Here Today... Gone To Hell!

The Who will tour again, according to founding guitarist Pete Townshend, who verified rumors that the band would tour in 2006 in a Christmas Eve posting on his website.
 
 Townshend offered few details about a potential Who tour, aside from confirming that the legendary British rockers would tour sometime next year in support of an album of new Who material, the groups first since 1982's "It's Hard."

Word had previously spread among Who fans that Townshend was considering bringing his semi-retired band out of the pasture for a tour and album in 2005, developments that failed to appear mainly because of Townshend's insistence on not touring without new material to play. Current Who drummer Zak Starkey's commitment to touring with Oasis this year prevented the Who from recording new tracks.

"I have said many times, repeated up until a few days ago, that I am reticent about committing to a tour without a completed new Who album under my belt" Townshend wrote in his online diary.

Townshend revealed that the new Who album will likely not be released in traditional LP form, though not the exact nature of it. "Who manager Bill Curbishley has come up with a great scheme that may circumvent the need for a CD full of Green Day and White Stripes impersonations. No, it is not an 'EP.' It is a truly inspired idea," Townshend wrote.

More importantly for fans of the group, Townshend seems to have recaptured the desire to play loud rock music onstage. "What I care about is that [singer] Roger Daltrey feels comfortable with the songs I write so he can sing a few of them on stage--while I lunge around looking gorgeous and playing show-off guitar like a kid in a music shop. After forty-five years of this crap I've just started to enjoy it," he wrote.

The posting also mentions the possibility of the entire tour being webcast online, with a mixture of free and pay shows.

The Who last toured in 2004, shortly after the death of bassist John Entwistle.

I last saw them in 1982 at Shea Stadium at what was supposed to be their last concert in the U.S.A. ::)

I would definitely go see them again. My only concern is if Daltrey still has the voice for live shows, a couple performances that I heard from their last tour left quite a bit to be desired. He sounded great on the song he did with Anthrax "Taking the Music Back" but that was a studio recording and who knows how much "cleaning up" was done on the vocals.

Why is it that bands lose a member then just give up?

Zeppelin and the Who lost a drummer and just disappeared

Would their departed members really have wanted that? - the show must go on.

Well I think it has pro and con, cause look at Queen case, Freddie died, but of course no one can replace the guy, even though this year started a tour with Paul rodger with a lot of polemics, people didnt want that.
On the other hand AC/DC died bon scott and Brian Johnson took over his place and did a pretty well job, and people did acept the guy.
so it's all about looks and points of view.
If Zep and Who would've continue to exist perhaps, who knows they couldn't make a better album, but thats just hipotesis  :-\

The reason that Zep stopped was 'coz Page and Plant decided that Bonham's unique style of drumming which was instrumental to the band's sound, could not be found in any other drummer. Maybe they decided to go out in a blaze of glory rather than just fade away...

Ive never seen The Who before and im not a huge fan.Dont own any albums but i do own a live DVd and i love Petes style of guitar and love all there hits..but i really wanna see them if they coem to Toronto

They were awesome at Live 8.

But their later stuff is really weak - they did fade away

They could still be going strong with another 2 decades worth of albums behind them - i can only imagine what treats and terrors their attempts to fit in with the hair metal scene would have brought

That and the fact that they said it just woulnd'nt "feel" right with someone else behind the kit.  They we're really close.

Anyone here watch CSI?  They use a Who song at the beginning and I had 3 people at work argue with me over it.  They all thought that song was was the CSI theme song written just for the show!  I kept telling them that it's an old Who song.   Finally I got them to watch the credits and now they believe me.  Where have these people been??

Roger still has the voice for live shows. His voice is in great shape considering he is about to turn 62. I thought he was amazing at Live 8.


The Who didn't just give up after Keith died. They released two albums after his death before they broke up.


HAHAHA! Do they live under a rock? Who Are You is one of their most popular songs on the radio. It has been around since '78.

Pete Townshend used his online diary to address rumors that previously stated plans for a Who tour and album in 2006 had gone awry, asserting that the band would indeed roll out a world tour and new recording later this year.

 "There will be a tour," Townshend wrote on his website. "We already have European Festival dates slotted in June and July." These would be the first festival-style performances from the band since 1979, when eleven fans at the band's Cincinnati concert were trampled to death in a rush for seats.

"The American part of the tour, probably in three--or even four--legs, happens from September to December. We go on to the rest of the world in 2007," Townshend continued, adding that work continues on the band's first full-length album of new material since 1982's "It's Hard."

