And That’s How You Save Rock N’ Roll
In November 1973, a kid named Scot Halpin sold tickets to a The Who concert in San Francisco, California. Upon selling tickets, something amusing happened. He winded saving the show and played the drums for the band that night — his name ended up to be known as “the fan who saved Keith Moon” and that name never been forgotten in the annals of rock n’ roll.
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The Who came to California in support of their top charts album called “Quadrophenia,” but during that night, Keith Moon got nervous without any reason, though maybe because it was their first show in American soil in two years. Before the concert even started, Keith Moon was having a problem, he even vomited. He took some tranquilizers to calm his nerves down, and it worked, but along the way, the drugs took effect, and Moon’s drumming became sloppy and slow.
Halfway through “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” he fell onto his drumset and was out cold. Roadies tried to bring him back, so along the way, The Who to play as a tiro. Of course, Keith Moon still wanted to play, but when he returned, shortly after he collapsed again, that they decided to head him off to the hospital.
A 19-year-old kid watched the whole thing from near the stage. He told to an NPR interviewer:
“My friend got real excited when he saw that [Moon was going to pass out again]. And he started telling the security guy, you know, this guy can help out. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere comes Bill Graham,” the great concert promoter. Graham asked Halpin straight up, “Can you do it?,” and Halpin shot back “yes.”
When Pete Townshend asked the crowd, “Can anybody play the drums?”
Halpin climbed up the stage, settled into the drumset and confidently played the blues jam Smoke Stacked Lighting” that soon segued into “Spoonful.” Halfway to testing the kid out, he went on to play with the band until he was physically spent.
It was unbelievable!
Watch the video and be amazed, keep going for the video below: