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The Who has announced their final tour
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The Song Is Over North American tour will kick off in August and run through September
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The string of dates will be the band’s “final face-to-face celebration” of their North American Who fans
The Who is saying goodbye.
On Thursday, May 8, the iconic rockers announced their The Song Is Over North American tour, named after the band’s 1971 classic.
According to a press release, the tour will mark “the final face-to-face celebration of this timeless connection with North American Who fans, forever appreciative of the band’s ability to dispense with nostalgia and deliver authentic rock moments time and time again.”
Rick Guest
The Who
The news was revealed in a “secret” press conference at the Iconic Images Gallery in London, per the release.
“Every musician’s dream in the early 60’s was to make it big in the US charts,” Roger Daltrey began in a statement. “For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever.
He continued: “The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion.
“To me, America has always been great,” Daltrey, 81, concluded. “The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Pete Townshend also expressed his bittersweet feelings about the end of the band’s time on the road across the pond.
“Well, all good things must come to an end,” he began. “It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal.”
Townshend, 79, continued: “Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans.”
He noted that touring had “not always been enjoyable” for him but it was “the best job I could ever have had.”
“I keep coming back,” said Townshend. “Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”
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Tickets for The Song Is Over tour will be available for presale on Tuesday, March 13 at 10 a.m. local time, and the general onsale will launch Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m. local time.
The tour will kick off on Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Fla. at the Amerant Bank Arena and will make stops at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and more before concluding on Sept. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
William Synder
The Who in 2019
News of the band’s final tour comes after Roger Daltrey revealed during a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March that he was going “deaf” and “blind”
“Fortunately I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” Daltrey, 81, quipped, referring to the fictitious Tommy Walker who is deaf, mute and blind from the band’s1969 rock opera Tommy.
At the time, Daltrey did not receive an immediate response to a request for comment.
See the full list of tour dates below.
Aug. 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Aug. 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Aug. 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Aug. 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Aug. 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sept. 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sept. 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sept. 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sept. 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sept. 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sept. 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sept. 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Read the original article on People