"There will be a new CD sometime in the early summer. I know I've cried wolf a few times, but this time I have committed because I have about enough music for a new CD, and I'm still producing."

The Who  last toured in 2004, shortly after the death of bassist John Entwistle

The Who is gearing up for a round of summer concerts - mostly at festivals, so far - that will mark its first tour since traveling the world in 2004.
The band is confirmed to top the bill at the U.K.'s Wireless Festival June 25, followed by co-headlining slots with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at T In The Park and Ireland's Oxegen Festival in July.
That same month, The Who will do two gigs at the 4,000-seat Liverpool Summer Pops before venturing to Germany and Austria for a series of gigs including the Lovely Days Festival.
The Who's Live 8 set in London last July was its only performance of 2005. The band's last world tour wrapped in August 2004.
Founding members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will once again be accompanied by Zak Starkey on drums and Pino Palladino on bass.

They are going to be making DVDs of all of their shows.  :D

Wish they would get rid of Pino Palladino, though.

I'm going to see them on June 25th I think at Harewood House in Leeds!!

Another huge summer concert revealed for the capital.

The Who and Roger Waters will head up two days of live music in London's Hyde Park this summer.

Announced yesterday evening at a press call, Hyde Park Calling will bring together a host of rock acts over two days in early July, with The Who sure to replicate their spectacular live show (last seen a year previously - on the same stage - at Live 8) and Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters to perform the band's landmark "Dark Side Of The Moon" in its entirety.

Held over the weekend of Saturday July 1st and Sunday July 2nd, the mini-festival will also see Texas, Starsailor performing on the first night with Dave Gilmour, while the second day sees supporting performances from Razorlight and Primal Scream.

Several more bands are still to be announced.

Tickets for the event are priced at ?42.50 for either day, while weekend tickets go for ?80. They go on sale 09:00 GMT tomorrow (March 10).

The Who to release EP in June

While the Who might not have its full-length album ready this summer, the group is releasing "The Glass Household" EP this June, a "Mini-Opera" inspired in part from guitarist Pete Townshend's online novella "The Boy Who Heard Music."

"I decided I would like to release a record prior to the European shows, even if only on the Internet," Townshend wrote on his Web site Mar. 18. "However, Polydor has agreed in principle to release something plastic prior to the main album."

The approximately 11-minute release will contain six songs and is being delivered to Polydor at the end of March. No song titles have been revealed.

Singer Roger Daltrey began recording vocals on Mar. 20 on the project, engineered by Bob Pridden and Myles Clarke. The songs originated from an idea Townshend had in early January and were to be "the backbone for some kind of large theatrical music event."

Daltrey, however, declined to be a part of that particular project. "So the principle focus of my creative output seemed closed to me when it came to writing music for the Who album," Townshend writes. "I managed a few songs that stood alone, but even those seemed to have sprung from whatever was going on in my heart as I worked on TBWHM."

A meeting with Eel Pie manager Nick Goderson changed the idea from a "Magnum-Opus" into a "Mini-Opera" with Townshend creating roughly seven or eight lyrical poems. "I did a couple of quick demos and by January 17th I knew I had about 30 minutes of music that would create a vigorous backbone for the Who album, but allow me to continue to draw on the bloodline of 'The Boy Who Heard Music,'" Towshend says.
   

After completing ten songs, including two full-length numbers and the remainder being "shorter, punchier or simple and ballad-like," Townshend began working with musicians at his Oceanic studio in late February. The musicians include bassist Pino Palladino, John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards and Simon Townshend and Billy Nicholls on backing vocals. Drummer Peter Huntington, from Townshend's girlfriend Rachel Fuller's band, stood in for Zak Starkey who was wrapping up dates with Oasis.

The release will be the first of entirely new material since the band's last studio album "It's Hard" in 1982. The group will mount a series of European festival shows June 25 at the Wireless Festival in Leeds, England.

I'm glad to see they are putting something out because I was doubting the album would be finished.

Sweet!

What will they name the tour?  "Who's Left?"   :hihi:

I'm all for The Who, but the heart and soul of the group were Keith Moon and John Entwistle.  It's just not the same without them.

