August 1946

New music releases: "Five Minutes More"/"Try A Little Tenderness" - Frank Sinatra; "South America, Take It Away" - Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters; "Laughing On The Outside (Crying on the Inside)" - Dorothy Squires

On the 23rd, Keith John Moon is released on an unsuspecting world by Kathleen and Alfred Moon of 224 Tokyngton Avenue, Wembley.

August 1961

New music releases: "Please Mr. Postman" - The Marvelettes; "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" - Elvis Presley; "Hit the Road Jack" - Ray Charles; Jump Up Calypso - Harry Belafonte

On the 23rd, the avant-garde artist Gustav Metzger releases his third Auto-Destructive Art manifesto "Auto-Destructive Art Machine Art Auto Creative Art": "The immediate objective is the creation, with the aid of computers, of works of art whose movements are programmed and include 'self-regulation'. The spectator, by means of electronic devices can have a direct bearing on the action of these works." Metzger will soon lecture at Pete's art college and his ideas will become a major influence on Pete's, and by extension The Who's, future artistic path.

August 1962

New music releases: Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole; "The Monster Mash" - Bobby Pickett; Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits - Roy Orbison; Kid Galahad EP - Elvis Presley

On the 9th, Pete's mom Betty reads an article in the Ealing and Acton Gazette about Bob Druce's successful dances at Acton's White Hart Hotel. She pressures Druce for an audition for her son's group. Druce agrees and The Detours audition for him at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford. They pass the audition and are signed to the Druce agency.

August 1963

New music releases: "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes; Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3 - Elvis Presley; "Blowin' in the Wind" - Bob Dylan; The Second Barbra Streisand Album - Barbra Streisand

On the 9th, the weekend starts here as ITV kicks off a show featuring the best in the new British pop sound. It airs early evening on Fridays and is called Ready Steady GO! During its three and a half year run, RSG! becomes a Mecca for the bands of the British Invasion, particularly The Who.

August 1964

New music releases: "Oh, Pretty Woman" - Roy Orbison; "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks; "Fly Me to the Moon" - Frank Sinatra; Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

On the 11th, The High Numbers return to the Railway Hotel for their first filmed recording. Kit Lambert shoots forty minutes of 16mm film of the band performing before dancing Mods. Apparently there was trouble that evening down at Roger's house. Right before the show, Roger's father-in-law drags Roger outside and hits him. Roger dons sunglasses for the shoot to cover up the black eye.

August 1965

New music releases: Help! - The Beatles; Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan; "A Lover's Concerto" - The Toys; "I'm Yours" - Elvis Presley

On the 6th, The Who drive to the Richmond Athletic Association Grounds to play the 5th National Jazz & Blues Festival. Also performing that night are The Yardbirds and The Moody Blues. This set also ends up on television, being filmed by ABC-TV (U.S.) for a December special Shindig Goes To London.

August 1966

New music releases: Revolver - The Beatles; Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan; "Reach Out I'll Be There" - Four Tops; "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles

On the 26th "I'm a Boy" backed with "In The City" is released in Europe. Reaction Records' ad for the single takes up the entire front cover of New Musical Express. Melody Maker's review says "Composer Townshend with producer Kit Lambert have gone to Spector-ish extremes, stirred with Brian Wilson, and topped the lot with pure Who. An exciting, deep, loud record with thundering bass and drums – and shattering guitar...an enormous hit." It goes to #2 in the official U.K. charts but reaches #1 for two weeks in the Melody Maker charts making it the de facto biggest U.K. single hit for The Who. U.S. Decca holds up its release in the States hoping for a U.S. tour to support the single.

August 1967

New music releases: "Never My Love" - The Association; Gentle on My Mind - Glen Campbell; The Byrds' Greatest Hits - The Byrds; Album 1700 - Peter, Paul & Mary

The night of the 23rd becomes one of the most famous and notorious nights in The Who's history. Unfortunately the reality doesn't quite match the legend. Premier Drums and Decca Records provide a cake for a celebration of Keith's 21st birthday at the Holiday Inn. The revelries turn into a food fight with the cake and then extends to the parking lot as cars are sprayed with fire extinguisher foam. When a sheriff comes to stop the shenanigans, Keith slips on some of the cake (or, according to Tom Wright, falls off the diving board into an swimming pool surprisingly empty in the middle of August) and knocks out a tooth.

