The Who have announced a final farewell tour of the US and Canada.
The British rock band, who played their first American concerts back in 1967, will kick off The Song Is Over tour in August in Florida. The tour will go on to include dates in locations including New York, Toronto and Seattle before ending in Las Vegas.
It has been described as a “bittersweet final tour of the US and Canada as a truly grand finale of their illustrious six-decade career”.
In an announcement, Roger Daltrey called making it big in the US charts “every musician’s dream”. The band initially had American success with the song I Can See for Miles.
“The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflects the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio,” Daltrey said. “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 look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Pete Townshend added that it was “a poignant time” for the band.
“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,” he said. “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.”
The band made headlines last month after drummer Zak Starkey was fired after a disagreement over his performance during a Royal Albert Hall gig. He was soon reinstated with Townshend saying in a statement: “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.” He added that Starkey would need to “tighten up his latest evolved drumming style”.
Source: theguardian.com
