During The Who’s 1973 Quadrophenia tour, on November 20th at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, Keith Moon took a large mixture of animal tranquillizers and chased it with brandy.

As the band crashed into the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again“, Moon slumped over his drums and passed out…

The roadies carried him backstage into the dressing room, where he was placed in a cold shower, given a cortisone shot and revived… After a half-hour’s delay, the show continued with “Magic Bus.”  The percussion of the song’s opening verses consisted only of Moon hitting two wooden blocks against one another.  However, when the drums were actually required, Moon only played for a few more minutes before passing out again.  He was taken backstage and then to the hospital.

The collapse happens at the 3:15 mark…

Meanwhile, Pete Townshend was enraged that the beginning of the tour was so disastrous that he shouted to the crowd,

“Hey, Can anybody out there play drums? I mean good. Any takers come up here onstage.”

Scot Halpin, a nineteen-year-old …, fought his way over to the security guards and tried to talk his way onstage… ‘It all happened really quick,’ Halpin told said. ‘I didn’t have time to think about it and get nervous.’  Townshend introduced him giving Halpin the time signature, and they were off.  The Who ran through two other songs, “Magic Bus” and “My Generation,” before finishing.” Scot said after the show that “I only played three numbers and I was dead”, there energy was staggering.

Here’s shots at Halpin filling in for Moon.

Scot Halpin (February 3, 1954 February 9, 2008), in 1973 he was awarded Rolling Stone magazine’s “Pick-Up Player of the Year Award” for his historic performance during this show.

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