August 1968

New music releases: "Hey Jude" - The Beatles; Cheap Thrills - Big Brother & The Holding Company; Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits - Frank Sinatra; "Piece of My Heart" - Big Brother & The Holding Company

On the 13th, The Who begin three nights at the Fillmore West in San Francisco with supporting acts the James Cotton Blues Band and Magic Sam. At 2am one of these nights Pete delivers a mammoth interview to Rolling Stone magazine, which they publish in two parts shortly afterwards. This often-reprinted interview details the plot of Pete's new rock opera, then called "Deaf, Dumb and Blind Boy," and Pete later has to refer back to the magazine for plot reminders throughout the recording of Tommy. The interview also establishes Pete as rock's greatest expounder on the new music's meaning and idealism.

August 1969

New music releases: "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley; Green River - Creedence Clearwater Revival; Santana - Santana; Blind Faith - Blind Faith

On the 16th The Who arrive by helicopter in Woodstock, New York for the Woodstock Festival. It is at this point that they are informed that the festival has been moved to Bethel, New York some forty miles away. The Who, along with Pete's wife Karen and infant daughter Emma and Roger's future wife Heather, set off by car. Pete: ""people coming up to me - 'You're going to Woodstock? You're crazy. Turn back, go home, there's millions of people there, the food's poisonous and the water...' We eventually got in a queue of cars it took about six hours to get there. Well, we got there and then we waited another ten hours in the mud; the first cup of coffee I had had acid in it. I could fucking taste it." Now that they are in a really bad mood, the promoters tell the band that, since Woodstock is now a "free festival", they do not have the money on hand to pay them but can write them a check. The Who will have none of it leading to a fourteen-hour standoff as The Who refuse to take the stage. Finally a bank manager is flown in by helicopter with money, the standoff ends, and The Who take the stage at 4AM. Pete lets out some of his fury by kicking Michael Wadleigh, on stage filming the acts as part of his documentary Woodstock. The Who then run quickly through "Heaven and Hell" and "I Can't Explain" before launching into Tommy. All the fury and tension come out through their instruments as The Who blaze through the rock opera in a spectacular performance captured by Wadleigh's cameras.

August 1970

New music releases: "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath; Close To You - The Carpenters; Gold - Neil Diamond; Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1 - Elvis Presley

On the 29th, The Who make their second appearance at the Isle Of Wight Festival, with one of the greatest ever line-ups including what would be the last performances of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. The promoters envision it as a British version of Woodstock. However an attempt to raise money to pay for the festival by keeping out non-paying attendees with fences and guard dogs turns into chaos as 600,000 people, nine-tenths of them not paying, descend on the music event. The fences are soon trampled, fans from France and Germany get blamed and the anger of those who demand a "free festival" reaches all the way to the stage. Some performers are booed or interrupted by hecklers. Fortunately for the well-being of the hecklers, none of them interfere with The Who's performance that begins around 3am Sunday morning. The Who roar through a two-hour set featuring a live Tommy. John wears a specially made skeleton suit (so tight he is unable to sit down while wearing it). Pete takes two things with him from the festival; the image of fences being torn down that will appear in the songs "Let's See Action" and "Put The Money Down" and the question of the purpose of music festivals that will become a theme in Life House.

August 1971

New music releases: A Space in Time - Ten Years After; "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - Joan Baez; "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" - Paul & Linda McCartney; "Superstar" - The Carpenters

On the 25th, Who's Next is finally released in the U.K. on Track Records, almost a full month after its U.S. release. It does better in the U.K. charts, reaching #1, the only time an album by The Who tops the charts in any country.

August 1972

New music releases: "Burning Love" - Elvis Presley; "Everybody Plays the Fool" - The Main Ingredient; "Back Stabbers" - O'Jays; "Black & White" - Three Dog Night

The Who head to the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden (24th) then back to the KB Hallen in Copenhagen (25th). The two KB Hallen dates in Copenhagen were originally scheduled as a double show on the 21st but the second show was moved to the 25th. At this show Pete plays an early version of "However Much I Booze." Also in Copenhagen, Keith punctures his waterbed, while trying to drag it out of his room, flooding an entire floor of his hotel.

August 1973

New music releases: Goat's Head Soup - The Rolling Stones; American Graffiti - Original Soundtrack; (Pronounced 'Leh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd; Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack

On the 15th, the initial stereo master of Quadrophenia is completed. The track order and names are: Side 1: "Can You See The Real Me", "Cut My Hair", "Drowned", "Quadrophenia", Side 2: "Punk in the Gutter", "Dirty Jobs", "Russian Dance", "I've Had Enough", Side 3: "5:15", "Sea and Sand", "I'm One", "Bell Boy", Side 4: "Dr. Jimmy", "Love Reign O'er Me", "Finale (The Rock)".

