A few weeks ago, eternal rock legends the Who kicked off their farewell tour of North America. It's not the first time that the band has undertaken such an enterprise. In 1982, the Who did a different farewell tour, and they didn't stick to it. As it turns out, they might not stick to this one, either. In a New York Times interview, surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend admit that the Who might continue playing shows once this particular farewell tour is done.
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend both spoke separately to Rob Tannenbaum for the Times. In response to the question of why anyone should believe them when they call this a farewell tour, Townshend says, "Are you suggesting we’re swindling the public? [Laughs] The fact is, we are willing to swindle them. That’s what we’ve done our entire life. Why stop?"
Later on, Townshend says:
It’s in Roger’s hands. If we don’t extend, would we be in breach of contract? Would we be in swindle-land if we came back and played all those important venues we’ve left off the list, like Duluth? [Laughs]
I’m 80, I don’t like being away from my family, my studios, my dogs and my friends. I’m not looking to spend the next five years of my life waiting to [expletive] drop dead on the stage.
The end of the tour could give Roger and I permission never to call each other again. I hope that doesn’t happen...
If we stop, the Who brand will continue. We’ll be avatars in a hologram show where guitars get smashed, and people dress in Union Jack jackets and pretend to be rock gods. It will all be managed by Giles Martin, because he’s bored with [expletive] around with the Beatles. And it will be bigger than Jersey Boys.
Roger Daltrey is a little more specific about the band's plans: "We’re saying farewell because touring is grueling on the body. Also, the ticket prices are ridiculously high. We’re not giving up as a band. We might do a couple of residencies. Hopefully, Pete and I won’t stop making music."
Both members of the who also address the noisy, confusing departure of drummer Zak Starkey. Daltrey says, "Zak was never fired... We wanted to go back to the raw sound we had 30 years ago, and sometimes the energy of a band needs refreshing. The Who are Pete and Roger -- everybody else is a session player." Here's Townshend's take on it: "I’ve always been open in saying that Zak is not my favorite drummer. But neither is [expletive] Keith Moon, you know? [Laughs] My favorite drummer is Simon Phillips and my second favorite is Kenney Jones. Roger didn’t like either of them!"
You can read the full interview here.
