The Who Are Bidding North America Farewell. What About the UK?

This week, one of the world’s most storied rock and roll bands announced that its next visit to North America would also be its last. The Who recently announced the date of their North American farewell tour, which will begin in Florida in August and conclude in Las Vegas the following month. It’s notable that this is billed as their North American farewell tour, which begs the question: do they have plans for a farewell tour of the U.K. as well?

That’s where things get a little bit complicated. When Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend took questions at the press conference announcing the farewell tour, they addressed where they might tour (or not tour) next. “Let’s see if we survive this one,” Daltrey said.

He brought up the fact that he’d recently finished a solo tour of the U.K., and then veered into the complexities of touring there. “Touring the U.S. is a damn sight easier than touring the U.K., because for some reason or another, the U.K. has decided to make it as difficult as possible to go from A to B,” he added.

“I don’t want to say that there won’t be, but I’m not confident in saying there will be,” Daltrey said. Townshend agreed, and called The Who’s previous U.K. tour “a strange one,” citing insurance problems that limited the venues where they could play. And as Ultimate Classic Rock’s Matthew Wilkening pointed out, Daltrey also cited throat issues that limited his capacity to perform on consecutive nights.

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Given that Daltrey recently toured the U.K., it’s worth noting that the members of The Who have stayed busy as of late, drummer-related issues notwithstanding. Townshend was recently scheduled to perform a solo version of “Baba O’Reilly” at a 90th birthday celebration in New York for minimalist composer Terry Riley, though he eventually had to back out as a result of an injury.