Carnival of Soul

CINCINNATI — On the last night of what might be the final U.S. tour for British rock legends The Who, bandleader Pete Townshend marked a first with WCPO anchor Tanya O’Rourke: He sat for his first extended on-camera interview about what the band calls “The Cincinnati tragedy.”

“You know, I’m still traumatized by it,” he said.

Townshend’s bandmate, lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, and the band’s long-time manager, Bill Curbishley, also shared exclusive personal accounts with O’Rourke of what happened Dec. 3, 1979, when a frantic crowd crushed 11 young people to death outside a Who concert at Riverfront Coliseum. All of the victims died of asphyxiation.

RELATED: WCPO to air documentary marking 40 years since tragedy that killed 11 before The Who concert

The oldest victim that night was 27. The youngest was 15.

In WCPO’s documentary “The Who: The Night that Changed Rock,” Townshend, Daltrey, and Curbishley talk for the first time ever about how the event permanently changed rock music and the lives of many.

Here’s how you can watch:

• The 60-minute documentary will air on television on WCPO at 8 p.m. on the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, Dec. 3, and simultaneously stream live on wcpo.com.
• A companion podcast will be available Dec. 4, as well an expanded documentary on the WCPO app on streaming devices.
• Multiple in-depth stories can also be found here on WCPO.com starting Dec. 1.