As a musician, you sometimes fantasize about jamming with your musical heroes.
You’re not sure how it would ever come about. But you skip the how-you-get-there part and go right to the stage, where you’re providing the beat for Springsteen, a guitar solo for Paul McCartney or backing vocals for Aretha Franklin.
Eventually, you snap to and realize it’s a fun fantasy — a far-fetched dream.
Except in 1973 it did happen for a 19-year-old kid who went to see the Who in concert and wound up replacing drummer Keith Moon during the show’s final three songs.
It was the opening night of the band’s “Quadraphenia” tour in San Francisco. Thomas Scot Alpin and a buddy had paid a scalper for front row seats at the sold-out Cow Palace. And for the first 70 minutes, Alpin and his buddy watched the Who rock out in typical Who fashion.
But just as the British rockers launched into “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Moon — who had mixed whiskey and animal tranquilizers before the show — became woozy. By the end of the song, he had konked out, prompting roadies to carry him back stage and give him a shot of cortisone. Amazingly, he was back on stage within a half an hour. (This was Keith Moon, after all — no stranger to playing under the influence of something.)
But as the band played “Magic Bus,” Moon slumped over his drums a second time.
This time, when the roadies took him off stage, it was for good. Meanwhile, guitarist Pete Townshend, seeing his drummer exit the stage, stepped up to the mic and said: “Can anyone play the drums?”
It seemed like he was joking. But then he added: “I mean good.”
As Halpin recalled to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1996: “And my friend starts saying to the security guard, ‘He can play!’”
Legendary promoter Bill Graham heard the friend, went to Halpin and said, “Can you do it?”
And in a rush, Halpin was on stage in a surreal dream-come-true that would follow him the rest of his life.
“Townshend and Daltry look around, and they’re as surprised as I am,” Halpin told the Chronicle.
After a shot of brandy to ease his nerves, Halpin shook hands with Townshend and sat down behind Moon’s drum set as over 13,000 watched.
“Then I got really focused, and Townshend says to me, ‘I’m going to lead you. I’m going to cue you.’”
Then he went on to perform three songs with the Who — “Smokestack Lightning,” “Naked Eye” and “My Generation.” The crowd cheered wildly, probably no longer for the Who but for the stranger who came out of the crowd to join one of the greatest musical acts in the history of rock music.
And as they watched, the 19-year-old from Iowa pulled it off. He wasn’t Keith Moon, of course. But he didn’t screw up. He kept time. And he added some good riffs.
With the Who.
