Earlier this year The Who’s Roger Daltrey announced a brief North American tour that kicked off this month with support from KT Tunstall and Dan Bern. With a deep catalog of songs from The Who’s discography and his solo work, Daltrey’s semi-acoustic sets will have plenty of variety. However, fans won’t know what Daltrey will perform until they come to a show. He hopes to keep his setlists close to his vest as the tour goes on.
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Recently, the rock icon sat down with Billboard to talk about his upcoming tour. During the conversation, he revealed that he thinks artists sharing their setlist has taken some of the magic out of live shows. In fact, he wouldn’t discuss songs he planned to play on the upcoming tour.
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Roger Daltrey on How Public Setlists Took the Magic Out of Live Shows
“I’m not going to talk about song,” Robert Daltrey told the publication when asked about the tour. “Too many people reveal songs. There’s no surprise left with concerts these days,” he added. “Everybody wants to see the setlist. I’m f—ing sick of it.”
Daltrey blames the internet for the downfall of live shows. “The internet’s ruined the live shows for me. Who wants to know what’s coming next? People forget about surprises. I can’t stand it,” he explained.
The publication suggested that some may want to know where some songs fall in the setlist so they can know when it’s safe to make a trip to the restroom. Daltrey wasn’t fond of that idea either. “Why not just start to listen to the bloody show in the toilet, then,” he asked.
[RELATED: “I’ve Had Enough of It”: Roger Daltrey Is Ditching His Iconic Scream for Good]
Daltrey did confirm that he will perform The Who’s megahit “Won’t Get Fooled Again” during his upcoming tour. However, it will sound different than some fans are used to. For starters, he won’t use a tape loop while playing the song live. Instead, he’ll use live instrumentation. He says the change gives him more room as a singer. There’s a bigger change to the sound of the song, though.
“I’m not gonna do the scream,” he revealed. “I’m gonna get the f—ing audience to do the scream. I’ve done that scream for 55 years and I’ve had enough of it. I don’t even want to try it now,” he added.
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