The Who returned to Cincinnati last night for the first time since December 3, 1979, when eleven people died in a stampede before their concert. As The Who played their song “Love, Reign O’er Me,” the faces of all eleven victims appeared on video screens.
May we ask you to pause for a moment today and give some thought for the following young people who lost their lives in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979. pic.twitter.com/2pGQG5c4wL
— The Who (@TheWho) May 15, 2022
Proceeds go to charity
In addition, the band donates all proceeds from the show to local charities, including a scholarship fund at nearby Finneytown High School, where three of the 11 victims attended school. The PEM Memorial Scholarship Fund provides college scholarships to graduates of Finneytown High School. The organization bears the initials of the surnames of the three victims, Stephan Preston, Jackie Eckerle and Karen Morrison.
Also, a band made up of Finneytown High School alumni called Safe Passage opened the show, and current Finneytown students joined the Who as part of the orchestra and choir.
Fred Wittenbaum, the fund’s organizer, told Local 12 that he’s been working to bring The Who back to Cincinnati for nearly a decade. Most recently, a show was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Beforehand, Wittenbaum compared the completion of the event to climbing Mount Everest.