With venue details still to be confirmed for the US part of the tour, the band will be gigging Stateside between 7th September - 10th October & 5th November - 5th December. More info on the venues as it comes in.
A couple of additional dates have been added to the European leg of the tour
and the definitive schedule is now:

JUNE
17 Leeds University
18 Brighton Centre
25 Wireless Festival - Leeds
28 Ashton Gate Football Stadium, Bristol
30 Werchter Festival - Belgium

JULY
2 Hyde Park Calling Festival - London Hyde Park
3 Beaulieu Motor Museum ? Hampshire, England
5 Liverpool Docks
6 Liverpool Docks
8 Oxygen Festival ? Naas, Eire
9 T-in-the-Park Festival, Kinross, Scotland
11 Bonn Museumplatz, Germany
12 Berlin Wuhleide, Germany
14 Locarno Moon & Stars, Switzerland
15 Sporting Club, Monte Carlo
17 Vienne Theatre,Antique(near Lyon),France
18 Metz Amneville Arena, France
20 Paleo Festival, Nyon, Switzerland
22 Lovely Days Festival, St Polten, Austria
23 Munsterplatz, Ulm, Germany
26 Palau St Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
27 Sports Palace, Madrid, Spain
29 Pabellon Principe Felipe, Zaragoza, Spain

Id see them if I could - love the band and the music.

That said, I find it hard to look at Roger Daltrey. He can still sing well (even live) but the man looks terrible. Has anyone seem him in that Tommy/Quadrophenia DVD set?

Also, it always makes me sad to see a rock god in old age performing  :(


Oh yeah, and Zeppelin going out in a "blaze of glory"? Haha, 13 years of aging musicians performing and with the quality of their last two albums, hardly I blaze of glory thing.

So does that mean we get Zak Starkey drumming? Cause if so for sure I'll see them.

Hands off to Zak Starkey, Keith Moon taught him alot of shit! What an awesome Godfather to have had.

- Jimmer

On February 14, 1970, The Who played at the 2,000 capacity venue Refectory and recorded one of the all-time classic live albums ?The Who Live At Leeds?. On June 17th, 2006, they revisited the site to do it all again.

The concert was recorded and filmed for a live CD and DVD later this year. Sir Peter Blake, who did the original artwork back in 1970 and also designed the sleeve for The Beatles ?Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band? album was recruited to design the new sleeve for Live At Leeds 2. His other credits include artwork for Band-Aid ?Do They Know It?s Christmas??, Paul Weller?s ?Stanley Road? and The Who?s ?Face Dances?.

The show was an immediate sell-out with fans queuing overnight for tickets. One headline read ?I Hope I Buy Before I Get Cold?.

Live at Leeds 2 featured only ?I Can?t Explain? and ?Substitute? from the previous setlist 36 years ago but the band did debut the new song ?Wire & Glass? which Pete Townshend describes as ?eleven minutes long, we will blast through it, and if the crowd get distracted they can buy our fabulous merchandizing?.

The setlist for Live at Leeds 2 was:

Who Are You
I Can't Explain
The Seeker
Substitute
Wire & Glass
Sound Around
Pick Up The Peace
Endless Wire
We've Got A Hit
They Made My Dreams Come True
Mirror Door
Baba O'Riley
Let's See Action
Relay
Behind Blue Eyes
Mike Post Theme
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey
See Me
Listening To You

Encores:

Eminence Front
Naked Eye
Won't Get Fooled Again


Wow what a freakin setlist

That setlist is keeping me from getting pissed. They've been promising the new CD since last winter.

Zak Starkey drumming?

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, surviving founders of The Who, have revealed the initial dates for the group's first world tour in over 20 years, which gets underway with a round of North American shows this fall.

So far, the rock legends have inked 15 September and October tour dates that kick off in Philadelphia Sept. 12 and focus on the northeastern US and Canada. A lone November show in Los Angeles and a lone December show in Toronto, both part of the tour's planned November/December leg, have also been confirmed.

Tickets for most of the 17 shows will hit the box office Monday (7/17), according to organizers, with a handful of others scheduled for release Aug. 5. Details are included below.

Members of the band's official tour club will have early access to tickets via an online presale that begins today (7/13) and runs until Saturday (7/15), as well as access to special VIP ticket packages. More information is posted at the tour's official website.

Tickets will be priced at $97, $77 and $52 in most US markets, with "a limited number of golden circle seats also available," according to a press release. There will be an eight-ticket limit per person during the public on-sale, and a four-ticket limit per person during the fan-club presale.

Ticket purchasers will also receive a free membership to the tour club, which features behind-the-scenes and concert video and audio streams, downloads, set lists, news and more, according to The Who.

In addition to announcing their tour plans, Townshend and Daltrey have also nailed down an Oct. 23 release date for a new album tentatively titled "Who 2," which is The Who's first new studio collection since 1982's "It's Hard."

