Lol I've seen his band at least once live.
From 1968 Rolling Stone Magazine
This interview began at 2:00 A.M., after the Who’s recent appearance at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Nobody quite remembers exactly under what circumstances the interview was concluded.
The end of your act goes to “My Generation,” like you usually do, and that’s where you usually smash your guitar. You didn’t tonight – why not?
Well, there is a reason, not really anything that’s really worth talking about. But I’ll explain the pattern of thought which went into it.
I’ve obviously broken a lot of guitars and I’ve brought eight or nine of that particular guitar I was using tonight and I could very easily have broken it and have plenty more for the future. But I just suddenly decided before I went on, that if there was anywhere in the world I should be able to walk off the stage without breaking a guitar if I didn’t want to, it would be the Fillmore.
I decided in advance that I didn’t want to smash the guitar, so I didn’t, not because I liked it or because I’ve decided I’m going to stop doing it or anything. I just kind of decided about the actual situation; it forced me to see if I could have gotten away with it in advance. And I think that’s why “My Generation” was such a down number at the end. I didn’t really want to play it, you know, at all. I didn’t even want people to expect it to happen, because I just wasn’t going to do it.
But Keith still dumped over his drum kit like he usually does.
Yea, but it was an incredible personal thing with me. I’ve often gone on the stage with a guitar and said; “Tonight I’m not going to smash a guitar and I don’t give a shit” – you know what the pressure is on me – whether I feel like doing it musically or whatever, I’m just not going to do it. And I’ve gone on and every time I’ve done it. The actual performance has always been bigger than my own patterns of thought.
Tonight, for some reason, I went on and I said “I’m not going to break it’ and I didn’t. And I don’t know how. I don’t really know why I didn’t. But I didn’t, you know, and it’s the first time, I mean I’ve said it million of times before and nothing has happened
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pete-townshend-talks-mods-recording-and-smashing-guitars-79369/
