In 1978, Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia reflected on The Who's live shows, offering a pointed but respectful critique rather than outright criticism. He noted that after sharing bills with The Who at Oakland Coliseum Stadium in 1976, Pete Townshend had confided that the band had been performing essentially the same set for four years, leaving them feeling creatively stuck despite their formidable reputation as a live act.

Garcia's comments centred on The Who's reliance on established favourites, including an eight-song block from Tommy, even while nominally touring their more introspective 1975 album The Who By Numbers, whose personal and acoustic-leaning songs were largely sidelined in favour of arena staples like 'Baba O'Riley' and 'My Generation'. He argued this repetition wasn't a sign of progress and that the band were capable of far better, contrasting this with the Grateful Dead's own approach of constantly varying setlists and stretching songs through improvisation; contemporary reviews of The Who's shows similarly noted the tension between their exhilarating performances and their lack of new material.