"For the first time in 25 years we are returning to the USA with great live music--the entire catalogue of our old stuff--and new music," Townshend said in a press release. "We have a great new video show, a new Mini-Opera and plans to do some special shows with special themes. Our European shows are warming us up, and we will be in great form when we start the tour in September," said Pete Townshend. "I don't think I've ever looked forward to a tour as much as this one. Roger and I are both fit and well, ready to rock."

"Pete and I are really excited to be returning to the US with some brand new music to play," Daltrey added. "We'll also be digging out some rarities that we've not played for a long time. We're looking forward to reconnecting with our American fans and hopefully seeing some new ones coming along too."

Townshend and Daltrey have tapped drummer Zak Starkey (son of Beatles drummer Ringo Star), guitarist/vocalist Simon Townshend (Pete's younger brother), bassist Pino Palladino and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick to back them during the tour.

Original bassist John Entwistle died of a cocaine-induced heart attack in 2002 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, where the band was preparing for a North American tour that was scheduled to launch three days later. Daltrey and Townshend canceled the first two shows, but ultimately forged ahead with the outing.

Original drummer Keith Moon died of a drug overdose in 1976.

September 2006
12 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center (on sale 7/17)
13 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Theater (on sale 7/17)
15 - Boston, MA - TD BankNorth Garden
16 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotia Place (on sale 7/17)
18 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden (on sale 7/17)
21 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center (on sale 7/17)
25 - Chicago, IL - United Center (on sale 7/17)
29 - Clarkston, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
30 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre (on sale 7/17)

October 2006
3 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre (on sale 7/17)
5 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome (on sale 7/17)
6 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place (on sale 7/17)
8 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place (on sale 7/17)
10 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden (on sale 8/5)
11 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena (on sale 8/5)

November 2006
5 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (on sale 8/5)

December 2006
4 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre (on sale 7/17)

Well, Ill definately be trying to score tickets for the Ottawa and Toronto show, but Im sure The Who's fanclub will suck up all the quality tickets before us, joe blows even have a crack at them.. >:(

Got 2 tickets on the floor for the December 4th Toronto show this morning ;D

Row 30, so here's hoping for a good view :D

It's just kind of funny, these tickets were double that of Gn'R's Hammerstein shows, and those were far more intimate than a show at the ACC would be.. :-\

But anywho, who else is coming to the Toronto show? :D

I just got my tickets today for the Vancouver show. I got 6th row baby. Hopefully Pete smashes his guitar at some point in the show.

6th row.... :-[

I hit refresh a few dozen times and row 30 was the best I could do for Toronto... :-\

Oh well, I simply cant wait even with it being months away...but I just hope this show does't coincide with Gn'R's touring plans in the Fall.. ;D

Vancouver isn't a great concert town. I got row 6 on my first try. Hopefully GnR comes back to Vancouver again, but I doubt it. I saw them at Hammerstein so I have got my GnR fix until the records out.

http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003052874

The Who Inks With Universal For 'Endless Wire'


August 24, 2006, 2:20 PM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
The Who has inked a new deal with Universal Republic for the Oct. 31
release of "Endless Wire," its first album since 1982's "It's Hard."
The set will feature the complete mini-opera "Wire & Glass," a
shortened version of which was released internationally last month.

Other tracks expected to appear include "Mike Post Theme" and "Man in a
Purple Dress," which guitarist Pete Townshend has previously likened to
"a Bob Dylan song from the early days." "Pete's music, for me, is still
a driving force in my life," vocalist Roger Daltrey said last month,
adding that the new songs have "the Townshend magic."

Townshend has a pre-existing relationship with Universal, whose Hip-O
imprint is reissuing his entire solo catalog next Tuesday (Aug. 29).
Universal also issued the Who's 2004 retrospective "Then & Now," which
featured the band's first new songs in two decades.


The Who are gearing up for a fall North American tour, during which
songs from "Endless Wire" are expected to debut. The outing opens Sept.
in Philadelphia.

Tuesday night's Wachovia Center Concert was billed as the kickoff of The Who's 2006 North American tour. A better description would probably be "dress rehearsal."

This should not be taken as a slap at the classic rock titans led by guitarist-composer Peter Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey. Judging by some mid-show remarks, Townshend would be the first to say, "Amen."

"The old stuff can sound just as crappy and unrehearsed as the new stuff," Townshend told the sold-out crowd following a mid-show rendition of "You Better You Bet" which, to that point, was actually one of the better efforts of the evening.

Indeed, the concert's first half had all the earmarks of an opening-night gig.