John, meanwhile, prepares stereo mixes of "Postcard," "Now I'm A Farmer," "I Don't Even Know Myself," "Water," "Naked Eye," "Pure and Easy," and "Too Much Of Anything" as potential tracks for Odds and Sods at Ramport and Nova Sound Studios.

August 1974

New music releases: So Far - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Can't Get Enough - Barry White; Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits - Alice Cooper; "Love Me for a Reason" - The Osmonds

On the 23rd, Keith Moon, having moved to California, celebrates his 28th birthday at a party at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Attending are Rod Stewart, Linda Blair, Linda Lovelace, Brian Wilson (barefoot and wearing a bathrobe) and 1500 others. MCA Records gives Keith the suit Robert Redford wore in the movie The Sting. The Stampeders perform, joined at one point by Keith, Jesse Ed Davis, Harry Nilsson, Nikki Barclay and Patti Quatro who perform terrible renditions of "Don't Worry Baby" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" before the hotel management pulls the plug to everyone's relief.

August 1975

New music releases: Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen; "Born to Run" - Bruce Springsteen; The Best of The Statler Bros. - The Statler Brothers; "Walk This Way" - Aerosmith

On the 9th, New Musical Express prints Roger's rebuttal to Pete's remarks in his interview of 31 May. Roger doesn't hold back: "I never read such a load of bullshit in all my life." He also adds that Pete "talked himself up his own ass." To Pete's charge that Roger thought rock 'n roll was just "making records, pulling birds, getting pissed and having a good time," Roger counters that the last few bad gigs The Who had done was because Pete, John and Keith had been "...out boozing and balling all night and by the time it got to the show at night they were physically incapable of doing a good show." The interview later appears in Creem magazine in the U.S.

August 1976

New music releases: Boston - Boston; "Dancing Queen" - ABBA; "Rock'N Me" - The Steve Miller Band; This One's For You - Barry Manilow

Also on the 9th, The whirlwind tour winds down at Miami Baseball Stadium, this venue only 200 shy of a sellout. Another show is penciled in at the venue for the 11th, but it has to be cancelled after Keith Moon goes on a drinking and drugging spree ending with his arrest for destroying his hotel room at the Fontainebleau and being found in an incoherent state. Who manager Bill Curbishley bails him out but has Keith immediately put into Hollywood Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, Florida for "psychiatric evaluation." With the extra time, the other members of The Who remain in Miami enjoying the sun and some deep-sea fishing before heading back to London. Keith is released from hospital on the 19th and flies home to Los Angeles.

August 1977

New music releases: Live - Foghat; The Elvis Presley Story - Elvis Presley; "You Light Up My Life" - Debby Boone; "Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstadt

For several years, Shepperton Studios had been renting their studios as rehearsal space for The Who and other major British groups. It was one of the few ways for British film studios to make money during the dire 1970s. The Who, looking for an investment to save some of their money from the current tax rate in the 90 percentile, offer to enter into a partnership with Shepperton, to purchase a long-term lease for Shepperton's stages J and K for £350,000, and make further investments in the studio's sound, video, and laser equipment. On the 2nd, Shepperton's stockholders approve the plan, giving a shot in the arm to the studio and the moribund British film industry. The biggest movie made during The Who's time at the studio will be Alien (1979) where the set designers will borrow The Who's stage lasers for a scene in the aliens' nest.

August 1978

New music releases: Don't Look Back - Boston; Who Are You - The Who; "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" - Meat Loaf; "Lights" - Journey

On the 18th, Who Are You is released in Britain. Charles Shaar Murray in New Musical Express praises the band for recognizing their age and not trying to latch onto the punk rock sound. Chris Welch in Melody Maker says the record has few of the fireworks of previous Who records. Who Are You peaks at #6 on the U.K. charts.

August 1979

New music releases: Off The Wall - Michael Jackson; In Through The Out Door - Led Zeppelin; "Don't Bring Me Down" - Electric Light Orchestra; Mickey Mouse Disco - Walt Disney

On the 16th, the movie version of Quadrophenia goes into general release. Arriving just as the retro-Mod movement is reaching its peak in the U.K., Quadrophenia the movie becomes a cult favorite and provides a collection of iconic scenes that will have influence in Britain decades later. Sting begins his acting career with this movie and a host of future British movie and television actors such as Ray Winstone, Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash and Philip Davis get their start here.

