UPDATE TO BELOW STORIES........
The Who have announced the opening acts for their final North American run, The Song Is Over tour.
Billy Idol, who was part of their 1996 Quadrophenia tour, as well as Pete Townshend's 2017 Classic Quadrophenia outing, will open the last show on September 28th in Las Vegas.
The Joe Perry Project -- featuring Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Chris Robinson from The Black Crowes, and Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz from Stone Temple Pilots -- will open in Boston at Fenway Park and Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl.
The other special guests are Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Candlebox, Feist, Joe Bonamassa, Tom Cochrane, and ZZ Ward.
The Song Is Over tour starts on August 16th in Sunrise, Florida.
8/16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena - w/Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
8/19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center - w/Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
8/21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center - w/ZZ Ward
8/23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall - w/Booker T. Jones
8/26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park - w/Joe Perry Project
8/28 – Wantagh, NY – Jones Beach Theater - w/Feist
8/30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden - w/Feist
9/2+4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage - w/Tom Cochrane
9/7+9 – Chicago, IL – United Center - w/Joe Bonamassa
9/17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl - w/Joe Perry Project
9/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl - TBD
9/21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre - w/Candlebox
9/23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena - w/Candlebox
9/25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena - w/Candlebox
9/28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena - w/Billy Idol
No Texas-area dates as of yet.
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The Who are once again saying goodbye as they just announced The Song Is Over -- The North American Farewell Tour. They famously said goodbye in 1982, but it didn't stick.
They made the announcement this morning in London at the Iconic Images gallery, which you can watch below.
They will do 16 shows starting on August 16th in Sunrise, Florida and wrapping up in Las Vegas on September 28th. Among the iconic venues they'll visit are Madison Square Garden in New York, Boston's Fenway Park, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Commenting on the decision to bring things to an end, Roger Daltrey says, "Every musician's dream in the early '60s was to make it big in the U.S. charts. For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever.
"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. 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 we look forward to seeing you one last time.”
And Pete Townshend adds, “Well, all good things must come to an end. 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. 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.
"I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. 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.”
Tickets go on sale Friday, May 16th at 10:00 AM local time at TheWho.com/tour/. All dates are subject to change.
8/6 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
8/19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
8/21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
8/23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall
8/26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
8/28 – Wantagh, NY – Jones Beach Theater
8/30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
9/2+4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
9/7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
9/17+19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
9/21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
9/25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
9/28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
ALSO JUST IN........
With The Who just announcing their North American Farewell Tour comes the news that they will release a new concert album.
Live At The Oval 1971 is the first official recording of their set at Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangla Desh at The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, South London on September 18th, 1971. Previously only available as a poor-quality bootleg, it's been newly mixed from the original eight-track analog multi-track tapes.
Having just released Who’s Next a month before, they did five songs from that album at this show, which concluded with Pete Townshend and Keith Moon smashing their equipment.
Live At The Oval 1971 will be available on August 22nd on CD, vinyl, digitally and Dolby Atmos.
Live At The Oval 1971 track list:
- So Glad To See Ya
- Summertime Blues
- My Wife
- Love Ain’t For Keeping
- I Can’t Explain
- Substitute
- Bargain
- Behind Blue Eyes
- Won’t Get Fooled Again
- Baby Don’t You Do It
- Pinball Wizard
- See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You
- My Generation
- Naked Eye
- Magic Bus
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Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are holding a press conference dubbed The Song Is Over today) in London at 7:30am CT, where they'll make a "special announcement followed by an exclusive Q&A session” that will be livestreamed around the world.
They've been soliciting questions online.
While we can confirm that they will make a tour announcement, there's speculation it will be their last one.
They did their first farewell tour in 1982 when they were in their 30s, and, 43 years later with Daltrey being 81 and Townshend turning 80 on May 19th, it makes sense that they'd be winding it down.
Helping to fuel speculation that they're announcing a tour is the relaunch earlier this week of their Wholigan fan club where membership comes with pre-sale tour codes “for any future tour announcements.”
The Who did two shows in March as part of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust week of shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, and they have two more in Italy in July.
And, this press conference follows Daltrey being upset with the volume of Zak Starkey's drums at the second Albert Hall show, and Townshend recently saying once again in an interview that he doesn't enjoy performing.
Check out their original posts about it here and here from The Who's official Instagram page.