The standard material, including the band's traditional show-opener, "I Can't Explain," "The Seeker" and a surprisingly early-in-the-set "Baba O'Reilly," seemed tentative and even, at times, a bit soft around the edges. That was also the case for the presentation's first new song, "Good Looking Boy," a paean to Elvis Presley.

And then there was the program's most interesting sequence, the 10-minute, seven-segment "mini-opera," "Wire and Glass," the centerpiece of Endless Wire, the band's first album of new songs in more than 20 years that will be released Oct. 30.

According to Townshend, it's a semi-fictional work about a rock band of a generation subsequent to The Who's that takes its individual personalities from from Townshend, Daltrey and the unit's two deceased charter members, drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle.

Townshend covered himself and his teammates by asking the audience for its forbearance before playing the piece. It was a brilliant strategy, earning instant sympathy: The work was dodgy as all get out; making matters worse, at one point, Daltrey's ear-bud monitors apparently conked out, leaving him to struggle mightily (and unsuccessfully), with the melodies.

But glimmers of the diamonds buried within poked through the rough, in particular during the catchy and ebullient "It's A Hit," and "Dream Come True," which references the death of 11 fans in a stampede before the band's concert in Cincinnati in December, 1979.

And it's a mortal lock the group will absolutely nail the entire suite when it returns in late November for its sold-out performances at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and the Wachovia Center.

Townshend's self-directed sarcasm had an interesting effect. What had been a program of somewhat mushy and out-of-step pieces suddenly got on track.

"You Better You Bet" was followed with the musically tricky "Who Are You," which snapped, crackled and popped it way toward being, arguably, the finest live version of the song Philadelphia has ever witnessed.

And from there on out, the set steamrolled its way toward a typically chill-producing pre-encore finale of "Won't Get Fooled Again." Along the way were stops at "Fragments," a new composition which Townshend said was composed by (not on) a computer, and a really cool "My Generation."

Individually, the players delivered.

Townshend remains a perpetual motion machine, skittering about his side of the stage, regularly serving up the "windmill" style of strumming that is as iconic as rock music gets. And his lead playing was inelegant and blunt, but oddly stylish and always to-the-point.

Daltrey is no longer the klaxon-toned belter of yore. But like Frank Sinatra before him, he's wisely chosen not to challenge the come-due toll demanded by the passage of time, but instead to adapt, transforming his tone from flashy, defiant brass to mellow, burnished woodwind.

And rest assured he's still able to summon ample amounts of spit and vinegar when necessary.

And of course, an incalculable contribution was made by drummer Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son, who amazed once again with his sure-handed (and footed) evocation of Moon's inimitable bashing style.

OTTAWA - Lots of teenage musical obsessions have come and gone over the last 40 years, none have had the enduring snarling pheromones of The Who, who played Scotiabank Place last night.

Even reduced to two old geezers in Roger Daltrey, who's 62, and Pete Townshend, a waif at only 61, the band many considered one of a trio of groups who led the British Invasion of the 1960s, amazingly still has enough musical muscle, raw rock energy and a killer set of pre and post-punk tunes to thrill more than 12,000 -- 12,000??? What's wrong with you Ottawa?

The last time The Who played the capital was Oct. 1969. Here they are 37 years later, in front of a red theatrical curtain almost an hour after the opening band Peeping Tom cleared the stage. But no one seems to mind. There's plenty of beer, lots of banners with the Who's RAF logo and the sound system is playing Led Zeppelin really loud.

If you don't know how good that is, ask your parents.

But when Daltrey and Townshend do walk on stage, the roar is deafening. So loud, they have to wait for the noise to die down before they can begin to play I Can't Explain. It isn't long before Roger is twirling the microphone and Pete is doing the first of many windmill waves on his guitar.

Joined by Pete's brother, Simon, on bass, with Zak Starkey -- Ringo's son -- on drums, Daltrey and Townshend both look and sound fabulous. Okay, Roger admittedly has lost the top end of his voice. That was obvious during Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere but Townshend appeared ageless and loving the show, bouncing constantly.
   

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Then, joking with the audience, he laughed about getting kicked out of their hotel, presumably the Chateau Laurier, when they were last here in 1969.

"They kicked us out at 2 a.m., so we said screw it, let's leave for Toronto."

After that little tease, he practically apologized for playing songs from their new Endless Wire album, which is due out next month. The first new song, Fragments, is generic retro '70s rock. The best thing you can say about it is that at least they're quoting themselves.

