roger daltrey pete townshend tour

The Who Announce 2022 North American Tour

THE WHO HITS BACK!

Tickets on sale starting friday, february 11 th at 10am local time on livenation.com.

Legendary rock band The Who have announced a brand new tour for 2022, THE WHO HITS BACK!   The iconic band’s upcoming North American trek promises to be another rock n’ roll knockout, bringing singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend back to U.S. venues two years after their acclaimed MOVING ON! Tour , which wowed audiences with a series of sold-out dates. THE WHO HITS BACK! Tour (see complete list of dates below)will again share the stage with some of the finest orchestras in the U.S. and Canada. Produced by Live Nation, the kick-off date is April 22 in Hollywood, FL at the Hard Rock Live for the spring leg of the tour and returns in the fall on October 2 in Toronto, ON at Scotiabank Arena . Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Friday, February 11 at 10am local time at LiveNation.com .

American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning today, Monday, February 7 at 10am local time through Thursday, February 10 at 10pm local time. The Who’s fan club presale starts Wednesday, February 9 at 10am local time and runs through Thursday, February 10 at 10pm local time. 

The Who are hitting most of the cities they were set to play in 2020 with multiple new stops, including shows in New Orleans, LA at the New Orleans Jazz Festival on April 30, and a much-anticipated performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on May 26. After a summer break, The Who will continue in the fall, including stops in Chicago, IL at United Center on October 12, and in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl on November 1.  The Who Hits Back! Tour winds down with two shows in Las Vegas, NV on November 4 + 5 at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

THE WHO HITS BACK! Tour will feature THE WHO’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold , second keyboardist Emily Marshall , bassist Jon Button , drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson , lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder, passionately delivering THE WHO’s many classics, as well as songs from their most recent album, titled WHO .Commenting on The Who Hits Back! Tour, Roger Daltrey says, “Pete and I said we’d be back, but we didn’t think we’d have to wait for two years for the privilege. This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to Covid, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together – the band, the crew and the fans.  We’re gearing up for a great show that hits bck in the only way The Who know how.  By giving it everything we got.”

The Who’s wildly successful 2019 MOVING ON! Tour  brought the band’s iconic brand of incomparable rock through 29 cities, including a rollicking sold-out show in Boston’s historic Fenway Park, and a memorable Seattle show where Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder joined them onstage for a rousing version of “The Punk And the Godfather.” The tour generated the most unanimous outpouring of acclaim from critics and fans of any live rock show in 2019, winning raves across North America for the orchestral dynamic as well as the duo’s cathartic rock firepower and intimate acoustic numbers. “ They’re not getting older. They’re getting better. You better, you better, you bet. ” hailed the Worcester Telegram , with Pollstar Magazine affirming “ Daltrey is in peak form, and so is Townshend, lavishing his trademarked windmill guitar motion .”  

For more information about THE WHO HITS BACK! 2022 dates, visit LiveNation.com or thewho.com.

THE WHO HITS BACK! TOUR DATES

April 22 / Hard Rock Live / Hollywood, FL*

April 24 / VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena / Jacksonville, FL

April 27 / Amalie Arena / Tampa, FL

April 30 / New Orleans Jazz Festival*

May 3 / Moody Center / Austin, TX

May 5 / American Airlines Center / Dallas, TX

May 8 / the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion / The Woodlands, TX

May 10 / Paycom Center / Oklahoma City, OK

May 13 / FedExForum / Memphis, TN

May 15 / TQL Stadium / Cincinnati, OH

May 18 / TD Garden / Boston, MA

May 20 / Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia, PA

May 23 / Capital One Arena / Washington, D.C.

May 26 / Madison Square Garden / New York City, NY

May 28 / Bethel Woods Center of the Arts / Bethel, NY

Oct 2 / Scotiabank Arena / Toronto, ON

Oct 4 / Little Caesars Arena / Detroit, MI

Oct 7 / UBS Arena / Belmont Park, NY

Oct 9 / Schottenstein Center / Columbus, OH

Oct 12 / United Center / Chicago, IL

Oct 14 / Enterprise Center / St. Louis, MO

Oct 17 / Ball Arena / Denver, CO

Oct 20 / Moda Center / Portland, OR

Oct 22 / Climate Pledge Arena / Seattle, WA

Oct 26 / Golden 1 Center / Sacramento, CA

Oct 28 / Honda Center / Anaheim, CA

Nov 1 / Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles, CA

Nov 4 + 5 / Dolby Live at Park MGM / Las Vegas, NV

* Not a Live Nation Date

ABOUT THE WHO  

T he Who are one of the top three greatest rock legacies in music history.  Their music provoked explosive change and spanned what many critics declare is rock’s most elastic creative spectrum, with Pete Townshend’s songwriting moving between raw, prosaic, conceptual, and expressively literate.  Their visionary sense of stagecraft headed by Roger Daltrey’s soaring vocal prowess is topped off by the band’s blistering rhythm section.  With both Roger and Pete delivering their memoirs in recent years (Pete’s Who I Am was released to much acclaim in 2012, and Roger’s autobiography, Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite; My Story , was embraced by critics in 2018) it’s fitting that the two remaining WHO members have shared their incredible legacy in literary fashion, for few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era and the reverberating pop culture than The Who.  

Emerging in the mid-1960s as a new and incendiary force in rock n’ roll, their brash style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of music’s most passionate followings, with the legendary foursome blazing a searing new template for rock, punk, and everything after.  Inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990, the band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, placing 27 top-forty singles in the United States and United Kingdom and earning 17 Top Ten albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy , 1971’s pummeling Live At Leeds , 1973’s Quadrophenia and 1978’s Who Are You .  The Who debuted in 1964 with a trio of anthems “I Can’t Explain,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “My Generation.” Since then they have delivered to the world hits such as “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard,” Who Are You,” and,” You Better You Bet.”

In 2008, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. The Who has performed all over the world including global music events for the Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show in 2010 and closing the London 2012 Summer Olympics. The Who continued their charity work by playing a concert in January 2011 to raise money for trials of a new cancer treatment called PDT. In December 2012 they performed at the Hurricane Sandy Benefit in New York. In January 2014 they played a set on the U.S. television special to support the charity Stand Up To Cancer. In November 2012 Daltrey, with Townshend at his side, launched Teen Cancer America. The charity is now established in the USA, with offices in Los Angeles and devoted Teen Cancer units being opened in hospitals all over the U.S. TCA’s work has impacted over 5,000 young people and their families nationwide during the last ten years.

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com .

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Exclusive interview: The Who’s Roger Daltrey still hopes he dies before he gets old

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The days of trashing hotel rooms might be a thing of the past for The Who, but singer Roger Daltrey can still do some damage. 

One moment into the impassioned chorus of “Love, Reign O’er Me,” Daltrey appears to have blown the computer’s internal speaker with his explosive, robust vocals during a video interview with this reporter.

“I can still hit the notes,” he said. “They’re still there.”

That they are, proving why Daltrey is still considered by many to be the most powerful and talented singer in rock. 

Daltrey and guitarist, singer and songwriter Pete Townshend kick off their 2022 North American Tour, “The Who Hits Back,” on Friday April 22 with an intimate show at the 7,000-seat Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. 

Sharing the stage with various U.S. and Canadian orchestras, the band will cross the country through May and then pick up again in October before wrapping with a two-night finale at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas.  

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Founded in 1964, The Who has earned more awards and accolades than can reasonably be listed and in 1990 was inducted by U2 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Songs such as “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Pinball Wizard,” “I Can’t Explain,” “I Can See for Miles,” “You Better You Bet,” and “Tommy,” a rock opera from the album and movie of the same name, are some of the most acclaimed in rock history. 

What Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend bring to their 'The Who Hits Back' tour

Touring with an orchestra might be a far cry from what some would expect from a group that once held the Guinness World Record for being the loudest band in the world. But the orchestra is not toning down The Who’s sound, Daltrey explained, so much as ratcheting it up. 

“It leads to a sound that literally takes your head off,” he said. “Even I was astonished at the power of it.”

While it might be difficult to imagine anything more powerful than Daltrey’s vocals, coupled with the soul-shaking brilliance of Townshend’s windmill-style guitar parts, that is precisely what happens with the addition of an orchestra, Daltrey said. 

“You live with the sound of synthesizers making string noises and orchestral noises, which you can do, very simply, on a few keyboards,” he said. “But then, you hear a real orchestra and a real violin, viola and cello and a couple basses going — it touches the human body, it touches our senses in a different way. It’s a big experience.”

To keep up his energy night after night and perform vocal marvels like the infamous, roaring scream in “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Daltrey said he does breathing exercises, weight training and cardio.

“Townshend's songs are incredibly demanding for a singer,” he said. “They’re lyrically complicated, there's never two songs together in the same key, so it's moving about all over the place, and it takes a lot of stamina. Just like Mick Jagger — I’ve got so much respect for Mick, he’s incredible. And you just have to train.”  

Daltrey has always been strong thanks to a physically demanding job he held as a teenager as a sheet metal worker. 

“I used to have to unload, sometimes, 10 tons of steel in a day,” he said. “So, I kind of built up a very fit body, and I’ve managed to keep it going. I’ve been very lucky.”

Original drummer Keith Moon, who died in 1978 at age 32, and original bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002 at age 57, were less fortunate, both dying accidentally from substance abuse issues. 

“I’ve had a few close shaves with serious illnesses that have nearly taken me out,” Daltrey said. “But I just say, ‘Well you’ve taken on the wrong one, mate.’ I come back.”

Roger Daltrey's die-hard fans

Daltrey today is jovial and quick to laugh, his zest for life apparent in his constant joking and easy smile. Which begs the question as to how he feels, at the age of 78, still singing one of the most iconic lines in classic rock: “I hope I die before I get old.” 

“I still do,” he said, referring to lyrics from the band’s 1965 teen anthem, “My Generation.” “I think it’s a state of mind, age ... I’ve met young people who seem to be incredibly old in their mind, and I’ve met old people that are incredibly young. You can’t measure age in years; you can’t measure a lifetime in years. A life is a life.”

And when the end does come someday for Daltrey, he said, he will never really be gone.

“I think life is eternal,” he said. “I don't think there’s many, many lives. You are never going to escape this universe. A part of you will be somewhere in it, even if it’s a tiny bit of dust on Jupiter.” 

For now, Daltrey remains in prime form. He rode out the past two years of the COVID pandemic pretty easily, he said, taking long walks through the rolling, green pastures of his sprawling farm in East Sussex, England. Rural as it is, however, is not so isolated that die-hard fans cannot track him down. 

“They turn up at my door here,” he said. “I always try to make them welcome. I’ve seen a lot of stars have their bodyguards, and they push the fans away. I’ve never been on that page. I don’t like that at all. They put you where you are. They pay your rent. You've got to be there for them.”

Still, there are some fans — who, almost with admiration, Daltrey calls “extraordinary, really industrial” — that take things a step further. 

“We’ve had to pull them out from under the beds before,” he said, laughing aloud. “They know what time our plane lands, what hotel we’re staying at, under what name. And blow me if they’re not in the bloody room before you get there.”

There is no hint of judgment in Daltrey’s voice when he talks about the antics of star-struck fans. In fact, he said, he is occasionally one himself. 

“I get very nervous,” he said. “It’s really funny ... Not so much around all the guys I’ve known from the beginning — Paul McCartney and Ringo and all those people — we’re all mates, and it’s different. But if I met someone I’ve been a fan of a very long time, even today, I go back to that little kid again.” 

So, who could potentially render Daltrey speechless? 

