25th anniversary reunion tour

In 1989, the Who embarked on a 25th anniversary The Kids Are Alright reunion tour as a 15-piece band comprising Daltrey, Townshend and Entwistle with Bundrick, drummer Simon Phillips , percussionist Jody Linscott , guitarist Steve “Boltz” Bolton , a horn section of Simon Clarke, Simon Gardner, Roddy Lorimer , Tim Saunders and Neil Sidwell, and backing singers Chyna Gordon, Billy Nicholls and Cleveland Watkiss. Townshend had announced in 1987 that he suffered from tinnitus and alternated acoustic, rhythm and lead guitar to preserve his hearing. Their two shows at Sullivan Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts , sold 100,000 tickets in less than eight hours, beating previous records set there by U2 and David Bowie . The tour was briefly marred at a gig in Tacoma, Washington, where Townshend injured his hand on-stage. Some critics disliked the tour’s over-produced and expanded line-up, calling it “the Who on Ice”; Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the tour “tarnished the reputation of the Who almost irreparably”. Entwistle was also critical of the inclusion of so many musicians. Some shows on the tour included complete performances of Tommy with guests such as Phil Collins , Billy Idol and Elton John .