The Who’s current tour will be their last, the iconic band’s frontman recently revealed.
“This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour,” Roger Daltrey, 81, told The Times. “It’s grueling. In the days when I was singing Who songs for three hours a night, six nights a week, I was working harder than most footballers.”
The Who, also comprising guitarist Pete Townshend, announced “The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour” in May. The tour, which is The Who’s last of the U.S. and Canada, is intended to be a grand finale of the band’s six-decade career. The trek includes a stop at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Daltrey, who has battled viral meningitis, also talked about his own health was factored into The Who’s decision to end things.
“It’s done a lot of damage,” Daltrey told The Times. “It’s buggered up my internal thermometer, so every time I start singing in any climate over 75 degrees I’m wringing with sweat, which drains my body salts.”
“The potential to get really ill is there, and I have to be honest, I’m nervous about making it to the end of the tour,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee added.
Daltrey also revealed he is losing his vision and hearing due to macular degeneration.
“I’m not going to be here much longer,” he said. “If I live another 10 years it will be way past anyone in my family.”
The Who is regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. The band earned a reputation as one of the greatest live rock acts, namely because of their performances at Monterey and Woodstock. The Who has also been credited with creating the “rock opera,” a collection of rock songs with lyrics that relate to a common story.
The Who has released 12 studio albums and charted more than two dozen singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 9 hit “I Can See for Miles” in 1967.
The Who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and won the first annual Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement in Live Music Award in 2006. The band has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The British Phonographic Industry and the Grammy Foundation.
Last year, guitarist Pete Townshend told The Standard that he and Daltrey were discussing plans for a reunion tour.
“We’re in good form. We love each other. We’re both getting a bit creaky, but we will definitely do something next year,” Townshend told the outlet in October 2024.
“The last big tours that we’ve done have been with a full orchestra, which was glorious,” Townshend, 80, said. “But we’re now eager to make a noise and make a mess and make mistakes.”
The Who‘s most recent tour dates back to 2023, according to the band’s website. Daltrey toured on his own in 2024, and previously said he was preparing to leave music after turning 80 last March.
“I’m on my way out,” the Independent reported citing an exclusive interview with The Times.
“I have to be realistic,” Daltrey reportedly told The Times. “The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I’ll make that, but we need someone else to drive things.”
Townshend has also expressed his desire to to retire after one last hurrah.
“It feels to me like there’s one thing The Who can do, and that’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die,” Townshend said in an interview with the New York Times.
“If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money,” he said. “My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
