"This picture of The Who was taken in San Francisco in 1976. At this show, Roger Daltrey had swung the microphone closer and closer to my head because he thought I was stepping on the monitor's speaker cables. And a roadie came out to get me, saved my life, and told me that Roger would kill me if I stayed in the pit. And if you swing a 10-pound microphone at the end of a long cable, you'll be killed if it hits you in the head.

So I went to the back of the stage to the first balcony and filmed the rest of the set looking down. That's why this shot has a weird angle, but I captured this really cool moment when Pete flew into the air and Roger turned around and you can see the expressions on the faces of the fans in the front row, and they're completely there in the show." -NEAL

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The Story behind the Picture - by Neal Preston



Neal Preston - Exhilarated and Exhausted

BOOK TIP

Neal Preston is one of the greatest rock photographers of all time. "Exhilarated and Exhausted" is an unrestricted retrospective of his 40-year career. This was produced in collaboration with Neal and is the first time he has granted unrestricted access to his legendary archive – it is considered one of the most important and extensive photo collections in the music industry. This extraordinary band is a who's who of rock kings.

Neal has been the official tour photographer for Led Zeppelin, Queen, Bruce Springsteen and The Who, and has also photographed extensively the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and many more.

The book includes his portraits, backstage moments, live performances, post-performance highs and lows, and outtakes. Neal's photographs vibrate with a palpable and inimitable intensity. Neal is a true insider, and the images are brought to life by his liner text – a stunning insight into life as a rock 'n' roll photographer on tour.