Who’s Next is one of The Who’s most popular albums, featuring several of the British rock legend’s most famous songs. Among them are “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Baba O’Riley,” all of which, according to Setlist.fm, the band has performed live more than 800 times over the years.
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The 1971 album also features the piano-driven gem “The Song Is Over,” which, surprisingly, The Who had never played in a concert before—that is, until Sunday, March 31. That night, The Who played the second of two scheduled 2025 shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert series, and for the finale, the band dusted off “The Song Is Over.”
As seen in fan-shot video posted on YouTube, the performance didn’t go smoothly. Frontman Roger Daltrey appeared to lose his place during the first chorus, and asked the band to stop playing.
The 81-year-old Daltrey, who’s been open about the fact that he’s losing his hearing, complained that he couldn’t hear the key of the song, only the drums, and apologized to the audience. Guitarist Pete Townshend then quipped, “He was doing so well.”
The second time was the charm, and Daltrey and the band delivered a solid rendition of the anthemic tune.
More About The Who’s March 30 Concert
The Who’s set for the March 30 show was very similar to that of the band’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday, March 27. The only differences were that the 1967 classic “I Can See for Miles” was dropped from the set, and “The Song Is Over” replaced the 2006 acoustic tune “Tea & Theatre” as the final encore.
Like the March 27 concert, the March 30 performance featured mostly of classic Who tunes, with a few deeper cuts thrown in for good measure. With the addition of “The Song Is Over,” six tunes from the Who’s Next album were played.
The middle of the March 30 show also featured the same four-song mini set from Quadrophenia—“The Real Me,” “5:15,” “I’m One,” and “Love, Reign O’er Me.” Among the other well-known songs played at the concert were “I Can’t Explain,” “Substitute,” “Who Are You,” “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “The Seeker,” “My Generation,” “Eminence Front,” and “You Better You Bet.”
The Who Has Never Performed Another Song from Who’s Next
There is still one song from Who’s Next that, according to Setlist.fm, The Who have never played live—“Going Mobile.”
That tune, which was sung by Townshend on the album, actually has been performed more than 100 times at Daltrey’s solo concerts over the years. Pete’s younger brother, Simon, who plays in the both the touring lineup of The Who and Daltrey’s solo band, generally sings the song at Roger’s concerts.
Daltrey also performed “The Song Is Over” at two solo shows in February 1994 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The Who’s Upcoming Concerts
The Who’s concerts at the Royal Albert Hall this past week were the band’s first of 2025. They also were The Who’s first shows since the group played the same venue twice in March 2024 during last year’s edition of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity series.
The Who only have two other confirmed concerts lined up in 2025. Those shows are scheduled for July 20 in Padua, Italy, and July 22 in Milan, Italy.
Daltrey, meanwhile, has more than a dozen 2025 concerts scheduled with his solo band, all in the U.K. You can check out Roger’s full itinerary at TheWho.com.
Incidentally, the Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that funds specialized nurses, youth workers, and hospital units dedicated to the care of teenagers and young adults with cancer.
The Who Set List, London, U.K., The Royal Albert Hall, 3/30/2025:
- “I Can’t Explain”
- “Substitute”
- “Who Are You”
- “The Kids Are Alright”
- “I Can See for Miles”
- “Bargain”
- “Pinball Wizard”
- “Love Ain’t for Keepin’”
- “The Seeker”
- “Behind Blue Eyes”
- “The Real Me”
- “5:15”
- “I’m One”
- “Love, Reign O’er Me”
- “My Generation”
- “Cry If You Want”
- “See Me, Feel Me
- “Eminence Front”
- “You Better You Bet”
- “Baba O’Riley”
- “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
- “The Song Is Over”
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