“It’s too late to meet Johnny Cash; he’s the only one I would have liked,” he said. “I’m glad I didn’t meet Elvis, cause I would have been disappointed. The time ... that I had the possibility of meeting him, he was past his best. I'd rather carry his memory with me, which is fantastic.”

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend's work with Teen Cancer America

No doubt, Daltrey has already met more stars and experienced more in his lifetime than most people could ever imagine. But today, he said, what brings him the most happiness is his work with Teen Cancer America, which he and Townshend founded in 2012 as an extension of the U.K.’s Teenage Cancer Trust.  

Teen Cancer America has supported more than 106,000 patients at 43 hospital partners across the country. Daltrey said the organization focuses on those between the ages of 13 and 26 who do not fit easily into child or adult cancer programs. 

“They have social habits that are completely alien to either group,” he said of the youths the charity serves. “The worst thing you can do is to isolate them with people they are not comfortable with. They’ve already got enough emotional and mental issues to deal with without doing that.”

Additionally, Daltrey said, the forms of cancers that tend to affect younger people are rarer, increasing in frequency and not well studied. 

“It needs to change,” he said. “I’ve got a feeling in my bones, and always have, that some of the big secrets of cancer are going to be found in that age group. If you’re not looking, you’re not going to find them, are you?” 

Today, 58 years after The Who first began smashing their instruments onstage, Daltrey and Townshend rock on, despite the absence of Entwistle and Moon. And while they still thrill playing live, Daltrey said, touring is vastly different today than in the past.

“In the old days ... it was just the four of us. We didn’t have the equipment, the hotels were Holiday Inns, which we got banned from continuously,” he said, laughing. “But we had so much fun. It is really, really, really weird. We had so much fun in those days, I can't tell you. It was such a wonderful world to be in in those days. Everything was possible.”

What is still possible today is for anyone who has never had the electrifying experience of catching The Who live to do so, Daltrey said. In fact, it is a must. 

“You must try to see Townshend once in your life,” he said. “He’s fantastic — the best I’ve ever heard in my life. And I’ve heard some pretty decent music.”

For The Palm Beach Post:

What:  The Who in concert

Where:  Hard Rock Live, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Friday 

Info:  Ticketmaster.com or 800-653-8000

For USA TODAY: 

The Who Hits Back 2022 North American Tour runs April 7 through November 5. Tickets available online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-653-8000.

Support local journalism. Subscribe today.

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• All Michigan

The Who, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, announce 2022 US tour with 1 Michigan show

• Updated: Feb. 07, 2022, 9:33 a.m. |
• Published: Feb. 07, 2022, 9:29 a.m.

The Who announced a 2022 tour. "The Who Hits Back" will be at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit in October. (Photo by Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

• Edward Pevos | [email protected]

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will spend most of 2022 traveling the U.S. as The Who just announced a nationwide tour. The tour kicks off in April and runs through November.

“The Who Hits Back” tour will be at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, October 4. Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 11 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at SeatGeek by clicking here , through StubHub and via Ticketmaster .

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The Who Announce New North American Tour: 'We Are Thrilled,' Says Roger Daltrey

The legendary rockers will kick things off in April, then pick back up again in the fall

The Who are back and ready to rock!

The legendary British rock band are hitting the road for a two-leg North American tour called The Who Hits Back!, they announced on Monday.

The tour will see the return of singer Roger Daltrey , 77, and guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend , 76, two years after their Moving On! Tour.

"Pete and I said we'd be back, but we didn't think we'd have to wait for two years for the privilege," Daltrey said in a statement. "This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to Covid, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together — the band, the crew and the fans. We're gearing up for a great show that hits back in the only way The Who know how. By giving it everything we got."

The band — who released the album Who in 2019, their first full-length LP since 2006 — will kick things off in Hollywood, Florida on April 22 for 15 dates. Then, they'll pick things back up in Toronto in October for 14 more shows.

Daltrey and Townshend are the two surviving founding members; bassist John Entwistle died in 2002, and drummer Keith Moon in 1978. Their touring band includes guitarist and backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardists Loren Gold and Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey, and backing vocals from Billy Nicholls.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time here , while the American Express Card Member presale begins Monday. The band's fan club presale will start on Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time.

The Who Hits Back! Tour dates below:

April 22 / Hard Rock Live / Hollywood, FL

April 24 / VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena / Jacksonville, FL

April 27 / Amalie Arena / Tampa, FL

April 30 / New Orleans Jazz Festival

May 3 / Moody Center / Austin, TX

May 5 / American Airlines Center / Dallas, TX

May 8 / the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion / The Woodlands, TX

May 10 / Paycom Center / Oklahoma City, OK

May 13 / FedExForum / Memphis, TN

May 15 / TQL Stadium / Cincinnati, OH

May 18 / TD Garden / Boston, MA

May 20 / Wells Fargo Center / Philadelphia, PA

May 23 / Capital One Arena / Washington, D.C.

May 26 / Madison Square Garden / New York City, NY

May 28 / Bethel Woods Center of the Arts / Bethel, NY

Oct. 2 / Scotiabank Arena / Toronto, ON

Oct. 4 / Little Caesars Arena / Detroit, MI

Oct. 7 / UBS Arena / Belmont Park, NY

Oct. 9 / Schottenstein Center / Columbus, OH

Oct. 12 / United Center / Chicago, IL

Oct. 14 / Enterprise Center / St. Louis, MO

Oct. 17 / Ball Arena / Denver, CO

Oct. 20 / Moda Center / Portland, OR

Oct. 22 / Climate Pledge Arena / Seattle, WA

Oct. 26 / Golden 1 Center / Sacramento, CA

Oct. 28 / Honda Center / Anaheim, CA

Nov. 1 / Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles, CA

Nov. 4 + 5 / Dolby Live at Park MGM / Las Vegas, NV

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The Who by Fire

By Stephen Rodrick

Stephen Rodrick

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have known each other for 60 years. They love each other. “I used to say that I love him, but with my fingers crossed,” says Townshend of Daltrey. Townshend, gangly and hunched, his angular face having grown into his long nose, sits in a Dallas Ritz-Carlton suite wearing gray clothes on a white-hot day. “Now, I like him too. I like all his eccentricities, his foibles, his self-obsession, and his singer thing. Everything about him.” Daltrey feels the same. He sits in a comfy chair later the same afternoon. “I’ve always kind of known Pete cares for me,” says Daltrey, crossing his legs in blue cargo shorts. He’s a little impatient because my time with Townshend ran long. “I hope he realizes I care about him. I think my actions through our career have shown that.”

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have known each other for 60 years. They tolerate each other.

Daltrey and Townshend have a new album, simply called Who. It’s only the second album from the band in 37 years. Through the magic of modern technology, Daltrey and Townshend recorded it earlier this year in London and Los Angeles without ever being in the same room. (Townshend says they were once in the same building. Daltrey isn’t so sure.) Townshend wrote and recorded demos and sent them to the singer. During recording, they communicated through their individual personal producers, both with the first name David, which must have been confusing.

Separately, Daltrey and Townshend express excitement for the new songs. (Daltrey told me it’s the Who ’s best work since Quadrophenia . ) They’re back on the road, playing with a 48-piece orchestra. The refrain I heard from multiple learned attendants of the tour was “Wow, that show was way better than it had any right to be.”

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The same can be said for the record. Daltrey’s weary vocals, particularly on the back half, are marvelous, and Townshend’s ability to write an anthemic earworm remains intact. It’s enough to make you regret all the music the two have not made together over the past 30 years.

But there is a reason for the long breaks. The two remain detached, if not estranged, from each other. Townshend, 74, is engaged in modern music and still capable of jackjawing a listener into submission about any subject from climate crisis to the shelf life of teen idols. Daltrey? At 75, he’s happy to churn out low-key solo albums and live offline on his country estate.

At a show in L.A., Daltrey chatted with a sound guy about his vocals while Townshend joked with bassist Jon Button. Whenever one of them hit the other’s magnetic field, they bounced away. They never made eye contact. It reminded me of when an ex-girlfriend and I worked together and made ostentatious attempts to avoid each other at holiday parties.

Things don’t change that much when the lights go up. “If you watch Roger onstage, he goes through a lot of visual phases,” says Townshend. “Sometimes, he can’t stop himself looking over at me. It’s irritation.” He arches his eyebrows. “It’s irritation that I’m even there.”

Daltrey is also unsatisfied. He wants to change the set list, maybe add some lesser-known songs, but says it is a no-go. “Pete doesn’t remember words much,” says Daltrey, “and he doesn’t remember chord shapes, and he finds it hard to change the show on the road.”

Later, Daltrey talks about the role he has played in Townshend’s songwriting. Since 1964, Townshend has been the band’s primary songwriter, and his creative dominance has tended to overshadow Daltrey’s contributions. Townshend might have been an editor at Faber & Faber, but Daltrey has been his editor. Well, according to Daltrey. On the new record, Daltrey toned down what he saw as irresponsible political rhetoric, deleted a rap, and changed pronouns. Now, I ask if he thinks he should have gotten more songwriting credits over the band’s half-century history. “I wrote all the ad-libs,” says Daltrey with a smile. “I should have, but I can’t be bothered to make a fuss about it now. It’s fucking bollocks.” Daltrey trails off. “If he needs the money…”

Daltrey and Townshend grew up in the same West London area, but Daltrey claims he’s hardscrabble while Townshend is a poseur. “Well, I’m Shepherd’s Bush, and he’s Ealing middle class,” says Daltrey. (Their homes were about 300 yards apart.) Sure, but what about Townshend’s solo song “White City Fighting,” talking about all the scrapes and bloodshed he got into as a kid? Daltrey smiles. “Well, he likes to think he did.”

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On it goes.

“We ended up living parallel lives,” says Townshend. It’s true. Today, Roger Daltrey, for reasons unknown, has checked out of the Ritz-Carlton and moved to another five-star place 100 yards away. Now, a traffic light and a Shake Shack separate the two men.

I traveled to London, Dallas, and the Hollywood Bowl to see and talk with the Who. It gave me plenty of time to think about Townshend and Daltrey. One concept kept coming back to me in Economy Plus: They give zero fucks. This should not be mistaken for not giving a shit. They still share a devotion to their music and a caring for their careers that some rock-veterans-turned-Vegas-acts long ago abandoned.

But you have to be realistic. If you view their new album and tour as Daltrey & Townshend Play the Hits & a Couple of New Ones, their shows can be seen as a fuck-you to musical fashion and Father Time. If you see this as a continuation of the Who the way your teen self or your father knew them, you’re going to be disappointed.

Keith Moon , the band’s original drummer, died in 1978, and in the succeeding years the Who became less a creative enterprise and more a carnival of commerce, only accentuated after bassist John Entwistle ’s death in a Vegas hotel room in 2002. There have been more farewell tours than new records.

Townshend says it best: “We’re not a band anymore. There’s a lot of people who don’t like it when I say it, but we’re just not a fucking band. Even when we were, I used to sit there thinking, ‘This is a fucking waste of time. Take 26 because Keith Moon has had one glass of brandy too many.’” You shouldn’t be sentimental. God knows Townshend is not.

Well, sometimes he is. Over the years, Townshend has lamented the long-gone Moon, and after Entwistle’s death, Townshend said, “Without him, I wouldn’t be here…. When I did look over and he wasn’t there, I wanted to die.”

Today, he’s feeling less charitable. The Who’s current shows feature two video screens full of vintage shots of mad, mad Moon and Entwistle in his bemused and haunting solitude. I asked Townshend if he ever got nostalgic looking up at the pictures of his fallen bandmates. He snorted like an old horse.

