The Who kicks off its North American farewell tour, dubbed “The Song Is Over,” on August 16 in Sunrise, Florida. The British rock legends previously launched a trek branded as their final tour in 1982, only to go back on their word, but frontman Roger Daltrey insists that they really mean it this time.
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“This definitely will be the last tour of the U.S., that’s for sure,” the 81-year-old singer said in a recent interview with Pollstar. “We will not be back touring.”
Having said that, Daltrey pointed out that the group isn’t planning to stop performing altogether.
“We are definitely not saying we will never do any more shows, because we will always be available, if asked, to do charity shows, and you never know what comes along,” Roger noted. “But we will not tour anymore in America. And I’m pretty certain we won’t tour in the UK now, because it’s impossible to get around.”
He added, “[I]t’s definitely the end of touring. Touring is hard, hard, hard graft.”
Regarding the decision to stop touring, Roger noted that he doesn’t want to keep playing shows if he isn’t able to deliver a quality performance, something that, as he ages, is becoming increasingly challenging.
“Well, it’s just a matter of admitting where we are in our lifespan,” he maintained. “I do not want to be on that stage and let an audience down.”
Daltrey also noted that, while he loves performing for his fans, touring itself takes a lot out of him.
“[T]he bits in between [concerts], the hotels and the travel, oh my God, it grinds your bones down,” he lamented. “It becomes gutting.”
Details About the Upcoming Tour
As previously reported, “The Song Is Over” trek will see The Who’s Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend performing with a relatively stripped-down group of musicians after their last few tours also featured orchestral accompaniment.
“We’re not going out with the orchestra this time, so we’re going kind of back to basics,” Roger explained. “We are trying to just make it more like what we were in the ’70s, make it raw.”
Daltrey noted that most modern rock concerts in large venues feature video and light presentation that lock in an artist to a specific set list.
“I f—ing hate set lists!” he declared. “I hate them because, to me, the next song should follow the energy of what you’ve created to the previous one. And you don’t know that until you go out there doing it. In the old days, before we had screens, we used to mix the sound from the front of the stage and the lights from the front of the stage, we used to just do it all on the stage. You could make the set list up as you went along, and that was fabulous. It was freedom.”
He added, “[N]ow, of course, it’s impossible, because you’ve got to work with a team. It’s like a military operation.”
Regarding what the upcoming tour’s set might feature, Daltrey said, “There are songs we are going to have to play. ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ ‘Baba O’Riley.’ Will they ever let us not play them? I don’t know. But we’ll try and put in some odds and sods every night just to vary it up a little.”
About New Drummer Scott Devours and Other Lineup Changes
A big news stories recently involving The Who was the firing of the group’s longtime touring drummer, Zak Starkey. Zak, who had played with The Who since the 1990s, is being replaced by the drummer in Daltrey’s solo touring band, Scott Devours.
Regarding the lineup shakeup, Roger said, “Yeah, we are trying to change our sound. We don’t know if it’ll work. The Who is basically Pete Townshend and me. That’s it. Then everyone is a session player, but we’re experimenting. We always like to push the boat out and see what else can be explored. So, we are changing to Scott Devours, who drummed with us for half of the “Quadrophenia Tour.”
Daltrey also noted that singer/musician John Hogg has joined The Who’s touring band as a backing singer.
“[John is] in my own solo band as a bass player and singer, but I’m taking him along on this as well, just to beef up the backing vocals,” Roger explained. “Backing vocals were very important to The Who music, as you know. The harmonies were everything to us, us and the Beach Boys. Our holy grail was the human voice.”
The Who’s Manager Says More Tour Dates Outside the U.S. Are a Possibility
Longtime Who manager Bill Curbishley also was interviewed by Pollstar, and he reported that the band could possibly play additional farewell tour dates outside of North America.
“If any really important shows came up that appealed to them, I’m sure they would pick up their gear and they’d want to do it,” said Curbishley, who’s been managing The Who since the 1970s.
He also told Pollstar that he encouraged Daltrey and Townshend to consider play some other concerts after wrapping up the North American outing.
“I said to them, ‘Look, you can’t say farewell to North America without saying farewell to the rest of the world,’” Bill revealed. “You start and end in the UK, but we haven’t structured anything yet. Pete was talking about going to Latin America, maybe Japan, Australia. I really would like them to say farewell to the planet, then get Elon Musk to put them in a rocket and send them somewhere.”
More About The Who’s “The Song Is Over” Tour
Before kicking off the North American trek, The Who first will play two concerts in Italy. Those shows are scheduled for July 20 near Padua and July 22 in Milan.
The Who’s 2025 North American tour, which currently features 17 dates, runs through a September 28 concert in Las Vegas.
In addition, Daltrey has three U.K. dates lined up with his solo band. They’re scheduled for July 30 in Halifax, August 1 in Audley End, and August 8 in Margate.
(Photo by Xavi Torrent/Redferns)
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