That's how their 90-minute concert went, sets of much-loved favourites, interrupted briefly by half-hearted pitches of new material, including a mention of their new all-Who channel on Sirius satellite radio.

Perhaps Townshend's own anxiety performing new material tainted the show, or the audience's expectations. But when they redialled their live show back to the old stuff, what Townshend described as "the melting pot of self-obsessive lunacy" in Who Are You and Behind Blue Eyes, the results were thrilling.

The Who is, after all, the band that invented the rock anthem. And when Daltrey and Townshend let one rip, it shook you to the bones.

After their tribute to Elvis Presley, Good Looking Boy, and, again almost apologizing, they introduced Glass of Wine, or what Townshend described as a "mini-opera of six songs squashed together" as if they were test-marketing new album and really insecure about the results. Which, obviously they were. Hmmm. Better luck next time.

They don't quite stand up to My Generation, You Better You Bet, Won't Get Fooled Again or their encore Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me and the overture to Tommy.

Even if the show was, at times, frustratingly uneven -- when the fans weren't screaming, you could hear a pin drop -- the city hasn't seen anything -- and here I'm including The Stones, Bowie, even Springsteen -- nearly as frustratingly, wonderfully big a rock show as the one The Who put on last night.

Now THAT'' a rock show.

On a historic evening like this, you had to feel for Peeping Tom, the hipper-than-hip metal hopsters, who went to great lengths to get any sort of reaction from the house, only to find that the only thing tougher than a gangsta rapper is an old, disinterested Mod, who wants to be left alone with his favourite band.

Why, oh why, book an opening act for The Who.

Im trying to find a setlist

I was thinking about seeing these guys in NJ, but I'm in Vegas and they're playing at the places close to me when I'm out here!

I hope the come to Brazil...I love The Who!!!!  ;D ;D ;D

IM gonna see them at the shot in columbus. its gonna be awesome.
plus the pretenders are opening 8)

Philly was awesome.  : ok:

Pete Townshend blows off Howard Stern

10/26/2006 4:38 PM, AP


Howard Stern's radio guests expect him to air their dirty laundry and play along. Pete Townshend isn't one of them.

The legendary Who guitarist-songwriter ducked out of his scheduled interview on Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio show on Wednesday upon hearing Stern talk about a touchy subject for him ? his 2003 arrest in London on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Townshend was cleared of the charges.

Townshend, along with girlfriend Rachel Fuller and Who bandmate Roger Daltrey, was listening to Stern's New York-based broadcast as he waited in a London studio for his interview to begin. Co-host Robin Quivers brought up the "child pornography stuff" and Townshend's claims that he was abused as a child. "Oh yeah, we could ask him about that," Stern said. Townshend stormed out, leaving Daltrey and Fuller to talk to Stern.

During that conversation, Quivers said that Townshend would have walked out of the interview even "if we didn't bring that up. He's a real testy guy."

Daltrey weighed in on Townshend's behalf, accusing Stern of "sniffing dirty underpants."

"Can you imagine you're accused of this stuff and then you're found not guilty? If you had to defend yourself through this stuff? The wounds are so deep on the man, and it's just tragic because he's got so much to offer," he said.

Stern, who jokingly referred to Fuller as "Yoko" after it was mentioned that Fuller had co-written a song on the new Who album, wound up apologizing to Townshend.

"Tell Pete I am very sorry," he said. "We would have had a great interview with him. I really wish he'd reconsider this. We adore him."

The Who is in the midst of a 15-month concert tour all around the world, its largest ever. The band's first album in 24 years, "Endless Wire," is set for release at the end of this month.

Concert Review: The Who

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - December 4, 2006

By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
(http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/W/Who/ConcertReviews/2006/12/05/jam_thewho256.jpg)

TORONTO - The Who's first major world tour in 20 years has been billed as "Uncut. Uncensored. Unrepentant."

And while singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend didn't quite live up to that supercharged billing last night at the Air Canada Centre, the seminal '60s British rock group's two surviving original members definitely had their moments over the course of two hours.

Let's not forget that Daltrey is now 62 years old and Townshend is 61 as the band moves past its fourth decade, farewell tours of the past notwithstanding.

So much for My Generation's anti-establishment refrain of "Hope I die before I get old!"

Still, both men remain powerful and passionate performers, delivering their trademark moves, whether it was Daltrey swinging his microphone around -- even if his voice wasn't always there -- or Townshend's signature windmill guitar playing and scissor kicks in the air.

"As you can probably hear I've got a bit of a cold tonight," said Daltrey, by way of explaining his weakened vocals. "Between you and me, we'll get by and we'll have a great night."