“It’s not going to make Who fans very happy, but thank God they’re gone.”

“Because they were fucking difficult to play with. They never, ever managed to create bands for themselves. I think my musical discipline, my musical efficiency as a rhythm player, held the band together.”

Townshend took on his bass player first. “John’s bass sound was like a Messiaen organ,” he says, waving his angular limbs. “Every note, every harmonic in the sky. When he passed away and I did the first few shows without him, with Pino [Palladino] on bass, he was playing without all that stuff…. I said, ‘Wow, I have a job.’ ”

He was not finished. Moon is an easier target; he once passed out during a 1970s show in San Francisco, forcing the band to pull a drummer out of the crowd. “With Keith, my job was keeping time, because he didn’t do that,” says Townshend. “So when he passed away, it was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to keep time anymore.’”

The word “happy” doesn’t really apply to someone as complex as Townshend. Yet there seems to be a sense of contentment brought on by his 20-year relationship with the composer Rachel Fuller. Still, he is fragile, and the death in July of his guitar tech of 40 years, Alan Rogan, left him in a bad place. (He described Rogan as “my guitar tech, friend, savior, and good buddy.”) “I was a fucking mess,” says Townshend. “Usually, I’m so unaffected by death. My mother, father, Keith Moon. Maybe because he was in a hospital bed and fighting back so hard. When he finally passed, I just thought, ‘Fuck.’”

He is alternately defiant and cheeky. I ask if he had left instructions on how to handle his voluminous archives and unfinished projects after he is gone. He leaned in close and quipped, “I’d really like to finish them.”

Townshend is a man who has suffered and has turned that suffering into great art. He was left by his mum to live with a mentally deteriorating grandma for two years. As a young boy, and then at around age 11, he was sexually abused. Seventy years later, he is still staring at the scars. His awakening has been incremental. During a rambling intro for the 1970 Live at Leeds version of “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” a song about a young girl molested by a train engineer, Townshend said, “John Entwistle plays the engine driver, and I play the Girl Guide.” It wasn’t a joke. Years later, Townshend admitted similar activities happened to him while in his grandmother’s care. “I’m not angry about it,” he says. “But I can’t process it. I did three years of serious therapy, and I’ve done loads of counseling and therapeutic work since.” It has helped, but not enough.

That ache has been processed through heartbreaking songs about maladjusted characters; namely the title character in Tommy and the Mod boy Jimmy in Quadrophenia. Still, Townshend’s ability to turn horror into magic doesn’t change his reality. He tells me about a friend who was kidnapped and sexually abused as a boy. A few years ago, the Who were doing a Tommy fundraiser show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Townshend could see his friend in the front rows. When it came time for him to sing Tommy’ s “The Acid Queen,” told from the viewpoint of a female abuser, he lost it. “I just blew the whole show,” remembers Townshend. “It’s on TV, you can see it. I look like I’m in pain.”

He’s hardly sung “Acid Queen” since. The lingering wounds have left Townshend a volatile mixture of empathy and cynicism. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is an anthem against idealism that still drives him. Teen activist Greta Thunberg had been making the rounds when we talked, and he was troubled: “I worry that little Greta — I don’t want to patronize her, because she’s so fucking great — will be pretty pissed off.”

Townshend relates her work to his involvement in the 1960s Ban the Bomb movement and how the Cuban missile crisis came and went and London was still there. It left Townshend wondering what the point was. “She says, ‘You stole my childhood.’ Actually, she’s stealing her childhood. That’s the thing, whether or not we steal our own childhoods by worrying too much about things that we can’t control.”

The endless whirring of Townshend’s brain has only gotten louder in the 25 years since he got sober. “What I know is that when I drank, I won’t say I was happy, but I certainly was unaware of the darkness that I was carrying,” he says.

Now he’s fully aware of the things that made him reach for the bottle. They could be incidents of abuse. They could be slights from his adolescence. “Living stone-cold sober, there’s no escape,” says Townshend.

Today, Townshend looks for nonalcoholic escapes. “It could be shopping. It could be time with my wife. We work together and have lots of fun.” Townshend pauses, and it seems like he worries that his “escapes” sound banal. He mentions an escape might happen when a beautiful woman mentions she liked a show.

“There’s that moment when you just think you’re young again,” he says. “That fantasy.” He becomes more animated, and his blue eyes light up. “Or embracing darkness. Thinking, ‘God, it would be such fun if I just fucking killed myself now. We’ve got Wembley Stadium tomorrow — God, it would just be so fucking great.’”

He pauses for a moment as if startled he said that last thought aloud. He wondered later, “I find sometimes I’ll be saying things and I think, ‘Do I really feel that, or is my mouth just fucking with me?’”

Roger Daltrey doesn’t dwell in the darkness. Well, except if you bring up Brexit. He then will rhapsodize about the gangsters in Europe ruining merrie olde England and how the Germans have an ironclad grip on the Euro.

Daltrey insists he’s been misunderstood all these years. This is sort of his fault for projecting an image of a West London bantam tough who once knocked Townshend out in the early 1970s with a single punch (Townshend started it). “I come across as kind of a hard nut,” says Daltrey, near a whisper. “But people got it backwards. I’m not. I’m a softy. I’m the softest person in the world.”

Daltrey was the only member of the Who to not abuse drugs, and that left him the grown-up in the band, drawing up set lists and making sure the trains ran on time. I ask if he ever grew tired of being chaperone to three very naughty boys. “I still am!” he says. “It always has been ‘Pete does the album, but don’t expect him to put the tour together,’ right? That’s always on my lap. It has all worked out very well. So I’m happy to shoulder that. I’m good at it.”

Daltrey has also had something that either eluded or did not appeal to the other Who members: a domestic life. (Townshend didn’t settle down until he approached 60.) Daltrey has been with his wife, Heather, for 50 years, pledging fidelity, when the band was off the road, at least. It’s worked for them while providing more heirs. (Daltrey has three children with Heather; one with his first wife, Jackie; and four out of wedlock, three of whom he fathered in the Sixties but didn’t learn about until middle age.) Almost 50 years ago, they bought Holmhurst Manor, a 400-year-old Jacobean mansion in East Sussex. Daltrey has done a lot of work on the house, and it has kept him sane.

“It saved me,” says Daltrey. While he enjoyed the rock lifestyle for a while, he was ready to get out before he was 30. “When you’re young, it was part of a movement. It felt really good, but I couldn’t wait to get out of it.”

Daltrey got into film. (He starred in Tommy and some other less-notable movies.) But he found that to be just a different type of nightmare. “I felt like a drowning penguin. I didn’t like being fawned over. I didn’t like being pulled at. We’d been pulled at all our lives.”

He tries to set a good example for the young folks. A few years ago, he did a charity gig with Babyshambles’ Pete Doherty, a puckish songwriter in the Townshend tradition and a longtime heroin addict. Daltrey tried to share a few stories of friends lost and lives ruined by hard drugs. Doherty was not receptive.

“You might as well talk to the wall,” says Daltrey with a shrug. And then he thought again. Doherty is still with us. “You only need a few words to go in that get thought about later on. You just start the key in the lock.”

While Daltrey is happily living the undiscovered life, Townshend continues to pick over the bones of his past. And it no longer is only in verse. He has just published an operatic novel, called The Age of Anxiety, after years of delays. (Like Townshend’s never-completed and now middle-aged Lifehouse project, the book is intended to be part of a larger multimedia project.)

There’s a character in the novel named Louis. He is an art dealer who happens to be the exact age as Townshend. He is accused of a ghastly sex crime on a drugged-out teenager that he may or may not have committed. It’s a stark echo of a deeply painful moment. In 2003, Townshend was arrested for paying to access a child-pornography site. He has always claimed that he was compiling evidence to go after child-sex-ring runners and the banks that processed their transactions. Daltrey valiantly came to his defense, and eventually Townshend wasn’t charged with any crime. Rather than leave that alone, Townshend has published a novel in which he dares readers to connect the dots.

“It made it feel real to me,” says Townshend in a quiet voice. He then re-enters his prideful zone: “But the interesting thing about that was I anticipated the MeToo movement. Louis is not based really on me, but there will be me in there somewhere.”

The novel also features a rock star who sells his catalog to a truck company, allowing him to retire and regroup his life. This one is easy: Townshend has taken crap for years for licensing Who songs to CSI, truck manufacturers, and other companies. (Baseball is playing in the background as I write this, and the synth opening of “Baba O’Riley” is pushing T-Mobile between innings.) He points out how the band was ripped off for its first 20 years and he had to make up for lost time. Today, he can’t be bothered. “I never gave a shit,” says Townshend. “I’ve always said the composer is king. It’s my music, not yours.” He doesn’t care if some musicians think he’s a sellout. “I knew that in the end they would be doing the same thing,” says Townshend. “One other difference between me and the Lou Reed and Iggy Pop smart-alecks of the New York art scene is that I fucking saw the internet coming. I knew music was going down the tubes, and they didn’t.”

The typical combination of hope and disgust is present in Daltrey and Townshend’s new work. There was a period when Townshend wondered if the record would happen at all; after he sent Daltrey the demos, it was months before Daltrey relayed his thoughts. Daltrey says there was a good reason for the radio silence: “These are really great songs, but what do I tell him? It sounds to me like a really great Pete Townshend solo album. What can I do in these to make them better?”

Townshend rolls his eyes about this. Apparently, Daltrey had told a version of the story from the stage earlier in the tour. “He hadn’t actually really listened to it, I don’t think,” says Townshend with a chuckle.

The album dares you to push “stop” in the first 10 seconds. “All This Music Must Fade” begins with Daltrey growling, “I don’t care/I know you’re gonna hate this song.” “I hated it at first,” says Daltrey. “But it’s such a catchy song.” He’s clearly proud of his editing job. “On the demo, he had some rapping on it. Well, no fucking way I’m going to rap. No way. Let the youngsters wear those clothes.” When I mention to Townshend that the song was a tough entry into the album, he tartly replies, “It’s not a song for the listener, it’s a song for another songwriter.” He mentions a current song goddess’s battles to copyright words and album titles. “Watching Taylor Swift go through what she’s putting herself through at the moment is heartbreaking. She doesn’t own the fucking music. She doesn’t own the words. I think she has a financial right to it, but she shouldn’t screw herself up about this stuff. It’s just songs, for fuck’s sake.”

The best track is “Street Song,” about the Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 72 people in 2017. Daltrey wouldn’t sing the original words: “It had a lot of political lyrics that kind of pointed fingers, and I thought, ‘This is not the time to point fingers until the inquiry is over and you can make a judgment along what really, really happened.’ ” Townshend conceded, and Daltrey’s anguished vocal is among the more moving performances of his career.

“I was thinking, ‘Well, this is great, because I’m singing this,’ ” says Townshend with a hint of envy. “And suddenly he delivered this killer vocal for it.” Townshend offers a historical anecdote as explanation for why he and Daltrey have been such a magnificent if excruciating pairing. “When we recorded Quadrophenia  . . . this is brutal, but I didn’t care what Roger thought,” says Townshend. “And he did a version of ‘Love Reign O’er Me,’ which was like a wailing banshee scream. I turned to my engineer Ron Nevison and said, ‘This is a kid on a rock. He’s wet, he’s cold. He’s had the most awful day of his life. Everything’s gone. The last thing he’s going to do is scream out. He’s going to whimper.’ ”

Nevison urged him to give it another listen.

“Roger was in a booth, I couldn’t see him,” says Townshend. “I was hearing it from the mixing desk. And I listened back, and I thought, ‘Fuck. He’s nailed it. He’s nailed it, because this is an internal voice.’ ”

Townshend smiles and throws up his hands.

