Rhode Island Venue Will Honour 1979 Who Tickets
The band are heading back to Providence for the first time since cancelling a show 33 years ago
When The Who announced their Quadrophenia tour yesterday there was a date that probably stood out for some fans. The band are due to play at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on 26 February - the final date on their tour.
Billboard reports that the band haven't been back to Providence since a gig was cancelled there in 1979 by Mayor Buddy Cianci following the tragic deaths of 11 fans at a Who concert in Cincinnati. But now fans who still have their ticket to that original show at the Providence Civic Center - now known as the Dunkin Donuts Center - will be able to finally use it.
General Manager Lawrence Lepore said on Thursday the venue will honour tickets from the canceled 1979 show. Lepore said many ticketholders got refunds for the cancelled show in 1979, but others may have held on to their tickets as memorabilia.
"Somewhere, someplace, someone's got it stashed," he said. "The question is, are they willing to give that up? If they are, we're willing to take it."
The highest price ticket at the 1979 show was $14, Lepore said. Tickets for February's show range from $57.50 to $127.50.
Lepore said 1979 ticketholders can call his office to make the exchange. Any 1979 tickets redeemed will be donated to help raise money for the Special Olympics of Rhode Island.