Remarkably, Daltrey summoned up a mighty scream for the set-ending Won't Get Fooled Again, which came right before a Tommy-filled encore that included Pinball Wizard and See Me, Feel Me.

Ostensibly hitting the road again in support of The Who's first studio album in 24 years -- Endless Wire -- Daltrey and Townshend have been around long enough to know it's the hits the fans come for.

Thus the lauded trio of I Can't Explain, The Seeker and Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere launched the sold-out evening while archive footage of the group, when it still included bassist JohnEntwistle, who died in 2002, and drummer Keith Moon, who passed away in 1978, played on a video screen.

And even though the band last played Toronto in 2002 as part of a mini-North American tour, shortly after Entwistle's death, there was more of a sense this time of looking back -- Baba O'Riley was the night's thrilling standout -- as much as looking forward.

Endless Wire's mini-opera was played along with other new songs like A Man In A Purple Dress, Black Widow's Eyes, Mike Post Theme and Tea & Theatre, which ended the entire show with just Daltrey and Townshend on stage playing acoustic guitar on stage.

Of the current Who backing line-up, it was Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey on drums who stood out, particularly during some monster playing on Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Baba O' Riley, Black Widow's Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again.

"Well, here we are again," said Townshend, who also demonstrated some exquisite guitar work on Who Are You, Eminence Front, My Generation, Cry If You Want To, Won't Get Fooled Again and Pinball Wizard.

"This is the probably the favourite city of mine in Canada. Partly because I love Toronto so much, partly because when I used to drink, I used to have such a good time here."

Meanwhile, enduring '80s act The Pretenders delivered a no-frills but polished opening 50-minute set with formidable frontwoman Chrissie Hynde still in top vocal form at age 55.

Decked out in a black top hat, white blazer with tails, jeans and boots, Hynde didn't let the small crowd gathered for the openers dampen her sharp performing style.

"It's a great pleasure to be back in Toronto," said Hynde, the only remaining original band member along with drummer Martin Chambers. "I've always had a soft spot for this city."

Song highlights included Night In My Veins, Message Of Love, Don't Get Me Wrong, Precious, My City Was Gone, Bob Dylan's Forever Young, and Back On The Chain Gang -- the last three tunes boasting nice guitar work from Adam Seymour, who's been in the band since 1994.

---

The Who

w/The Pretenders

Last night

Air Canada Centre

Sun Rating: 4 out of 5

This show kicked so much fuckin' ass last night!! ;D

'Was on the floor with my old man, maybe 15 heads back from the stage...

Just an insane show...truly insane.

Ive never heard a crowd so loud as they were after the conclusion of Baba O'Reiley :beer:

February 2007
23 - Reno, NV - Events Center
25 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
26 - Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Arena
28 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Arena

March 2007
1 - San Diego, CA - ipayOne Center
5 - Chicago, IL - Sears Center
6 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
8 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
9 - Atlantic City, NJ - The Borgata
11 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
13 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
17 - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol

Veteran rockers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have tacked more dates onto the next leg of The Who's North American tour behind "Endless Wire," its first new album in nearly a quarter of a century.

The next round of shows launches Feb. 23 in Reno, and new shows in Little Rock, AR; Oklahoma City; and Hollywood, FL, extend the itinerary through late March. Details are included below.

Tickets for the three aforementioned new dates currently are on sale to members of the band's official fan club, and will hit the box office Friday (2/16) for the general public. Information about the pre-sale is available at the tour's official website

February 2007
23 - Reno, NV - Events Center
25 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
26 - Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Arena
28 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Arena

March 2007
1 - San Diego, CA - ipayOne Center
5 - Chicago, IL - Sears Center
6 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
8 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
9 - Atlantic City, NJ - The Borgata
11 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
13 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
17 - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol
22 - Little Rock, AR - Alltel Arena (on sale 2/16)
23 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center (on sale 2/16)
26 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel (on sale 2/16)

Here

I'm not a hard-core fan but I really like them. I really think that they are one of those bands that you really have to "get," like the Velvet Underground. I have Quadrophenia on now and think it's awesome. Any fans? What are your favorite albums?

Tommy!

Aye. I 'got' them last summer. I went from casually knowing the collection to a hard-core in a few months. In a year, they've become my favourite band. Ever.

Quadrophenia is probably my favourite album. There is so much to relate to on that album, and it is a tribute to the quality of the album that it is still relative forty odd years on.

I actually got Who Came First, one of Townshend's solo albums, in the post today. I've given it a few spins and, so far, colour me very, very impressed.