“He becomes an actor. It’s almost like he’s a late-Fifties, early-Sixties Method actor, who when you say, ‘Here’s the script,’ he goes, ‘Oh, uh…’ and the directors go, ‘For fuck’s sake, just say the words.’”

And then Townshend laughs.

I go to say hello to Daltrey at the end of the Hollywood Bowl rehearsal where the two of them avoided acknowledging each other’s existence. He’s wearing the same blue cargo shorts as in Dallas. The band had recently canceled some gigs after Daltrey’s voice gave out in Houston. I ask how his voice was holding up. He stops short.

“It wasn’t my voice,” Daltrey says coldly. “It was allergies.” After I apologize for the misunderstanding, he smiles. He points at the orchestra, which includes a golden harp and a cymbals guy. He gestures with his hands: “You can have all this.” He then touches his throat. “But without this, you have nothing.” He then disappears stage-right with a cup of tea.

The show that night was a blast if you took to heart Townshend’s words that they were no longer a band. Middle-aged couples ate picnic baskets full of carb-free meals and drank champagne that retailed for nearly $200 in the Hollywood Bowl concession stand. We were half a century and a few tax brackets removed from 1970 and the Leeds University Refectory. The set flowed beautifully, with Townshend’s brother Simon on guitar and drummer Zak Starkey maintaining a controlled-frenzy version of the Moon style. Still, there was never any chance that your ears would bleed.

Some decisions were questionable: Did “Eminence Front” really need a giant harp? Liam Gallagher, the ex-Oasis frontman and the show’s opening act, watched from the side of the stage. He had his arm around his son Gene, a young musician. They both wore parkas despite the October heat. Gallagher was coaching his boy, pointing out things he could learn from his dad’s idols. They shook their heads in unison like Wayne and Garth and grinned like kids on Christmas Day as Daltrey pulled off his millionth mic toss.

And our two friends? It was as advertised. Townshend barked at some overzealous security guards manhandling fans who had already qualified for their AARP cards. “Usually, I’m the one Pete is mad at,” joked Daltrey. Townshend shot him a look. “Uh-oh,” said Daltrey. “I’m in the doghouse.”

At times, Townshend’s duck walk and windmilling threatened to collide with Daltrey’s theatrics, but at the end of each song they returned to their own corners. Finally, the orchestra left the stage, as did the rest of the band. It was just Daltrey and Townshend to perform “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” still the best argument against idealism in the annals of Western civilization. As the only two humans on the stage, they had to actually look at each other.

Townshend had his doubts about the acoustic approach. “It feels like we’re throwing away one of the great, great pinions of anthemic rock,” he told me before the show. “It’s a song that, on its own, if we both just stood there like vegetables, would fill the room and do the job.”

Daltrey started it stomping out a beat. Townshend chimed in with some sublime strumming. The song still rose to a crescendo even if it was one that the crowd had heard a thousand times already. Then Daltrey growled.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

At that moment, no one cared who loved who.

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• Pete Townshend
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The Who Release First Handful of 2023 Tour Dates

by Tina Benitez-Eves December 9, 2022, 9:45 am

Following up their The Who Hits Back! Tour of Canada and the U.S. in 2022, The Who has added on a small number of dates in Europe in 2023.

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Marking the first time the band has played in Europe in seven years, the initial three dates include shows in Spain, France, and Germany and kick off in June. Additional shows, including a full series of shows in the UK, will be added at a later date.

Like their most recent North American dates, The Who will be backed by a full orchestra for their European tour, featuring orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, cellist Audrey Snyder, and violinist Katie Jacoby.

Founding members Roger Daltrey, 78, and Pete Townshend, 77, will be backed by their longtime touring band—guitarist Simon Townshend, bassist Jon Button, keyboardists Loren Gold and Emily Marshall, and drummer Zak Starkey along with backing vocals by Billy Nicholls—and perform music from their nearly 60-year career, with sections devoted to the albums  Tommy  and  Quadrophenia .

“It is wonderful that we can return to Europe after so long away, to play Berlin, Paris, and Barcelona, three of my favorite cities in the world,” said Townshend in a statement. “We look forward to bringing our grand orchestral show which has received such great reviews so far and play some old-fashioned Who-style rock and roll songs from our back catalog as well. We mix it all up in the most amazing evening of music.”

Townshend added, “I have to say that this show is one that I personally enjoy as much as anything I have ever done in the 60 years I’ve been working with Roger.”

Earlier in 2022, Townshend joked that Roger Daltrey “wants to sing until he drops,” and that this isn’t a final Who tour. “No. It’s not a farewell tour,” said Townshend . “Apart from anything else, we still have people who have tickets for the UK 2019 tour [ The Who’s 2020 UK tour that was cancelled in 2021]. We’re very, very keen to do that tour and we’ll be doing that in 2023.”

The Who 2023 Europe Tour

Jun 14 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau Sant Jordi Jun 20 – Berlin- Germany – Waldbuhne Jun 23 – Paris, France – La Defense Arena

*Additional European, UK dates coming soon

Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

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The Who Shake Off the Rust as ‘Moving On! Tour’ Kicks Off In Grand Rapids

Pete Townshend and his surviving bandmate Roger Daltrey kicked off their 'Moving On' tour with a hit-and-miss, two-hour-plus outing.

By Gary Graff

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“We have to play with some discipline here,” Pete Townshend told the crowd Tuesday night at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena, as the Who opened its Moving On! Tour – add that  “You might sense, in my case, a huge amount of tension.”   

That’s understandable, of course. Over five-plus decades “discipline” is not exactly a word associated with the Who and its legacy; Raucous and rough ‘n’ tumble are more apt virtues in its long and tumultuous history. And that’s what makes the fully orchestrated Moving On! such a surprising and admirably ambitious late-career endeavor for Townshend and his surviving bandmate Roger Daltrey – and in the case of opening night, a two-hour and 10-minute outing that managed to be both successful and tentative at the same time.   

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The two Who survivors are not strangers to orchestras, of course. Both have experience with symphonic projects — Daltrey as recently as last year, when he played the group’s 1969 opus Tommy with symphony orchestras around the country. But Moving On! marks the first time the Who has gone out with an orchestrated show of its own, a decided step up from the large ensembles that backed its 1989 reunion tour and the 1996-97  Quadrophenia  tour. “I just think this is a shit idea Roger had,” Townshend quipped near mid-show, with just enough bite to make it sound like he may not have been kidding.  

It was hardly that, however. David Campbell arrangements for the 49-piece orchestra, which played on 18 of the night’s 22 songs, tastefully blended rock and richness, bolstering the songs with well-fitted layers of sonic shimmer and, when appropriate, bombast. The blocks of material from Tommy and Quadrophenia , already orchestrated in their own rights, not surprisingly took to the  settings well; The latter’s instrumental “The Rock,” in fact, was the show’s best moment, replicating the original album version with genuinely exciting precision. 

Songs from the rest of the Who’s catalog varied, meanwhile, with some faring better (the rare “Imagine a Man,” “Emminence Front”) than others (“Who Are You”).  After a particularly messy “Join Together,” Townshend — who also poked fun at the sheet music on a music stand in front of him — even told the crowd, “It’s all a bit too much, I think.”

But a big part of the issue had nothing to do with the performance. As perhaps befits an opening night, the sound mix struggled throughout the show to find the right balance between band and orchestra, vocals and instruments. The effect was of disturbingly muted, and erratic, dynamics, particularly with the backing vocals and, occasionally the orchestral accompaniments. The flatness clearly didn’t represent what was happening on stage, and only Zak Starkey consistently stood out in the blend, delivering flashy fills that would make the late Keith Moon proud despite the fact Starkey was playing to a metronomic click track.

The show’s other strong moments demonstrated the potential for this new Who format, too – particularly Townshend’s strong singing on “Emminence Front” and Quadrophenia’s “I’m One” and “Drowned,” and a roaring show-closing rendition of “Baba O’ Riley,” spotlighting touring violinist Katie Jacoby. The group’s four-song, sans orchestra set was also strong, with a sparkling take on “The Kids Are Alright,” an acoustic version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (without Daltrey’s big scream), a “Behind Blue Eyes” fortified by Jacoby and cellist Audrey Snyder, and an intimate performance of 2006’s “Tea  & Sympathy” by Daltrey and Townshend only.  And the requisite microphone twirling by Daltrey and windmill playing by Townshend have not lost any of their appeal.

Moving On! has a long way to go, of course – and 28 more North American shows across two legs gives Townshend and Daltrey plenty of time to build it up to its promise. But even amidst Tuesday’s hit-and-miss affair, the duo could still be credited with trying on a new challenge when it could have easily played the age-old favorites in a traditional manner yet again.

The Who’s opening night setlist included :

with orchestra:

Tommy Overture

It’s A Boy

Amazing Journey/Sparks

Pinball Wizard

We’re Not Gonna Take It

Who Are You

Imagine A Man

Emminence Front

Join Together

band only :

The Kids are Alright

Won’t Get Fooled Again (acoustic)

Behind Blue Eyes

Tea and Theatre (Daltrey and Townshend only)

I’m One

The Punk Meets the Godfather

Love Reign O’er Me

Baba O’ Riley

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Roger Daltrey, at 80, readying for life after The Who: 'Every dog has its day, and it was a wonderful ride'

" Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Considering that he has devoted much of the past 60 years to his career as the lead singer in The Who, you wouldn't expect to hear Roger Daltrey laughing uproariously over the apparent demise of the band long synonymous with his name. Especially not just a day after Who co-founder Pete Townshend stated in a podcast he was "not doing" a farewell tour that he himself had proposed only three weeks earlier.

But Daltrey, who performs a solo show May 5 at The Shell in San Diego, laughed so hard during an interview last week you might have thought he was watching a favorite film comedy. The singer's long burst of "ha ha has" was in response to his interviewer noting that — more than anyone — Daltrey knows just how prone the mercurial Townshend is to changing his mind in a near-instant.

After pausing to contain his laughter, the veteran singer grew more serious.

"If Pete doesn't want to tour, I don't want to be back with The Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn't want be there — if that's what he's saying," said Daltrey who turned 80 on March 1. "But you know, every dog has its day and it was a wonderful ride."

Whether this dog has truly had its day remains to be seen, particularly since Daltrey — in a 2000 San Diego Union-Tribune interview — referred to Townshend as "a habitual liar."

Regardless, Townshend sounded less than enthused when he told the New York Times last month: "I don't get much of a buzz from performing with The Who. If I'm really honest, I've been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated."

Such statements don't encourage Daltrey to think another reunion trek seems feasible. With The Who down to two members — drummer Keith Moon died in 1978, bassist John Entwistle in 2002 — touring as a one-man version of The Who, minus Townshend, is not a viable option.

"I won't do it with someone who is halfhearted about it," Daltrey said. "The music is too important to me. The reason The Who was so powerful is because we meant it. We took your face off when we played; we didn't swan about on stage."

'Putting me in a corner'

What if Townshend changes his mind and expresses enthusiasm to reunite with Daltrey for one final Who tour?

"You're putting me in a corner," he replied. "I'd be up for it if the reason Pete's doing it isn't just to make money. I'll do it to make good music and to show people what we were, before we leave the stage forever. You can't just half turn up for a tour.

