Pete Townshend Releases ‘Live In Concert 1985-2001’ Box Set
by Best Classic Bands Staff
For the first time, all the Pete Townshend live shows, originally released on Eel Pie, have been compiled in one place to create an expanded complete live 14-CD box set. The seven double albums in the Pete Townshend Live In Concert 1985-2001 set via UMe have been newly mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley, and have not been available since 2002. The box set arrived on October 4, 2024. The collection is available in the U.K. here and in the U.S. here.
The set, first announced on June 5, features some of Townshend‘s most loved live shows over the years, featuring songs from The Who as well as his solo catalog. Watch and listen to several performances below along with the complete track listing.
The box set features rare photos and concert memorabilia in a full color 28-page book. The book also includes sleeve notes by archivist Matt Kent and a new exclusive foreword from Townshend. Order your copy before it sells out, and enjoy a rare chance to listen to plenty of Who favorites, songs from Pete’s solo catalogue, plus some great jazz and rock standards.
The live shows included in the box set are Townshend’s Deep End live at Brixton Academy in London recorded on November 1-2, 1985 and featuring David Gilmour of Pink Floyd on guitar.
There’s also a live full rendition of Townshend’s album Psychoderelict and more recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, on August 7, 1993 during his only full solo tour.
Also included: an intimate show from The Fillmore in San Francisco on April 30, 1996 around the time of his first solo compilation album, CoolWalkingSmoothTalkingStraightSmokingFireStoking, his return to his old stomping ground for the first time in 30 years for a live show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, November 9, 1998; two nights at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, usually home to ballet and modern dance, presenting music from Life House. (It was the only time a full Life House show has been attempted and the only time some of those songs were ever performed.) It concludes with two shows from the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California (where the Tommy musical first ran) on June 22-23, 2001.
Brixton Academy – November 1-2, 1985
Disc: 1
1 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand
2 Won’t Get Fooled Again
3 A Little Is Enough
4 Secondhand Love
5 That’s Alright Mama
6 Behind Blue Eyes
7 The Shout
8 Harlem Shuffle
9 Barefootin’
10 After The Fire
11 Love On the Air
12 Midnight Lover
13 Blue Light
14 I Put a Spell on You
15 I’m One
Disc: 2
1 Driftin’
2 Magic Bus
3 Save It for Later
4 Eyesight To the Blind
5 Walkin’
6 Stop Hurting People
7 The Sea Refuses No River
8 Boogie Stop Shuffle
9 Face The Face
10 Pinball Wizard
11 Give Blood
12 Night Train
Brooklyn Academy of Music – August 7, 1993
Disc: 3
1 Intro
2 English Boy
3 Meher Baba M3
4 Let’s Get Pretentious
5 Meher Baba M4 [Signal Box]
6 Early Morning Dreams
7 I Want That Thing
8 Intro: Outlive the Dinosaur
9 Outlive The Dinosaur
10 Gridlife
11 Flame [Demo]
12 Now And Then
13 I Am Afraid
14 Gridlife 2
15 Don’t Try to Make Me Real
16 Intro: Predictable
17 Predictable
18 Flame
19 Meher Baba M5 [Vivaldi]
20 Fake It
21 Intro: Now and Then [Reprise]
22 Now And Then [Reprise]
23 Baba O’Riley [Demo]
24 English Boy [Reprise]
Disc: 4
1 Pinball Wizard / See Me Feel Me / Listening to You
2 Let My Love Open the Door
3 Rough Boys
4 Behind Blue Eyes
5 The Kids Are Alright
6 Keep Me Turning
7 Eminence Front
8 A Little Is Enough
9 You Better You Bet
10 Face The Face
11 Won’t Get Fooled Again / Let’s See Action
12 Magic Bus
The Fillmore – April 30, 1996
Disc: 5
1 Let My Love Open the Door
2 English Boy
3 Drowned
4 The Shout
5 I Put a Spell on You
6 Cut My Hair
7 Sheraton Gibson
8 I’m One
9 Heart To Hang Onto
10 Parvardigar
11 A Legal Matter
Disc: 6
1 A Friend Is a Friend
2 I Am an Animal
3 All Shall Be Well
4 Slit Skirts
5 Eyesight To the Blind
6 Driftin’ Blues
7 Now And Then
8 Rough Boys
9 I’m A Boy
10 Magic Bus
The Empire – November 9, 1998
Disc: 7
1 On The Road Again
2 A Little Is Enough
3 Pinball Wizard
4 Drowned
5 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
6 You Better You Bet
7 Behind Blue Eyes
8 Baby Don’t You Do It
9 English Boy
10 Three Steps to Heaven
11 Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand
12 Sheraton Gibson
13 Substitute
14 I Am an Animal
15 North Country Girl
Disc: 8
1 (She’s A) Sensation
2 A Friend Is a Friend
3 Now And Then
4 Let My Love Open the Door
5 Who Are You
6 The Kids Are Alright
7 Acid Queen
8 Won’t Get Fooled Again
9 Magic Bus
10 I’m One
Sadler’s Wells – February 25-26, 2000
Disc: 9
1 One Note
2 Purcell (Quick Movement)
3 Teenage Wasteland
4 TIme Is Passing
5 Love Ain’t For Keeping
6 Goin’ Mobile
7 Greyhound Girl
8 Tragedy
9 Mary
10 I Don’t Even Know Myself
11 Bargain
12 Gettin’ In Tune
13 Pure And Easy
Disc: 10
1 Baba O’Riley – Orchestral
2 Baba O’Riley
3 Hinterland Rag
4 Behind Blue Eyes
5 Let’s See Action
6 Sister Disco
7 Relay
8 Who Are You
9 Join Together
10 Won’t Get Fooled Again
11 Tragedy Explained
12 The Song Is Over
13 Can You Help The One You Really Love?
La Jolla Playhouse – June 22, 2001
Disc: 11
1 Pinball Wizard
2 Let My Love Open the Door
3 Heart To Hang Onto
4 Cut My Hair
5 Slit Skirts
6 Drowned
7 Greyhound Girl
8 Tattoo
9 The Sea Refuses No River
Disc: 12
1 Saint James Infirmary
2 Eminence Front
3 Won’t Get Fooled Again
4 Behind Blue Eyes
5 Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)
La Jolla Playhouse – June 23, 2001
Disc: 13
1 Pinball Wizard
2 Let My Love Open the Door
3 Heart To Hang Onto
4 Cut My Hair
5 Slit Skirts
6 Drowned
7 Greyhound Girl
8 Tattoo
9 Collings
10 Eminence Front
Disc: 14
1 Sheraton Gibson
2 Won’t Get Fooled Again
3 I’m One
4 Behind Blue Eyes
5 Driftin’ Blues
6 Eyesight To the Blind
7 Won’t Get Fooled Again (Electric)
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationYeah every classic rock band is now rushing to release old previously unreleasable live sets because their producers can use AI to separate & clean up tracks. Now they sound “perfect”, but nothing like they actually did decades ago.