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On Sunday, the Who became the latest in a growing list of classic rockers — along with the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Prince — to play a Super Bowl halftime. Why did they do it, what was it like being onstage at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, and why a hits medley? For the answers, we went directly to the Who’s Pete Townshend the day after the performance. For more from Townshend, grab the next issue of Rolling Stone, on stands February 17th.

Relive the Who’s explosive Super Bowl set in photos.

What was your first reaction to being invited to play the Super Bowl?
I really wanted to do it. I felt it would be easy to do [chuckles]. I felt that doing this would be a great thing to do at this particular time because it would let people know that we’re alive and kicking and that Roger and I still do stuff together and intend to do whatever we can in the future together. You feel part of something that’s bigger than you and you feel part of a huge team. It’s a monster gig.

How did it feel being onstage, in the midst of that spectacle?
A couple of people said to me they could have done with more Who and less football. But I suppose it’s best if I tell the truth. I felt nothing. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a great big football stadium or a little club somewhere. As soon as I get close to a stage, I feel very at home and very safe and secure. It feels completely normal. When the NFL started to talk to us about this, one of the things they started to talk about was the numbers. I looked at Roger and looked at them and I said, “I’ve done a solo show in front of 80 million people on TV.” The abstract numbers make no difference.

I heard that Roger and Simon Townshend [Pete's brother and guitarist in the Who touring band] came up with the medley, not you.
That’s right. I thought we’d just do the CSI songs ["Won't Get Fooled Again," "Baba O'Riley," "Who Are You"]. My pitch was just to do three regular-length songs. We could fall back on what was very familiar. But Roger felt he needed something that gave him more narrative scope, as he described it. He and Simon and one of the lieutenants in the crew put together a track and surprisingly I thought it worked really well. Roger and I have a great relationship these days; it’s very warm and close. So I trusted him to do that job.

Were you wearing sunglasses up there?
No, I was wearing reading glasses. I like to be able to see the guitar.

What was it like finally experiencing an American football game?
English people still find the rules almost incomprehensible, like Americans finding cricket incomprehensible. It’s very difficult to understand how the game operates. But it’s a real sporting event and very exciting backstage and very dignified and serious. Some of my friends have been quite sniffy and said, “We watched it and it was like fucking Disneyland.” But when you’re on the inside of it, there’s a real sense of it being a job, a passion. I learned a lot about it yesterday, and it was all good.

What was the most surprising thing about it?
Not seeing a single cheerleader. Not anywhere. It was terrible. There are lot of girls who’ve said, “I used to be a cheerleader once.” But as hard as you try to persuade them, they won’t do it again.

Check out photos of music’s big names rocking football’s big game.

Related Stories:

• The Who Rock Super Bowl XLIV With Explosive Medley of Big Hits
• Fans React to the Who’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance
• A History of Rock Stars in Super Bowl Commercials

The headline may seem a bit disjointed – okay, maybe very disjointed, but the whole Super Bowl thing featuring what’s left of The Who got me thinking about some of our favorite aging rockers and whether or not they should still be rocking, or in the case of The Who, attempting to rock.
Before I continue, [...]

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More than 100 million people tuned in to Super Bowl XLIV last night, and it seems like each one of them has an opinion on the Who’s 12-minute halftime performance. Readers flocked to Rolling Stone’s report on the Super Bowl set to leave comments praising and criticizing Daltrey and Townshend’s pyro-packed show. “The Who were an amazing band, but you gotta face the fact that they really didn’t sound good,” Bob wrote, while Redsox argued, “Everyone can say what they want, but I’ve seen them 28 times over the last 25 years and last night at the ripe age of 65 and 64 they were unreal, living the dream and spreading the genius of Pete’s music onto a new generation.”

Relive the Who’s halftime set in photos.

Many readers lodged complaints over the band’s sound issues — a common issue when rockers perform on impromptu stages in open-air stadiums. Some commenters remarked that their telecast of the performance suffered from a slight delay between sound and visuals. Others felt that the Who showed their old age in the performance, and a small minority claimed that the band onstage wasn’t the Who at all since they were missing drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle.