August 1980

New music releases: "Another One Bites the Dust" - Queen; "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC; Crimes of Passion - Pat Benatar; Give Me the Night - George Benson

The soundtrack album to Roger's film McVicar hits the U.S. charts on the 16th (it reaches #22 there) and the British charts on the 23rd (where it peaks at #39). The listing of performers on the sleeve shows that all the present members of The Who play on the record, but there is no information about which tracks they are on or whether they play any songs as a unit. Paulo Hewitt in Melody Maker pans it saying it sounds like Who Are You rejects. People magazine likes the harder-rocking songs, but finds the ballads too tame.

August 1981

New music releases: Tattoo You - The Rolling Stones; Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) - Willie Nelson; "Burnin' for You" - Blue Öyster Cult; The Innocent Age - Dan Fogelberg

John Entwistle is interviewed in Rolling Stone. He talks about Too Late The Hero, explains why he doesn't like Face Dances and says the only Who album he listens to a great deal is Live At Leeds.

August 1982

New music releases: Upstairs at Eric's - Yaz; "Give It Up" - KC & The Sunshine Band; "Gypsy" - Fleetwood Mac; Heartlight - Neil Diamond

On the 20th, Roger, without the other members, holds a press conference in New York to announce The Who's upcoming North American tour. He says it will "probably" be the group's last tour because touring is "getting too big" and takes too much time "to make them profitable". However, The Who are not breaking up and will continue to record together. On the following day, the entire band participates in a joint press conference over radio. Having announced it as a "farewell tour," Roger jokes that, "this is our first farewell tour." 67,000 tickets are sold for their Shea Stadium show in five hours and a second show there is added.

August 1983

New music releases: An Innocent Man - Billy Joel; "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton; Greatest Hits - Air Supply; "Red Red Wine" - UB-40

On the 6th, Cash Box reports that Pete has said there will be no final Who concert in Britain. As Cash Box reports it, "Other members of the group would like to do one more gig together, but Townshend has made the decision to go against them." They also say that The Who's road crew and office staff have been let go earlier this month.

August 1985

New music releases: Scarecrow - John Mellencamp; "Running Up That Hill" - Kate Bush; Primitive Love - The Miami Sound Machine; "Saving All My Love for You" - Whitney Houston

Pete's short story collection Horse's Neck is published in the U.S. In the New York Times, reviewer Michiko Kakutani calls the writing "muddled" and too bitter. In another review there, Janet Maslin calls it sincere but also thinks it is written in an obfuscatory style. More favorable reviews come from Newsweek, Creem magazine, Greil Marcus in the Washington Post Book World.

August 1987

New music releases: Bad - Michael Jackson; Hysteria - Def Leppard; Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith; The Top Ten Hits - Elvis Presley

On the 15th, Billboard reports that John Entwistle and his new group The Rock are about to release their self-titled album that will be followed by a tour. Having finished the album almost a year before, John blames the delays on his former band. "I think the Who has become an albatross to us all. It feels like I'm trapped within The Who, and it doesn't even exist anymore." The tour with The Rock never happens and the album is not released for another nine years.

August 1989

New music releases: Sleeping With the Past - Elton John; "Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode; Steel Wheels - The Rolling Stones; "Pump Up the Jam" - Technotronic

On the 24th, The Who participate in their second all-star version of Tommy at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Elton John plays the Pinball Wizard, Phil Collins is Uncle Ernie, Billy Idol is Cousin Kevin, Steve Winwood is the Hawker and Patti Labelle is the Acid Queen. Front row seats go for a ticket price of $1500. All but $50 of that (all but $25 of the cheaper seats) goes to the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation. The show is simulcast on pay-per-view to over sixty countries.

August 1992

New music releases: Unplugged - Eric Clapton; Timeless: The Classics - Michael Bolton; New Miserable Experience - Gin Blossoms; Beyond the Season - Garth Brooks

On the 8th, Billboard has an interview with Roger about his solo album Rocks in the Head. He says Pete told him "I'm really proud of you. You've done great lyrics."

August 1993

New music releases: Music Box - Mariah Carey; In Pieces - Garth Brooks; Tuesday Night Music Club - Sheryl Crow; River of Dreams - Billy Joel

Pete continues his multi-media tour of Psychoderelict. On the 2nd and 3rd he is in Berkeley, California at The Community Center. On the second night Broadway's Tommy Michael Cerveris joins Pete onstage to sing "Pinball Wizard" and "Save It For Later." He also appears at Pete's show the next night at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego at a charity benefit for the La Jolla Playhouse where the Tommy musical began.

