The Who Announce “The Song Is Over” Final North American Tour
Photo Credit: William Synder
In their six decades of superstardom, The Who have earned recognition as one of rock’s most innovative and foundational acts and weathered many potential ends. They’ve been plotting final tours since 1982, but they’ve always returned with renewed focus and arena-packing power. After their newly announced “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour, though, there will be no encore.
Live from a press conference at London’s Iconic Images gallery, where they exhibited the prized football helmet from the cover or 1974’s Odds and Sods, founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend shared the bittersweet news of their “truly grand finale.” From Aug. 16 to Sept. 28, the legendary band will deliver 16 shows at massive venues across the U.S. and Canada, including stops at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Boston’s Fenway Park, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, Chicago’s United Center, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and a closing program at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. To underscore the significance of this decision, the tried and true duo reflected extensively on their legacy.
“Every musician’s dream in the early ‘60s was to make it big in the US charts,” Daltrey said. “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 look forward to seeing you one last time.”
“Well, all good things must come to an end,” Townshend concurred. “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.”
News of The Who’s final North American outing follows the attention they received in April for a very public split and reunion with longtime drummer Zak Starkey. Read the full details of that saga here.
Tickets for The Who’s North American Farewell Tour will become available through a Citi presale and The Who Fan Club access on Tuesday, May 13. A general on-sale will follow on Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more information at thewho.com and read on for the full list of tour dates. Click here for tickets.
The Who’s “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour Dates:
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
Sep 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
