The Who announce ‘The Song Is Over’ North American farewell tour

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This time, it’s really the end.

After more than 60 years together making music, The Who has announced its final hurrah with The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour. Billed as a “truly grand finale,” the 16-show run kicks off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Fla., and wraps in Las Vegas on Sept. 28.

The two Toronto dates and one Vancouver show that are on the itinerary — Sept. 2 and 4 at Budweiser Stage and Sept. 23 at Rogers Arena — are the lone Canadian stops.

“Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time,” Pete Townshend, who turns 80 on May 19, said in a statement.

Townshend continued, highlighting the importance of fans in the U.S. and Canada to the band’s career.

“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 (Daltrey) and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon (who died in 1978) and John Entwistle (who died in 2002) and of course, all of our longtime Who fans,” the guitar great wrote.

Echoing comments he made to Postmedia in an interview last summer, Townshend conceded that “the road has not always been enjoyable for me” but said his time with The Who has given him “the best job I could ever have had.”

“I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy,” he said. 

“To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible,” frontman Daltrey, 81, added in the tour announcement. “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.”

Daltrey also spoke about the influence of American music on The Who’s signature sound, which has included such iconic rock songs as I Can’t Explain, I Can See for Miles, Pinball Wizard, Won’t Get Fooled Again and Baba O’Riley. 

“Every musician’s dream in the early 60’s 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,” he shared. “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.”

The Who said goodbye once before, with a much-ballyhooed farewell trek that ended with a show at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens back in 1982.

The band reconvened in 1989 after Entwistle ran into money trouble.

“The reason we got back together is very tragic,” Townshend told Postmedia. “John Entwistle was broke and the tax people were after him and so we got together to save him.”

But unlike past Who tours, this one won’t begin and and end in Toronto.

“We had a tradition that we liked to start in Toronto and end in Toronto. I think we only managed it a couple of times, but that is what we always wanted to do. We have a real love for the Toronto audience … Toronto’s always (been) a special place for us,” Townshend said last year.

Still, he downplayed the idea that the band would ever use the word “farewell” in one of their tours again.

“I don’t think we’ll ever say, ‘This is our final tour!’” he laughed. “We finished in Toronto, so I don’t think we can do it again.”

Various presales for The Song is Over shows begin on May 13 ahead of the general on sale on May 16. For more info, visit thewho.com.

The Who ‘The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour’ dates:

AUGUST:
16 – Sunrise, Fla. – Amerant Bank Arena
19 – Newark, N.J. – Prudential Center
21 – Philadelphia, Pa. – Wells Fargo Center
23 – Atlantic City, N.J. – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
26 – Boston, Mass. – Fenway Park
28 – Wantagh, N.Y. – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
30 – New York, N.Y. – Madison Square Garden

SEPTEMBER:
2 – Toronto – Budweiser Stage
4 – Toronto – Budweiser Stage
7 – Chicago, Ill. – United Center
17 – Los Angeles, Calif. – Hollywood Bowl
19 – Los Angeles, Calif. – Hollywood Bowl
21 – Mountain View, Calif. – Shoreline Amphitheatre
23 – Vancouver, B.C. – Rogers Arena
25 – Seattle, Wash. – Climate Pledge Arena
28 – Las Vegas, Nev. – MGM Grand Garden Arena

mdaniell@postmedia.com