August 1994

New music releases: II - Boyz II Men; Definitely Maybe - Oasis; "Juicy" - The Notorious B.I.G.; The Three Tenors in Concert 1994 - The Three Tenors

On the 2nd, Roger and John perform "You Better You Bet" on The Tonight Show with Simon Townshend and Zak Starkey.

August 1995

New music releases: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill; "Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio featuring L.V.; "Fantasy" - Mariah Carey; "Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)" - Los Del Rio

John Entwistle and Zak Starkey spend the month continuing their tour with Zak's dad, Ringo Starr, through the U.S. The tour is abruptly cancelled on the 23rd after Ringo's daughter Lee becomes seriously ill.

August 1997

New music releases: Be Here Now - Oasis; The Dance - Fleetwood Mac; "Everlong" - Foo Fighters; My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra

AintItCoolNews.com reveals that Pete's project for a musical film of The Iron Man has been taken over by young ex-Disney animator Brad Bird. Bird has decided to drop Pete's songs, re-set the movie in America in the 1950's and rename it The Iron Giant. Pete will be credited as executive producer on the finished film.

August 1998

New music releases: Devil Without a Cause - Kid Rock; "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith; Follow the Leader - Korn; "Kiss Me" - Sixpence None the Richer

During the month, Roger continues performing as front man for the British Rock Symphony on its North American tour. Meanwhile, the John Entwistle Band continue their "Left For Dead - The Sequel" tour. Shortly after both end their tours, Pete shows up in America to begin his own solo mini-tour. Pete has a band backing him but the drummer is replaced with a rhythm box. More importantly, these are the first shows since the early 1980's in which Pete plays electric guitar more often than acoustic.

August 1999

New music releases: Fly - The Chicks; Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera; "Heartbreaker" - Mariah Carey; "Creed" - Higher

On the 27th, Pete and Roger meet to discuss what they are going to play as The Who at the Nov. 13th House of Blues show in Chicago.

August 2000

New music releases: Hotshot - Shaggy; Sing When You're Winning - Robbie Williams; Born to Do It - Craig David; Coyote Ugly - Various Artists

On the 14th, The Who kick off the second leg of their North American tour at the Hollywood Bowl after canceling a planned date at the Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona. Cary Elwes, Joe Walsh and Nicholas Cage are in the audience. Before the show Pete and The Who are the subject of a Pete "video diary".

August 2001

New music releases: "Chop Suey!" - System of a Down; 8701 - Usher; "U Got It Bad" - Usher; Come Clean - Puddle of Mudd

On the 12th, Pete writes a letter to the Observer about an excerpt from John Strausbaugh's book Rock 'Til You Drop that dubs rockers performing past the age of 50 "colostomy rock": "Maybe his 'colostomy rockers' sneer will come to haunt him in the shape of a bag worn at the hip. If it is me who has the privilege of wearing one, it will give me the greatest pleasure to empty the exquisite thing over his miserable head."

August 2002

New music releases: A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay; Home - The Chicks; Gotta Get Thru This - Daniel Bedingfield; Angels with Dirty Faces - Sugababes

On the 30th, in an interview in The Times, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones has this to say about The Who continuing without John Entwistle: "...I was glad they carried on. It's real showbiz, like a vaudeville tradition. I find it intriguing that old 'trousers' Townshend and Daltrey still have a certain desire to get out there and do it. And good fucking luck, they're not shabby at what they do."

August 2003

New music releases: Greatest Hits, Vol. II - Alan Jackson; Final Straw - Snow Patrol; "Hey Ya!" - Outkast; "P.I.M.P." - 50 Cent featuring Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck

Immediately prior to the 9th, Roger is at the Schiele Museum in Gastonia, North Carolina filming an episode of The History Channel's Extreme History concerning life as a caveman. He eats ants dug up with an antelope horn and floats around the museum pool on a bamboo raft. After he climbs out, he heads to Vancouver to shoot the next episode. At the end of the month, he is spotted shooting an episode on the U.S. Brig Niagara, a 19th-century square-rigged, two-masted warship at Erie, Pennsylvania.

August 2004

New music releases: "My Boo" - Usher and Alicia Keys; "All These Things That I've Done" - The Killers; Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw; Genius Loves Company - Ray Charles

Finished in Australia, The Who jump to mid-Pacific for shows at the Balsidell Arena in Honolulu on the 3rd and the A&B Amphitheatre in Maui on the 4th.

