon set off explosives that caught Townshend's hair on fire and damaged his hearing.

Whether it was the Who's epic performance at Woodstock or the tragic 1979 stampede outside one of the band's disastrous concerts in Cincinnati that ended with 11 dead and dozens injured, the group was forever linked with its live shows. The Who stayed together after the death of Keith Moon from an accidental drug overdose in 1978, with drummer Kenney Jones replacing him until the band broke up in 1982. Over the years, Townshend, Daltrey, and John Entwistle would get back together for tours. By 2007, Entwistle was dead, and the two remaining members of the band had reunited once again for a series of live performances — including one in Tampa, Florida that would earn them a Guinness World Record. 

On the night of March 13, 2007, the Who took the stage at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Florida to around 9,000 screaming fans. Pete Townshend began playing the chords to their 1965 song "I Can't Explain." It was the first single the band ever released, but that night, it was their last song. Actually, they didn't get much farther than the opening chords. Roger Daltrey, without singing a note, walked off stage. Townsend stopped the song, and the concert was over a total of 13 seconds in. Daltrey had just realized he couldn't sing due to bronchitis.

Townshend left the stage and came back a few minutes later. ​​"I just talked to Roger, and he can barely speak," Townsend told the disappointed crowd (via the Florence Morning News). "I tried to get him to come out here, but he's really, really sick." Townshend announced a makeup date set for two weeks later. The Who returned on March 25 and put on a nearly two-hour performance. Daltrey's voice had recovered enough for him to perform, although he admitted he wasn't at his peak. "I might hit some bum notes tonight, but what I have is yours," he told the crowd (via the Tampa Bay Times). "And if everyone sings along, no one will give a (bleep) anyway." While the Who did right by its fans in Tampa, the band still holds the title for shortest music concert in history.