Image Entertainment Acquires Worldwide Rights to Historic 'Who' Concert

CHATSWORTH, CA. (Image Entertainment)--Image Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:DISK), a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, announced today it has acquired the rights to "The Who At Kilburn: 1977," which has not been available or seen publicly since it was first filmed almost 31 years ago.

As part of its agreement with Spitfire Pictures, Image has secured all worldwide home video, broadcast, digital and non-theatrical rights to the concert and related footage, with the exception of Japan.

On December 15, 1977, after a hiatus of more than a year, The Who assembled at the Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, North London, to record a concert for Jeff Stein's documentary film The Kids Are Alright. Shot before a select invited audience, it would turn out to be the next-to-the-last live performance by Keith Moon, who died September 7, 1978. Shot in 35 mm by six cameras with a 16-track audio recorder, this never-before-released concert has been digitally restored and remastered in high definition.

The 1977 Kilburn show is the holy grail for fans who saw only a few tantalizing glimpses in The Kids Are Alright. The two-DVD set also includes The Who's powerhouse London Coliseum concert from 1969, a never-before-seen rarity and one of the band's personal favorites. The DVD set is packed with 29 of The Who's biggest hit songs and rarely performed favorites, as well as the first-ever live recorded performance of Tommy.

"The release of this concert is a milestone in the career of a band that defined an entire music generation," said David Borshell, president of Image Entertainment. "Original fans of The Who have been waiting more than 30 years for this moment, and new fans will have a chance to see one of the great concerts in modern music history."

Currently on tour through November 2008, The Who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame and won the first annual Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement in Live Music Award and a GRAMMY Foundation award for creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Their albums Tommy, My Generation and Who's Next have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.