Man, I love this band.

I also bought the Kids Are Alright and live at the Isle of Wight the other day. Woo! Oh, and I'm reading the Keith Moon biography Dear Boy.

Colour me obsessed.

For me, there is not a band, that I have ever heard, that comes close to touching the depth in quality that the Who had.

"Who's Next" is a favourite of mine - with Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again being standout songs. Love Reign O'er Me Forever!! : ok:

It also features the best Entwistle song!

That would be - My Wife! Yep, The Who have given me hours and hours of listening pleasure. Townsend = musical genius.  :beer:

i only heard quadrophinia, it was alright, but i thought they were ment to be aggressive n stuff, i was really hoping to hear that stuff by them, this albums more piano and stoner grooves.

Just listen to Won't Get Fooled Again - Loud! - set the volume to 11 - It will blow your ears! Remember, this is a band from the 60s......

"... and the moorals, that they wooorshhhipp,, will be gown!"

Man, what a fucking song!

ps: I can spell, truly!, it was just to make it more like the song!, so it be true.

Buddy, if you can't get into Quadrophenia, there may be little or no hope of saving your soul from damnation. Man, can't get enough of that:

"Dressed right, for a beach fight,
but I just can't explain,
why that un,certain feeling,
is still here, in my brain!"

Plus the movie is a fucking classic.

Another favourite of mine, and potentially the best closer to an album (well... it's this or Won't Get Fooled), We're not Gonna Take it!

(... never did and never will)

Just... try viewing the album in a modern context. Mods and rockers... Chavs and 'grungers' / rockers mean anything to you?

Daltrey: The Who Returning To Road In '08

Three months after the Who wrapped up a year-long tour, singer Roger Daltrey is chomping at the bit to return to the road, saying he hopes the band will visit Japan and Australia next year.

The British rock veterans last played those countries in 2004. It marked their first Australian tour in 36 years, and first time ever in Japan.

"I think we'll do some shows next year," Daltrey told Reuters. "We just finished 13 months of touring all over the States and Europe, and are probably due to go back to Japan and Australia next year. So we'll see what happens there."

Daltrey, 63, and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, 62, are the last two surviving members of the foursome. The most recent trek coincided with the release of their first album in 25 years, "Endless Wire."

"We don't want to stop now," Daltrey said. "We don't want those long hiatuses that we used to have. We feel at this time of our lives it's too precious a thing to take liberties with time. When you're young, you've got that time. When you're old, you haven't. You should at least keep the ball rolling."

Daltrey said Townshend has been writing new material: "I've always felt -- after Pete had written (the 1969 album) 'Tommy' -- I always had a little thing inside me saying, 'He'll write his best work when he's an older man.' Pete has that kind of intellect."

In the meantime, the Who are preparing for the Nov. 6 release of the two-disc DVD "Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who," a documentary about their rise, fall and current resurrection. Daltrey participated fully in the project, but has no desire to watch the finished product.

"There's no point in me seeing it, I lived it," he said. "I'll watch me, I won't see the film. I'll watch me in the film, and I find that very uncomfortable."

VH1 Honors The Who

The Who will be the sole honoree at the third annual "VH1 Rock Honors," taping in Los Angeles July 12 at the Pauley Pavilion, and premiering on the cable television network July 17, according to a press release. This is the first time VH1 salutes just one band; last year's honorees included Genesis, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne and ZZ Top.

The Who will be celebrated with a two-hour tribute saluting the music and lasting impact of the band. The "Rock Honors" show will feature spoken tributes, filmed packages and performances by "some of today's premiere rock acts," as well as The Who, according to the release. Performers, presenters and special guests will be announced as they are confirmed.

Update

VH1 pays homage to legendary British rock band The Who in the network's third annual "VH1 Rock Honors". This will be the first "VH1 Rock Honors" that salutes just one band. Tune in Thursday, July 17 at 9pm on VH1 and watch performances from The Who and tribute bands Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters and The Flaming Lips. Become an Official Wholigan now! Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the efforts of multiple charities including The Teenage Cancer Trust, the Double O Charity, VH1 Save The Music Foundation and select VHI Classic Rock Autism organizations.

http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/rock_honors/_2008/ (http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/rock_honors/_2008/)

ANNOUNCING THE WHO TOUR - USA FALL 2008
The Who will be touring the USA this fall. The full tour is below.

Oct. 21 Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
Oct. 22 Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario
Oct. 24 TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
Oct. 26 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 28 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Oct. 29 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
Oct. 31 The Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ
