This song was first performed live at the Gaumont State Cinema , Kilburn on 15 December 1977 , albeit without synthesizers and only a portion of the lyrics . This can be seen in the DVD '' At Kilburn 1977 Live at the Coliseum '' . Despite that being the first performance , this song had its roots in jams in the band 's 1976 concerts , most notably at Maple Leaf Gardens , Toronto on 21 October 1976 , drummer Keith Moon 's last North American appearance with The Who , where the band played a very early version of the song with Townshend on vocals . The first live performance with synthesizers ( via a backing tape of the same synthesizer track found on the studio version of the song ) was at the Rainbow Theatre , London on 2 May 1979 , which was also Kenney Jones 's first live show with the band . Since then , it has remained a staple for their live shows . The Who opened their segment of The Concert for New York City on 20 October 2001 with the song and performed a medley featuring the song in Super Bowl XLIV . They also used the song to begin their set at 12-12-12 : The Concert for Sandy Relief on 12 December 2012 . In later performances , Roger Daltrey also plays acoustic rhythm guitar
1976 concerts
The Who Tour 1976
Who Are You (song)