However, an army of Who devotees applauded the Who’s energetic performance and marveled at their ability to rock in their 60s. Of course, some used the hyperbolic “Best halftime show ever,” but most of the positive comments suggest that the Super Bowl performance was just the latest chapter in the Who’s ongoing legacy. Drummer Zak Starkey — yes, Ringo’s son — was credited with channeling the spirit of Keith Moon, and Daltrey’s scream on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” managed to scrape the same heights as it did almost 40 years ago. And there’s no one who can deny that the stage setup was pretty remarkable.

Check out photos of music’s big names rocking football’s big game.

Here’s a cross-section of RS’ best reader comments:

Who-Fan: “The Who will always be great, but that was not singing…they are long past their prime.”

Proud: “How many of you could get up and do that 60 50 40 whatever it was fun it wasn’t like 45 years ago but it was great just the same”

Are you kidding?: “worst performance at half-time in a while”

Timmyy: “Truly a great example of Live Arena Rock! People are so used to lip sync techno produced pop that they just don’t get live rock. Its not supposed to sound perfect, its not a CD. The Who showed why they are best of all time at LIVE ARENA ROCK!”

Siberia: “brilliant staging brilliant pyro brilliant stage design. the performance? sub par at best. what i wanna know is how oprah got letterman and leno to do a commercial together”

Lorraine: “The Who were Whorrible!! WHO came up with the idea of booking them? Who Dat???”

Moon the Loon: “25 or 65, The Who Rocked!! Best half-time show ever. Sad that so many of you are so f’n clueless!!”

Robin: “I didn’t enjoy The Who’s performance, but the lighting display was pretty cool. I find it hard to believe many people like the halftime show. People need to separate nostalgia from their opinion.”

Goatherd: “The Who were never noted for impeccable live rendition, but rather energy. There was plenty of energy here. And Daltrey hit the only note that matters: the HEYYYYY!!! at the end of Won’t Be Fooled Again. Rock on!”

Related Stories:

• The Who Rock Super Bowl XLIV With Explosive Medley of Big Hits
• A History of Rock Stars in Super Bowl Commercials

My objectivity concerning this story will surely be questioned by fans of The Who, however, where that group is concerned, I’ve always considered myself more neutral than not. I’ve never considered myself a fan. They’re music just never did anything for me, so I pretty much ignored them.
Still, there’s no way to be unfamiliar with [...]

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Photo: Kravitz/FilmMagic

For the past few years, the Super Bowl has stuck with all-star rock talent for its halftime shows: Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and now the Who, who brought a giant display of rock & roll might and pyrotechnics to the big game in Miami this evening.

Check out photos of music’s big names rocking football’s big game.

Pete Townshend got things started by furiously strumming an acoustic guitar as Roger Daltrey grabbed the mike and began “Pinball Wizard” while pyro erupted from the center of the field, which was covered in a giant circular display of lights rather than filled with fans, as per tradition. After the first chorus, the arpeggio synth stutter of “Baba O’Riley” began as green lasers cut across the stadium and lights pulsed in lines from the stage outward through the stadium. Townshend ripped his pick down the neck of his guitar and peeled off a few of his signature windmills. The sound of the crowd singing along was audible as Townshend shouted out the chorus, “It’s only teenage wasteland.”

Relive the Who’s halftime set in photos.

Daltrey got out his harmonica and blew until a stream of red sparks flew from the stage and the band segued into “Who Are You” as a giant projection of the lyrics surrounded the circular stage. Townshend windmilled at a furious pace as the track wrapped and blue lights bathed the stage, signaling a quick nod to “See Me, Feel Me” before the band tore into “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Fireworks shot into the air and the crowd enthusiastically shouted the song’s title on the chorus. The set ended with a barrage of fireworks and Townshend and Daltrey with their arms around each other.

Flip through a brief history of rock stars in Super Bowl commercials.

Just before halftime, Will.i.am’s remixed version of “My Generation” aired over a commercial for mobile TV company Flo (the full-length track is available for download at Flo.tv and proceeds benefit Oxfam’s Haiti fund).