August 2006

New music releases: "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood; "Rockstar" - Nickleback; "Chelsea Dagger" - The Fratellis; Back to Basics - Christina Aguilera

On the 24th, Hamish at Pete Townshend's website says Pete has finished mastering the new Who album. Billboard announces the new Who album's title will be Endless Wire and it will be released Oct. 31 on Universal Republic.

August 2009

New music releases: "Party in the U.S.A." - Miley Cyrus; "Hey, Soul Sister" - Train; "TiK ToK" - Kesha; "Need You Now" - Lady A

On the 3rd, Roger Daltrey is interviewed in Billboard. He announces that he will soon be touring with a new solo band made up of keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button, drummer Scott Devours and guitarist and musical director Frank Simes. The tour, in reference to Roger's voice, will be called the Use It Or Lose It tour.

August 2012

New music releases: "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line; "Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz; "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift; "I Will Wait" - Mumford & Sons

On the 12th, The Who perform a six-minute medley of "Baba O'Riley", "See Me Feel Me" and "My Generation" for the London Olympics Closing Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in London. Earlier The Kaiser Chiefs play "Pinball Wizard" as the lead singer arrives on a Union Jack decorated scooter. NBC-TV in the U.S. fumbles The Who's performance, delaying it until after midnight to show the premiere of a soon-to-be-cancelled sitcom and local news. The album A Symphony of British Music, including The Who's performance, is available for download the following day. Over the next week, "Baba O'Riley", "Pinball Wizard" and "My Generation" all enter the British Top 200 singles.

August 2013

New music releases: "All of Me" - John Legend; "Roar" - Katy Perry; "Hold On, We're Going Home" - Drake featuring Majid Jordan; "Wrecking Ball" - Miley Cyrus

On the 12th, Roger receives a $5,000 check for Teen Cancer America at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. FSE president Jeff Victor announces that the street will soon feature a 3D Viva Vision Show with a seven-minute light show playing three Who songs on the giant LED screens over the street.

August 2015

New music releases: "What Do You Mean?" - Justin Bieber; "The Sound of Silence" - Disturbed; "White Iverson" - Post Malone; Beauty Behind the Madness - The Weeknd

On the 3rd, Roger accepts a £250,000 cheque at The Close House Golf Club, near Newcastle for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The money was raised by March of the Mods.

August 2017

New music releases: "Havana" - Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug; "The Way Life Goes" - Lil Uzi Vert featuring Oh Wonder; "Silence" - Marshmello featuring Khalid; "I Get the Bag" - Gucci Mane featuring Migos

The Who continue their residency at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas on the nights of the 1st, 4th, 7th, 9th, and the 11th.

August 2018

New music releases: "Sicko Mode" - Travis Scott featuring Drake; "Happier" - Marshmello featuring Bastille; "Moonlight" - XXXTentacion; "Sweet but Psycho" - Ava Max

On the 17th, Roger and his solo band provide the entertainment at a backyard concert in the Los Angeles area as a fundraiser for Teen Cancer America. Jewel, Don McLean, Van Morrison, Ben Vereen, and Ed Sheeran perform, director Judd Apatow is the Master of Ceremonies and Howie Mandel is the auctioneer. Tickets run from $4,000 to $100,000.

August 2020

New Music Releases: "Save Your Tears" - The Weeknd; "WAP" - Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion; "Laugh Now, Cry Later" - Drake featuring Lil Durk; "Martin & Gina" - Polo G

On the 4th, in an interview in GQuk, Paul McCartney denies John Entwistle's story that The Beatles sang obscene versions of their songs while performing after The High Numbers in 1964. "I think that this one is just some legend. It would be a good story, 'tho."

On the 8th, The Who launch "Join Together@Home," a YouTube channel featuring archival Who performances. It opens with part of their 1982 Shea Stadium performance.

On the same day, Roger spends an hour answering questions from fans at thewho.com via home video uplink. Richard Evans conducts.

On the 14th, Pete apologizes after temporarily disabling his Instagram account: "I am very well. Happy. Life is good. But I am in a period of writers' block around music and I think I need to have fewer distractions."

On a webcast of The Mads Are Back, a spinoff of movie-riffing Mystery Science Theater 3000, the 1959 horror film The Tingler is shown. In it Vincent Price is introduced to woman who is not blind, but is deaf & mute. "So, are you somewhat good at pinball?" is the following riff.

On the 29th, a newly restored and expanded 2-LP version of Odds and Sods is released for a Covid-19 delayed Record Store Day.

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