Pete Townshend on memories of The Who at Monterey Pop Festival – and the moment he decided to quit drugs

Pete Townshend has shared his memories of The Who playing at the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, and the subsequent moment he “decided not to do drugs any more”. 

• Read More: Pete Townshend tells us about his new Quadrophenia ballet and the future of The Who

The UK rock legends were speaking last week at the launch of their 2025 North American ‘The Song Is Over’ farewell tour when they discussed their relationship to the US. They noted how their album and musical Tommy and appearing at the iconic Woodstock “really cemented the band into American pop culture,” while also noting their place in history at performing at the legendary Monterey International Pop Festival.

They performed alongside the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Simon And Garfunkel, The Mamas And The Papas, The Byrds and many more at the first festival of its kind and one which many saw as the forerunner to the summer of love.

“My memories of Monterey are very mixed, because Jimi Hendrix was on the bill,” Townshend told the press conference gathered at London’s Iconic Images Gallery last week. “I’d followed him with a bunch of other guitar players like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. We’d been to see all of Jimi’s early London shows; he did about 20 shows in about three weeks – all of them were spectacular and mind-fucking in a way.

“Then we heard that he was playing Monterey as well, and the word was that he planned to smash his guitar, which he’d never done before. I was very, very nervous, but it was actually a very beautiful event. I remember Brian Jones was there – he flipped a coin as to whether Jimi went on before we went on. I felt it was wrong for The Who to go on after Jimi because he was a superior performer. I still feel that. He was certainly a better guitar player; I won’t say he sang better than Roger [Daltrey, frontman] because he didn’t.”

The guitarist continued: “It came up that we would go on before Jimi – which I was relieved about – so I was in the audience, sitting next to Mama Cass when Jimi went on. She grabbed me and went, ‘He’s doing your thing!’ I wish it was true.”

However, said Townshend, things took a turn for the worse on his journey home.

“The other thing that happened to me was on the way back, which was a little more spectacular,” he added. “I was given a little pill by The Grateful Dead’s chemist called STP. For the whole trip of the flight on the way back, I was looking over at Rog [Daltrey, frontman] who looked like an angel, and looking over at the air hostess who looked like a little pig.

“I got back, landed in the UK in the middle of the hippie era and decided not to do drugs any more.”

With tickets to The Who’s North American farewell tour on sale from Friday (May 16), the band have cast doubt over the chances of them saying goodbye to fans with any future shows in the UK or Europe.

Last week’s press conference also saw Townshend discuss why he’s “not crazy about touring” and “doesn’t have a relationship with the guitar“.

The post Pete Townshend on memories of The Who at Monterey Pop Festival – and the moment he decided to quit drugs appeared first on NME.