"Singers can't dial it in at concerts, because it shows immediately. I'm doing it because I love it, and it's what I do ... I've got a voice and I want to use it. I have never toured only for the money. Yes, the money is very useful. But I couldn't do it just for that; you can't. You need to be passionate about what you do and you really need to connect with the audiences. If you don't, you're failing. "

But Daltrey's San Diego concert will feature him sharing the stage with Townshend. That is, Simon Townshend — Pete's younger brother — a longtime touring member in both Daltrey's band and in The Who.

"I always use Simon Townshend; he's been with me on my tours since 1994," Daltrey said. "We go back a long way — I used to change Simon's nappies! He's a sweetheart and he's a great musician. There's something about his voice when we sing harmonies, because it's a (Pete) Townshend derivative. We work great together and I love him dearly."

In June, Daltrey and a predominantly British band will undertake a nine-city U.S. tour he is billing as "semi-acoustic." It is designed to focus on songs from his solo albums, along with some Who favorites.

But Daltrey's May 5 show at The Shell will — apart from him and Simon Townshend — feature an otherwise all-electric band of American musicians. And their repertoire will, he said, lean more towards Who songs than his solo work.

'Kind of ridiculous'

Daltrey's most recent concerts took place last month at London's historic Royal Albert Hall, where six performances were held between March 18 and 24. They were held to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which has raised more than $39 million since he founded the charity organization in 2000. He is stepping down as its head this year but will still be involved.

Last month's first two Royal Albert Hall concerts were headlined by The Who, in what may end up as the band's final appearances. The concluding March 24 show included a version of The Who's classic "Baba O'Riley" that featured vocals by Daltrey, Robert Plant and Pearl Jam singer (and former San Diegan) Eddie Vedder.

"My career has been ... kind of ridiculous, really, when I think of about it," Daltrey said, speaking from his home in the English countryside. "There's something in me, this identity, that only comes out when I'm singing. I just love singing, it's as simple as that. I love connecting with my voice in a different way than when I'm speaking. I just love it!"

Daltrey discussed music and his ridiculous career with the Union-Tribune for nearly 45 minutes on April 17. Here are highlights from that conversation. His quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

Q: You turned 80 on March 1. So, happy belated birthday. Does music mean something more or different to you at 80 than when you were 20, 40 or 70?

A: No, it doesn't. I've always sang — from the age of 6, when I started in the church choir — until now.

Q: How do you maintain your voice and how often do you practice?

A: I never practice. And I think, at the moment, I'm singing, possibly the best I ever have in my life. I had a very rough period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where I had — it turned out I was OK — but it was a potential vocal cord cancer and I managed to get it sorted. I also managed to hear myself singing for the first time, which was a luxury for me. In the '60, '70s, and '80s, it seemed to be the mission of the rest of the band to drown me out. It felt like it anyway! They were so loud that it became hard work to hear myself.

Q: What happened that enabled you to hear yourself better?

A: In-ear (audio) monitors that let you get the mix you want — like, if the guitar's too loud! — and always hear yourself. That makes an enormous difference to a singer. Also, and I didn't realize it until the '90s, but I'd been deaf for a long time in my life. And I don't think it was caused by the band.

When I think back on it, it was caused by working in a sheet metal factory when I was a teenager, grinding welds down every day, with no hearing protection. I think that's what definitely took the top (range) out of my hearing, rather than the band. It's one of those things I've managed to survive.

Q: How does your wearing hearing aids now factor in?

A: I kind of work with one in-ear monitor in one ear and the hearing aid in the other. You can manipulate them so that I get the best sound for hearing myself that I can on stage with this system. Fortunately.

Q: We spoke back in 1992 to preview the La Jolla Playhouse opening of "The Who's 'Tommy," which you attended here. You told me at that time: "You can hear a big change in my voice before and after 'Tommy.' It's like two different people. It was wonderful. It freed up my singing, and it gave me an identity." Was there any direct or indirect cause and effect between "Tommy" coming out in 1969 — and freeing up your voice — and then making your first two solo albums, "Daltrey" in 1973 and "Ride a Rock Horse" in 1975?

A: No, not really. I mean, my solo albums came because The Who was having so many long hiatuses from touring in those days. Because Pete used to write all the material, and he used to take time off to write it. That, for the rest of the band, was extremely painful because we were playing at our peak and we wanted to be out there, on tour, doing what we do.

I was sitting on my hands and the solo stuff was just something to keep me singing, basically, as simple as that. But I've never, ever wanted to be, you know, like Rod Stewart and The Faces, where Rod became bigger than the band. I never wanted it to be that way. The Who was my band, and that was always going to be the main priority of mine.

Q: in 1993 when I was covering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions, the drummer from The Doors, John Densmore, said to Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger: "Do you remember when we were playing at the Fillmore, and Jim (Morrison) thought he was Roger Daltrey and swung the microphone cord around and hit Bill Graham in the head?"

A: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Q: Did you ever have a mishap with the microphone when you were swinging it around on stage?

A: I usually hit myself! I've only ever hit one person deliberately with the microphone. Every time there's been some mishap, the microphone has always swung back and hit me, either in the kneecap — which is very painful — or, even worse, in the crotch. I twirled it because The Who was such a manic band, with Moon and Townshend, that it enlivened my side of the stage.

Q: I've got to ask: Who was it you deliberately hit?

A: I don't know who it was. All I know is that they're sorry that they threw something that nearly took my eye out on stage. I happened to see them do it. They were trapped in the crowd. And I was quite a good shot with that microphone ...

Q: Unlike Keith Moon, you never drove a car into a hotel swimming pool or threw TVs out hotel windows. Were you ever tempted to?

A: I thought then — and still think now — it was very much puerile behavior. You know, I was born during an air raid in World War II. I was older than the other members of The Who and came from a different area of London, which was much, much poorer — I can still remember food rationing if you can believe that. At the age of 15, I was kicked out of school and I went to work as a sheet metal worker.

To make it in the band, I was working eight hours a day doing sheet metal work, then coming home, swapping my clothes for something a bit cleaner, and going out working in the band at night. So, it's always been (dismaying) for me to see something so puerile and distracting as (hotel room destruction). I found it quite stupid, to be honest.

Q: What is the status of the oft-delayed Keith Moon biopic, and who would you like to play you in the film?

A: It's very much in the works. We are, at this moment, looking for directors. We'll cast it after we have the right director.

Q: You were a very young man when The Who recorded "My Generation," with its famous "hope I die before get old" lyric. Do you put yourself in a young man's frame of mind when you sing it now?

A: I sing it as a singer delivering it. I talk in the song, and I say: "Now, you talk about your generation, I'll talk about my generation." I don't pretend to be young. I sing the song.

Q: A big disappointment about The Who is how infrequently the band has made albums since the 1970s.

A: Well, you can't go back. It's always been a little bit of a weight on my shoulders that (Pete and I) have never managed to go into the studio and bang things around between us. I've written songs and laid them down — I'm not a slouch — and who knows what could come of them if we could collaborate?

Q: What would it take to make that happen?

A: (laughing) An earthquake!

Roger Daltrey, with KT Tunstall

When: 7:30 p.m. May 5

Where: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown

Tickets: $33-$225, plus service charges

Phone: (619) 235-0804

Online: theshell.org

[email protected]

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .

©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Who review – rock operas get an orchestral uplift in a show stuffed with classics

Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are as playful as ever in a crowd-pleasing set featuring strings, brass and, in the audience, thousands of air guitars

‘I want what you’re taking,” Pete Townshend quips, pointing to an enthusiastic fan. “Not again,” retorts Roger Daltrey, comedically rolling his eyes. After six decades of bickering, the two original members of the Who still have compelling onstage friction.

In a loosely buttoned white linen shirt, Daltrey paces stage right, twirling his microphone and winking at the crowd. Townshend keeps firmly to his own half. “The Who? More like who’s left,” the guitarist deadpans, before gesturing at a stage packed with strings, brass and two drum kits: “We replaced Keith Moon with 50 people, so you’re getting your money’s worth.”

The Who Hits Back! tour is built to be a crowd-pleaser, combining orchestral performances of the classic rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia with a band-only section of pure hits. A majestic opening overture sweeps the Edinburgh crowd to their feet despite the evening’s heavy rain, but the first songs proper, including Tommy’s concise 1921, feel swamped by their expanded rearrangements. It takes Pinball Wizard to bring the energy back. The string section, with lead violinist Katie Jacoby, sounds victorious against Daltrey’s commanding, brassy voice, and Townshend’s iconic riff feels like a drone ringing through the Castle esplanade.

Eminence Front locks into a strong groove, but other classics are set to cruise control: Who Are You is buoyed only by the crowd. By the middle of the show, however, the core band find a fresh edge, and a double-header of You Better You Bet and Substitute is spiky and electric. When the orchestra returns for Quadrophenia, it’s a much better match – instrumental The Rock seethes like a Bond theme.

Baba O’Riley, saved for last, is the musical equivalent of a fireworks display: Jacoby finds fresh heat in the outro’s well-loved solo, brandishing her violin at Townshend and dancing playfully with Daltrey. A delighted crowd air-guitars along with her.

The two Whos stay on stage for a softer finale. Tea & Theatre is a saccharine ballad about the band’s legacy, but it’s genuinely poignant when Daltrey sings Townshend’s lyrics directly to him: “We did it all, didn’t we?”

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The Who: Updates on Touring, Band Member’s Health & Revival of ‘Tommy’ Musical

The Who has been in the news a lot lately. First, co-founder and longtime member of the band The Who, Pete Townshend , dashed fan’s dreams as he shut down a possible farewell tour. This month, he took back remarks he previously made that sparked rumors of a farewell tour. He confirmed that a tour is not in the works. Around the same time, band member Roger Daltrey also denied that The Who would ever make another studio album.

He sounded grim as he shared , “What’s the point? What’s the point of records? We released an album four years ago, and it did nothing. It’s a great album, too, but there isn’t the interest out there for new music these days.”

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Daltrey also gave an update on his recent health struggles. The 80-year-old was previously treated for a pre-cancerous throat condition and more recently suffered from viral meningitis. He admitted that he was feeling “on my way out” after turning 80.

Rick Kern/Getty Images for The Who

He explained , “I have to be realistic. I’m on my way out. The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I’ll make that, but we need someone else to drive things.” Despite The Who not touring and Daltrey’s pessimism, he is touring this summer on his own. He will be performing some of The Who’s greatest hits along with some of his solo songs.

Roger Daltrey has added another date to his 2024 North American Summer Tour. He will be appearing with his electric/acoustic band @MoheganSunAren1 in Uncasville, CT on June 23rd with his special guest @KTTunstall . Tickets on sale from 10.00am ET, Friday April 12th on… pic.twitter.com/hZovY9kNJ8 — The Who (@TheWho) April 8, 2024

It isn’t just sad news for The Who. The band recently revived their Broadway show The Who’s Tommy and it has been receiving rave reviews. The show first premiered in 1993 and showcases the music of their 1969 album Tommy . The music and lyrics in the musical are written by Townshend.

Deadline called the musical at the revival’s premiere, “Certainly one definition of great music might include an ability to meet the present – and the future – head-on and come out unbruised, even triumphant. By that standard and many more, The Who’s Tommy, opening tonight on Broadway, is thrilling proof that the premiere concept album of 1969 is great music indeed.” The show is currently running at the Nederlander Theatre now through November 2024. Get your tickets on The Who’s Tommy’ s website.

Birth of Rock 'n' Roll

February 2024.

"Long live rock," we like to say, but how did it come to life? Revisit the memorable moments, music and movies that made teens go beat crazy back in the 1950s.

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The Most Overlooked and Transformative of the Who, According to Roger Daltrey

The story of the Who has always been the story of society. The volatile intensity of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon reflected their audience — it was always about their audience — as if they were holding up a cracked mirror to their own experiences with angst, isolation, and rage. While Townshend was the arbiter of the mod subculture with his lyrics and appetite for instrument destruction , Daltrey with his “primal roar,” as he likes to call it, was the master interpreter to rally their generation. It’s simple, really: You didn’t turn on the Who if you wanted to dance or seduce. They were there when it was time to fight.

I found myself connecting with Daltrey, as sprightly as ever, earlier this month as he prepares for a few solo shows . “I’ll talk about anything, whatever you like,” he tells me. “But you might be offended, I warn you now. Let’s clear that up to start with because I ain’t going to go with the other crap. I’ve lived and I’ve seen too much.” He was nothing but affable, although he did take a pause when I equated the Who to being a legacy act. “Well,” he offered, “it’s one up from being some of the things we were called in the early days.” (We also found ourselves on a tangent about the joys of Seinfeld after I mentioned my weekend plans.) The band already has much of their 2023 mapped out with The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley set for a March release as well as a summer tour throughout the United Kingdom. If Daltrey gets his way, 2024 would be a big Who year, too.

Best non-album single

I would say “Naked Eye.” The song, where it’s recorded in live shows, was never very good up until last year when we changed the rhythm of the bridge for the instrumental piece between verses and brought it back into rhythm. It kind of completed the song. It took a long time to get together from 1968 to 2022, but we did it in the end. It has some great lyrics with a really nice guitar progression, but then when it got into the instrumental, the rhythm skipped. It used to always throw us and I thought it was so bloody hokey. I never could quite get into it. So last year, we resuscitated the song, and I said to Pete, “Can’t we just make this in sync with the rest of it, so it’s a groove or something?” We put another simple little off-beat in there, and it brought it all into time, and the song’s great now. It really comes alive.

Mind you, these are Townshend songs. None of them were easy to master. That’s what I love about Pete’s writing. He has the sensibility and the intellect to write from a very different perspective than most music writers. Of course, his song structures are incredible. It’s not run-of-the-mill rock and roll — or rock. It’s very individual music, and it’s not for everybody. I’ve always understood that idea, and it was never ever going to be the most commercial. But in some ways it carries the most weight and carries the most importance.

Most transformative album

It would be easy to say Tommy . It really was a collection of songs that … well, there was no fixed idea when we started recording Tommy. It was one song that had potential to be a bigger picture or a collection of the songs that painted a bigger picture. That was transformative in a way. But it was very kind of cobbled together. In those days, you had to either have a single album — two 20-minute sides — or you went into a double album and then you had to have two albums of 20-minute-plus sides. That’s 80 minutes of music. Of course, we had to piece together bits of instrumental to put in, like “Underture” and “Sparks,” those kinds of afterthoughts. Obviously, when it hit the shelves, Tommy was called a rock opera and all those things that went with it. If you’ve ever studied the lyrics of most of the grand operas, there’s hardly any there. They’re beautiful melodies. Tommy, in a way, is one of the best operas that’s ever been written.

However, if I could only choose one album, it’s Quadrophenia. Because it was one consistent idea from Pete. I don’t know whether the narrative is that clear, but I don’t know whether it matters on the album. Musically, I think it’s fabulous. I don’t know what people may not understand about our rock operas. I really don’t care. It might be pie in the sky to a lot of people, but like I said, when you look at the lyrics of some of the grand operas, there’s very thin narrative lines. I can’t wish to make any judgment in that sense. When you’re inside, it’s very hard to look on from the outside.

Song you don’t recognize anymore

With the maturity I have now and looking back on life, I’m more connected to our songs than ever. The only song I get bored with playing, because it’s immovable from its arrangement, is “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” I mean, I love the song and I don’t mind singing it. But for some reason it never quite takes off from anywhere different than it was from the time I recorded it. I don’t know why. It’s the only song I have that problem with. Because with other songs, some nights they breeze out into some other areas and it’s wonderful. But “Won’t Get Fooled Again” seems to be stuck in this box. We’ve done it acoustically, which certainly gets out of the box, but people seem to want the full blast — the whole bit. It was groundbreaking at the time. But it just seems to be set in aspic.

I now see songs differently, and I explore them more. I’ve just been playing around with “Behind Blue Eyes,” for instance. I’ve been playing around on my little traveling acoustic guitar, and I discovered the beauty of the chords when they’re played really slow — and then I sing it quietly and explore the words even more. Because once you get into the rhythm, you’re limited in a certain way. But if you just pick it, the melody of the chords is absolutely beautiful on an acoustic guitar. Once it gets into a set rhythm, or if you do it like a piece of classical music, it becomes something else again. You have more chances to explore the lyrics and elongate words. It’s quite interesting. I just can’t play around too much, because then the song will go on for ten minutes and people will fall asleep.

Most overlooked album

Oh, that’s a hard one. I think Odds & Sods. This was an album of bits and pieces that were left over from Who’s Next , and a few things from the prior recordings sessions on earlier albums. It was put out as a filler album while we were making Quadrophenia . It’s a fabulous album. I really like it, but I don’t think Odds & Sods ever achieved any commercial success. Musically, it holds together great.

At the time, I put the album cover together. I had this idea. Because we were always legendary for our fighting between each other, I actually bought everybody a helmet to wear on that cover together. I put everybody’s name on the helmet, and I didn’t realize that Pete’s head was miles bigger than anybody else’s. Him and I had to trade helmets. [ Laughs .] It works. It was a great cover — a straight photograph. When I first saw it, I thought, “Hey, it doesn’t quite make it. Let’s try and liven it up.” I always wanted to do the reflection of the audience and the fact that there’s something about Pete’s lyrics with the audience. The cover really reflects that because the audience is looking through the band, coming out of the band, on the real cover. Suddenly we may have saved a life or two at times with those helmets.

Best song since Who Are You

I really like the next album, Face Dances . “You Better You Bet” was a great song that gave us a boost when we needed it most. There are some interesting songs on that album, but I still think it was overproduced. We were struggling with the loss of Keith, of course, and the studio was a very different place. We were working with an American producer, Bill Szymczyk, who was great at his job. But I think, in hindsight, he was possibly the wrong producer for us at that time. We were never going to be an Atlantic Records band.

I’ve always had to fight to get what I want, and how this played out is a great example. When it was insisted that we change drummers, I said that even though Kenney Jones is a fabulous drummer and a fabulous bloke, he was the wrong drummer for the Who , as Keith Moon would’ve been the wrong drummer for the Faces. Tell me, can you imagine it? I love Kenney. He’s one of my best mates in the Faces. It wasn’t an easy thing to do to get rid of him. It was a very difficult thing personally and emotionally because I think the world of him.

You’ve got to remember, a singer stands out in front and never sees the band. Maybe in a few glimpses during solos, that’s about it. But you feel them. You feel the rhythms; you feel the energy. It was going back to the days before Keith joined the band and how it didn’t work for me. When Keith joined the band, it was my band — I put the others together, and we were looking for a drummer. When Keith joined, it was finding the key to the engine. We started it out and off it went. That had gone. Kenney was very good. He kept climbing, but it was dull compared to Keith. But there again, Keith in the Faces would’ve been absolute chaos. Oh God, I loved him.

Song you wish Pete didn’t sing lead on

There are some good contenders from our early years. I’d say “A Legal Matter” because the song is about me. I was getting divorced at the time. It would’ve been more personal if I sang it. I never even thought about what songs Pete and I would sing. If he wanted a song, I would go, “Great, you sing it, go .” I wasn’t going to interfere with the ego. [ Laughs .] I’d wind him up a bit. We never discussed it and I never challenged it. I mean, just after we made the film soundtrack for Tommy , I chose the songs for The Who By Numbers album. I’d insisted that he sing “However Much I Booze” because of its own personal nature . Quite a few songs I’ve always preferred that he sings the lead. Like “Eminence Front,” for instance — I did a vocal on it, but I listened to his vocals, and it just sounded better in my ears. I prefer his vocals to mine any day of the week. He prefers mine, which is kind of weird. He’s got a thinner voice.

Career-defining live performance

I don’t think there’s one performance I can place above the others. The Concert for New York City was the most emotional show I’ve ever played in my life. It was very difficult. Looking out at that audience of people who had a hellish time for weeks on end. There were children in the audience of some of the people that have been killed in 9/11. It was incredibly poignant. At the time, I actually didn’t think we played very well. It was only afterwards that everybody was raving about the Who, and I don’t know, I felt we just did what we do. We did discuss what we should play, but we couldn’t agree. Pete said, “Let’s just do what we do, which is play our songs,” and we picked four. It was so strong .

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was a fun one. It was a weird day, really. We turned up in the morning at this studio near the area in London where we grew up. I remember thinking, What was all this about? Jethro Tull is here too? They wanted to do this rock-and-roll-circus theme. I knew the Stones — we’d been around them for a long time. But I was mostly friends with Brian Jones, and John Lennon was there with Yoko Ono. Brian was in a terrible state. He was one step forward and three steps backward. He was not good at all. I remember we were given a slot of ten minutes, so we thought of doing the “A Quick One” mini-opera. Let’s do something different. We played it and it was only one take. There were big, long gaps between every band. I was stuck in a dressing room for hours, and I got bored on my own. I found that I was really upset by Brian in that state, and it put it lot of things into perspective for my future. He died not long after. I wasn’t on the same drugs as everybody else at that time. I was dealing with being in a band with three complete addicts, and it wasn’t easy, I’ve got to tell you. I just got fed up with being around it. I didn’t want to be around it.

Song that always reminds you of Keith

“Who Are You.” Mainly from the video we did with him for the song. We were obviously having a lot of trouble with Keith at the time when we made that album. He wasn’t in the best of shape. He was indulging in quite a lot of naughties. It was a difficult time, but when we came together to do that video to promote the album, Keith joined in on the backing vocals and he was hysterical. There’s something about Keith that he … no matter how naughty he was, you’d have to love him. You’d just have to love him. He was a rascal. He used to rope his drum kit up. In the ’60s, when he first joined us, he would bring a length of rope and tie them all together because he would just go crazy. Then, once we started using backing tracks and the headphones, he had to tape them to his head because it could fly off.

I just finished a script, and I’m hoping to do my biopic of Keith within the next couple of years. I’m very pleased with the script. I want people to get an understanding of him and his life, and the complete genius he was. He had so much talent, that boy, but he became out of control for a lot of reasons. Mostly for lack of discipline. But once the drugs kick in, usually that disappears, doesn’t it? I’ve got an actor in mind who’s a role model. He might be too old, but then again, Keith looked 50 when he died. He was 32, but he looked 54. I think the actor is about 40 now. I don’t want to jinx it and say his name . But there’s an actor who I’ve seen and when I look at him I go, “God, it’s Moon.” It’s all to do with the eyes. The eyes are all important. You virtually wouldn’t need to say any dialogue because you could read it in his eyes. I mean, that’s a bit much, but you know what I mean. You can read so much in the face of Keith. He had such an incredible vibrancy. I got involved when Mike Myers wanted to play him. We were trying to get the film off the ground. I think Mike, when he was younger, would’ve made a fabulous Keith. It’s a shame it never happened. I’m driven by this project. It came to me in a dream 30 years ago.

Song where you found your voice

It was after the period where we recorded Tommy . I think Tommy was always better live than it was on the record. I suppose I found the dimension of my voice recording Tommy , but I never really learned how to use it until we got it on stage. My voice can go from really incredibly gentle and quiet to a primal roar. It’s incredibly loud. In those days it was probably over a four-octave range. I was very blessed. But I had no confidence in my singing, because Keith used to tell me what a crap singer I was. It can kind of knock your confidence. It’s just that — four alpha males. Also, for instance, when I recorded “Love, Reign O’er Me,” Pete wrote that as a quiet love song. But when I heard it I thought, No, this is primal . I did it my way and had the confidence to do so.

Album era that challenged you the most

I would say the last one we recorded, Who . We found our way around it. It challenged me because I liked the songs but I didn’t think they were groundbreaking. There was something good in all of them. I think I found a way to present them and I really pushed the boat out, vocally, on that album. You’d have to hear all of the demos — I don’t think they’ve been released yet, but they will. You’d have to hear the difference between A and B and then you could see how I got around them. I think I got under the skin of the songs. A lot of fans don’t like the new songs. I mean, it provides a toilet break. But then I remember back in the days of Who’s Next , and how people used to go for a toilet break at “Behind Blue Eyes.” Times change. People get used to it, their tastes change and their favorites change and then it’s all where it is now. When they’re presented with something new, it challenges them. They go, Well, I might go out for a drink.

Why Woodstock was actually overrated

I don’t think Woodstock as an event was overrated, but as a concert, it was totally overrated. As an event it deserves all the accolades it gets. Woodstock was the first time the American government really had to sit up and start to take notice of this huge army of young people that were really against the war in Vietnam. You’ve got to remember the timing. For me, the stars of Woodstock were the audience and the bands were all crap. [ Laughs .] It was just a fantastic event and it made the powers that be, whoever they are — will we ever know? — sit up and take notice. This was becoming a movement that was going to become unstoppable. Very quickly, within five or so years, that war was over. It still went on too long, but there it goes. Wars are quite stupid. They always end up with a deal.

We got along great with all of the musicians. It was party time. But it was uncomfortable. It was horrible, muddy, and shitty, and there wasn’t a good sound from the stage. My main memory of the bands was that was the first time I heard Creedence Clearwater Revival with John Fogerty. I was backstage, but boy did they sound good. Fogerty was extraordinary. He’s a great guy. He still can sing like that.

Most underappreciated aspect of your career

Survival. I survived with three bloody addicts in a group. But I try not to think of it like that. I’ve had a privileged life. I know that. I’ve enjoyed every minute of everything I’ve ever done. I like to take and accept challenges when they’re presented, if I think I can do something to make it work.

Most ambitious thing the Who has yet to do

The only thing I can quite honestly say is something I’ve already given a lot of thought. But some context. I’m at that clinical point in my life where I can go on and potentially not be quite as I was last year, vocally, because that’s the age I am. Do we attempt to go forward with something at all? I don’t want to go backward, because we’re out now with the orchestra and those orchestrations added to Pete’s music. It’s how I’ve always heard Pete’s music in my head. It’s always been classical — it’s not rock and roll. I’m 79 in three weeks. Will I still be able to sing Quadrophenia next year when I’m 80? An orchestrated Quadrophenia in the format of the band we are now would be phenomenal. That’s my ambition. But I can’t tell you I could physically handle it. It’s a challenging piece of work and it deserves respect. But who knows. We’ve gone on far longer than I ever thought we would. I didn’t think it would last until the end of the week.

Age is a weird thing. No one cheats it. Voices especially. It’s such a tiny piece of our body that does so much work. People have no idea how complex vocal cords are and what’s involved in what singers do. Like I said, Quadrophenia is not the easiest piece of work to sing. Even all those years ago, in our prime, it was never easy. But maybe this is the frame of mind I’m in now, and with the orchestra, it settles you down in a different way than when you’re just trying to make all the noise from four or five instruments. I’ll never match the writing of Pete Townshend and I don’t think anyone else ever will. But if I ever do, you can call and congratulate me.

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Rock music legend wants one final tour before ‘crawling off to die’

• Updated: Mar. 26, 2024, 6:10 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 26, 2024, 8:45 a.m.

The Who's, from left, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform at Fenway Park on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Boston. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Invision/AP) Winslow Townson/Invision/AP

• Geoff Herbert | [email protected]

A rock music legend is hoping to do one final tour with his classic rock band.

The Who co-founder, guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend told the New York Times in a new interview about his rock opera “Tommy” that he’d like to do a farewell tour with his band.

“It feels to me like there’s one thing The Who can do,” Townshend told the newspaper. “And that’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die.”

Townshend and original singer Roger Daltrey last toured as The Who in 2022. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band is known for hits like “My Generation,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Who Are You?” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

Daltrey, 80, is headed on a solo tour this summer, including a June 16 concert at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts — the site of the original Woodstock festival, where The Who performed in 1969. Daltrey’s touring band will include Pete Townshend’s brother Simon Townshend (guitar), Billy Nicholls (mandolin), Jody Linscott (percussion), Doug Boyle (guitar), John Hogg (bass), Katie Jacoby (violin), Steve Weston (harmonica), Geraint Watkins (keyboards/accordion), and Scott Devours (drums).

Pete Townshend, 78, told the Times that he doesn’t get “much of a buzz from performing with The Who,” admitting that he’s simply “touring for the money.” The rock legend has also publicly disagreed with Daltrey on how they want to go out.

“I don’t want to be like one of these guys that dies on tour,” Townshend told Rolling Stone in 2022. “Roger is of the opinion that he wants to sing until he drops. That’s not my philosophy of life. There are other things that I want to do, still want to do, and will do, I hope. I hope I’ll live long enough to do them.”

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The Who’s Pete Townshend shoots down chances of a farewell tour: “I think I was being sarcastic”

It comes after both he and Roger Daltrey hinted at one last run of live shows

The Who ’s Pete Townshend has put a dampener on any hopes for a farewell tour, saying that he was being “sarcastic” when he hinted at the idea.

• READ MORE: Roger Daltrey on Teenage Cancer Trust and the chances of new music from The Who

It comes as both he and the band’s frontman Roger Daltrey have spoken about what the future holds for the iconic rock group in recent weeks, and hinted that their time as a band may be drawing to an end.

Initially, it seemed that the band were planning a farewell tour to end their touring days with a bang, with the guitarist stating last month that The Who have one “final” thing left to do before they call it quits . “It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die,” he said. “I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with The Who. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated.”

However, according to a new interview on the Sound Up! Podcast, it seems that plans for one final run of gigs may no longer be on the cards.

When asked about the prospect by hosts Mark Goodman and Alan Light, Townshend replied: “I’m not doing a farewell tour. I think I was being sarcastic about it.”

He also elaborated on how he has “felt old” for the majority of his time with the band, going on to give one song from the 1982 album ‘All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes’ in particular as an example. “When I was 34, I wrote the song ‘Slit Skirts,’ and I think the line is ‘I’m 34 years old and I’m still wandering in a haze. I felt old at 34.”

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As highlighted by Far Out , the year that song was shared was also the same year that The Who went on a farewell tour, before eventually reuniting seven years later.

The comments about the band coming to an end also follow on from comments made by Roger Daltrey last month, when he reflected on turning 80 , saying that “he has to be realistic” and is “on the way out”.

He also opened up about his time as curator for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows over the past 20 years – which came to an end this year – and the feeling of nerves ahead of his recent shows.

“We haven’t done anything for seven months and this winter’s been brutal. I’ve been in hibernation. For the whole of January, I lost my voice completely,” he said of the latter. “I live like a monk and if I went on tour for a week I’d be fit as a butcher’s dog again, but tonight, for the first time in my career, I think, ‘Blimey, this is hard.’”

Similarly, in January, the singer gave an interview about the future of The Who, in which he said he was “happy” that “that part of my life is over” , before clarifying that ultimately any decision about calling it a day would have to be made alongside Pete Townshend .

The frontman recently announced a new “semi-acoustic” solo tour of North America , which will take place across nine dates in June. Any remaining tickets can be found here .

• Related Topics
• Pete Townshend
• Roger Daltrey

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Roger Daltrey

Leslie mendelson.

Artist Information

If any one member of The Who can be said to be the group’s founding member it is singer Roger Daltrey, who was born in the West London suburb of Shepherd’s Bush on March 1, 1944. Roger first assembled the group that would become The Who in 1959 while at Acton County School, recruiting John Entwistle and subsequently agreeing to John’s proposal that Pete Townshend should join. In those days Roger, whose daytime job was in a sheet metal factory, even made the band’s guitars, and it was his energy and ambition that drove the group during their formative years. That same energy, coupled with his unwavering resolve, has sustained the group during periods of uncertainty ever since.

Roger’s earliest tastes in music ran to the blues and R&B which formed the setlist during their early years as the Detours, as well as Fifties rock’n’roll, which is reflected in his outstanding interpretations of such noted Who covers as ‘Summertime Blues’ and ‘Shakin’ All Over’. In surrendering his leadership of the band to Pete when the latter became the group’s songwriter, Roger became the mouthpiece for Pete’s lyrics and ideas. At the same time he contributed to the group’s sense of showmanship by developing his unique skill at twirling his microphone lead around like a lasso and, by the time of Tommy in 1969, becoming one of rock’s most iconic sex symbols with his golden curls, bare chest and fringed suede coats.

In this respect Roger became Tommy, the deaf dumb and blind boy of Pete’s imagination, and it was therefore only natural that he should assume the role in Ken Russell’s movie adaptation of the rock opera in 1975, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. This in turn led Roger to develop a concurrent career as a film actor while continuing to sing with the Who. Other film credits over the years include Ken Russell’s Lizstomania, the title role in McVicar, Lightning Jack with Paul Hogan, Teen Agent, and numerous roles in TV dramas. Most recently he appeared in the US CBS TV show C.S.I. – which uses Who songs as theme music - as five separate, differently made-up characters, one of them a middle-aged African-American woman.  

Roger has also cultivated a singing career outside of The Who, beginning in 1973 when he found himself on the BBC’s Top Of The Pops, the UK’s then premier chart TV show, promoting the single ‘Giving It All Away’ which reached number five in the UK charts. It was a track from his first solo album Daltrey, released that same year, which he followed up with the albums Ride A Rock Horse (1975), One Of The Boys (1977), the soundtrack to McVicar (1980), and After The Fire (1985).

Roger has appeared on stage away from The Who on many occasions, and his 1994 solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with The Juillard Orchestra, was the fastest selling event in the venue’s history. The following year he appeared on stage as The Tin Man in a production of The Wizard Of Oz at The Lincoln Centre, and in 1998 he starred as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. He has also performed with his friends The Chieftains, the traditional Irish band, and toured the world with the British Rock Symphony interpreting a variety of rock classics. As well as being one of the original supporters of Nordoff Robbins The Who have raised many millions for a multitude of charities throughout their career.

Since 2000 Roger has been a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity that builds specialised wards for teenagers with cancer in the UK. That year Roger had the idea of setting up the first show at the Royal Albert Hall by 'The Who & Friends', with ticket sales and revenue from a DVD and CD raising over £1.2 million, and as a result Roger was given a Humanitarian Award in 2003 from Time magazine. In February 2005, Roger was awarded a CBE by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for his services to music and good causes.

As a member of The Who who were already members of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame ,Daltrey was inducted in 2005 into the UK Music Hall of Fame. In December 2008, he and Pete Townshend were honoured with America's most prestigious cultural award  as recipients of the 31st annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. by then-President of the United States, George W. Bush. On 4 March 2009, three days after his 65th birthday, Daltrey accepted the James Joyce Award from the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin for outstanding success in the music field. On 12 March 2011, he received the Steiger Award (Germany) for excellence in music. Daltrey and Pete Townshend received the Classic Album Award for Quadrophenia from the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards at the Roundhouse, 9 November 2011, On March 24, 2011, Roger and his band gave a complete performance of Tommy at a Teenage Cancer Trust show at the Royal Albert Hall, London, supported by imagery which he commissioned from students of Middlesex University. Over the next year, he toured Tommy in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

However busy he is with his solo work and charitable endeavours, the group he formed at a Shepherd's Bush Youth Club at the age of 16 will always be his first love. Even more than his colleagues, it has been Roger who has done his best to keep The Who's flag flying during those periods when Pete felt the need to seek creative outlets elsewhere, and the respect he has earned from Who fans as a result is something he cherishes deeply.

This was never more apparent than when, in 1995, Roger took the trouble to generously assemble a band to appear at the first British Who Convention, organised by Who fans for Who fans, at Shepherd's Bush, the area of London where he was born which has become synonymous with the band. As the ad-hoc group, which included John Entwistle and Pete Townshend's brother Simon, left the stage, Roger gazed over the sea of faces. “Thank you,” he said, genuinely moved by the occasion. “You've given us a wonderful life.”

• Date Mon, June 10, 2024
• Time 7:30 PM Doors 6:30 PM
• Ages All Ages (under 16 with adult)
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THE WHO ANNOUNCE FIRST EUROPEAN DATES IN SEVEN YEARS

“Impossible not to feel the visceral power” ~ The Times

“Townshend and Daltrey deploy full orchestra to electrifying effect” ~ The Guardian

• WEDNESDAY 14 JUNE: PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA, SPAIN

• saturday 17 june: firenze rocks, visarno arena, florence, italy, • tuesday 20 june: waldbühne, berlin, germany, • friday 23 june: la défense arena, paris, france.

Tickets go on-sale WEDNESDAY 14 DECEMBER at 11:00am CET

OFFICIAL WHO FAN CLUB members get ticket access on Monday 12 December – 48 HOURS BEFORE general on-sale.

Become an Official Wholigan. Join today to secure your ticket for The Who Hits Back! European Tour! Just click on this link for the Wholigan Fan Club.

Legendary rock band The Who have announced their first European dates in seven years. The shows will see the band performing with a full orchestra each night. The iconic band’s upcoming European tour will feature the band bringing their orchestral rock show to Berlin, Paris, Florence and Barcelona for the first time.

Pete Townshend , Roger Daltrey and band will be performing music from throughout the band’s nearly 60-year career, including sections devoted to classic albums Tommy and Quadrophenia as well as other beloved Who tracks and songs from their 2019 WHO album, their first studio release in 13 years.

The 2023 European shows follow this year’s highly acclaimed The Who Hits Back! tour of Canada and the US, where the band shared the stage  with some of the finest orchestras in North America.

The 2023 European tour will feature THE WHO’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend , keyboardist Loren Gold , second keyboardist Emily Marshall , bassist Jon Button , drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls , along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson , lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder .

Commenting on playing in Europe for the first time in almost a decade, Pete Townshend said, “It is wonderful that we can return to Europe after so long away, to play Berlin, Paris, Florence and Barcelona, four of my favourite cities in the world. We look forward to bringing our grand orchestral show which has received such great reviews so far and play some old-fashioned Who-style rock ’n’ roll songs from our back catalogue as well. We mix it all up in the most amazing evening of music: I have to say that this show is one that I personally enjoy as much as anything I have ever done in the 60 years I’ve been working with Roger. I so look forward to visiting these beautiful cities to see our old fans, and I hope we meet some new ones. We are so lucky to be able to spend an evening with you all.”

The Who wound up their The Who Hits Back! tour of the US in November this year, having wowed audiences in over thirty cities, with media and fans agreeing that the band were as good as, if not better than ever and that the orchestral arrangements, most of which were done by the legendary David Campbell , brought a new depth and excitement to Pete Townshend’s music.

THE WHO WITH ORCHESTRA EUROPEAN TOUR 2023

84 thoughts on “THE WHO ANNOUNCE FIRST EUROPEAN DATES IN SEVEN YEARS”

Wonderful. Will there be shows in London too?

Great news… but again disappointed about no UK date many of us still out of pocket from the UK tour being cancelled.. just a glimmer of hope would be good Still going to try for a ticket France hopefully and then travel from the UK Keep well and stay safe…

Great news about the euro dates hopefully some Uk ones to follow

I really hope you will come to Oslo too!!

Long live rock… but not in Italy? it seems so. So disappointed about no dates in my country.

What date for the Netherlands?

I know that some people have been asking about UK shows. I’m sure there will be some next year. I believe it is down to the insurance policy that The Who could not tour in the UK this year… Pete recently told rolling stone I think it was that there would be dates in 2023 in the UK

Fingers crossed for a UK tour After two cancelled tours because of the pandemic. We’ve missed you lads

Belgium calling! May be in Bruxelles like the stones? I hope so.

Italy Italia

Begging for a date in Italy !!!!!!

Great news… But definitely get a Dutch gig in that tour!! So, next up: Holland!

Uk date? Still have my ticket although refunded for the canceled gig in Liverpool

The Netherlands please

What about England, I had tickets for the concert cancelled by Covid

yesssssss…at PARIS !!!!!!!!!!!

I’m pleased to see this for my friends in Spain. I’ve been telling them how great the two shows I saw with orchestra were in Ohio this spring and fall. Roger’s voice has never sounded richer.

Please, please, come to Belgium again!

Come on U.K. needs u , Glastonbury???

I want to join together with the band

Still no UK dates? I’ve been waiting since the cancelled dates in 2020. Glad to see the shows going on tho 👍

Love you guys. Saw you at Pontiac Silverdome in 1975. Fantastic show. Detroit area. Tampa earlier this year. Also great show. Son first time. Keep Rocking!!!

Oslo and Gothenburg are waiting for you!

Weve seen the Who many, many times going all the way back to the seventies, all great shows. THIS show with the orchestra we saw in New York in 2022 was the best we have ever enjoyed. Pete, Roger, and company just keep getting better!

Any chance of Dublin appearing on the list?

where/when will tickets for Paris be on sale? would love to come.

And Amsterdam ????

Why not Amsterdam would love to see The Who again

Please do a uk tour we need it after what we have been through over the last few years. Concert would lift everyone’s spirits. From a teenager of the 60s.

Love the who0+-can you come to west country

I saw The WHO in Seattle after flying down from Anchorage Alaska. I took my 14 year old son to see his first rock concert. I am a huge WHO fan and was blown away by the energy and power. Will there be a CD made of this tour?

WOW ! I loved their show on Thursday June 13, 1974 at Madison Square Garden, New York City Quadrophenia Summer Tour ‘74

Merci de m’informer de vos tournées

Please come to new Zealand my 13 year old grandchild is obsessed with the who , please please please come to Nelson or Christchurch New Zealand

I missed the concert this time around Hopefully I can catch Them It would be cool seeing him in a different place

I hope you come to Holland as well, last 2 concerts in Amsterdam were fantastic.

How about the Netherlands?

Surely there has to be Uk tour been waiting 3 years since last tour was cancelled be a fantastic show with orchestra the Greatest live band ever can’t wait the WHO forever !

I have dublin tickets 18th-march-20 ,waiting ages

Brilliant news. I’m sure that there will be UK dates to follow. Can’t wait to see the lads back on stage live again!

LONG LIVE ROCK Commentary in French language Vu les WHO,first time,Poitiers,France,février 1974 with Keith Moon running on stage Vu les WHO,au moins 10 fois en concert,plusieurs fois a Paris,une fois a Los Angeles. Pete est la tete pensante(intellectual head) but Roger is the boss Sorry for my English language,i must improve Rendez vous le 23 juin,Paris.

And first time Praque?

Please come back to Milano, Italy!!!! My wife and I are waiting for You guys!!!

One of the best shows I’ll ever have seen in my life. The Who is a MUST.

Come on lads! Ireland! Music capital of Europe! 🤘

The Who have not played in Sweden scince july 2007. It’s high time we Will have that honour once more.

I hope they will finaly come to poland for the first time

There’s a gap for bst hyde park just a maybe for uk date

Italy cooming soon!!!!

Ziggo Dome Amsterdam great venue for the next Who concert in 2023 Hope to see you there Pete en Roger and the fantastic tour band !!

Wonderful!!!!! Will be looking forward to see you in Denmark?!🙏🏼❤️

What about Denmark ?

Dying to see you in Stockholm, Sweden! Except for all the major acts The Eagles played here on a rare occasion on their exclusive 2018 european tour. You will not be disappointed!

Come to South America again, please!!! 😭

Perfect But where can i find the presale link for the wholigan fan Club?

Once you join The Who Fan Club you will receive a unique pre-sale code by email.

Austria Vienna please🙏🤘

I bought my Fan Club membership and did not receive the pre-sale code!

A date in Belgium ?… Saw you 2 times in Brussels (Quadrophenia) and Antwerp Sport Paleis !… Should be so happy to see you again !…

Amsterdam or Rotterdam please

A question: ThE WHO’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, second keyboardist Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls, along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder. BUT also Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, true????

Yes, including Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey

got a ticket immediately, a dream comes true, greetings from berlin richard

Yes – got my tickets for the Berlin show. 4 guys from Aalborg, Denmark is coming…

Great concert!!!!

I got my tickets for Barcelona s concert june 14 th. Travelling from Bs As (Argentina) Can t belive it!

STOCKHOLM! We miss you here, the show in 2007 was pure Magic!!!

Please come to Gothenburg, Sweden.

We are happy with the band. See you in Berlin. long live rock

How about a return trip across the pond for a summer show in Toronto?? By the way , Phenomenal show October 2, 2022 in Toronto !!

Hoping with others on a concert in Belgium or Holland.

Looking forward to seeing you in Denmark !!🇩🇰

Why ask to the Who to come to UK for a Tour? You should know that The Who is a English band and it will be in UK that their last dates will be take place. Maybe for a Summer festival this year or in 2023 ou 2024. Less probably in Netherlands, Germany or Scandinavia. But I really don’t know actually. If you love the Who you Can Come in Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, or Firenze especially if you live in Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia whatever.

Rotterdam/Amsterdam Calling!!

Great to see the Who in Berlin. I always thought Waldbühne would be a great place for the best band in the world, Already got Tickets. Good to combine the trip from Stuttgart to Berlin to see my daughter in Berlin. Looking forward to the show. Hope that the venue will be packed

Kommen The Who auch mal, nach Österreich? Vielleicht nach Graz? Würde mich freuen, wenn Pete, Roger und Band mal, in die Steirische Landeshauptstadt kommen könnten! Bis jetzt waren The Who nur in Wien.

Translation: Will The Who ever come to Austria? Maybe to Graz? I would be happy if Pete, Roger and the band could come to the Styrian capital! Until now, The Who have only been in Vienna.

I guess I missed the North American dates? 🙁 would love to see you guys live, idk if I will ever get the chance… love The Who though!!!

Nederland kan ook! Amsterdam is een idee! Of België of Oberhausen.

Gents, In the past, early seventies en late sixties, you toured with a Dutch band, Golden Earring in the USA. Earring stopped in 2021 because of a serious illness (ALS) of George Kooymans. I thought that Pete and Roger might be interested in this information.

Peter Stiekema, Whofan since 1965. Hope to see you in London.

Still waiting to see you at Manchester Arena, what’s happened since 2021?

All 2021 UK tour dates were cancelled due to the pandemic and tickets refunded.

Any chance of any extra dates in Europe?

No Netherland? 🙁

BERLIN What a wonderful show and beautiful venue. Tears of joy and sadness – probably also a farewell.

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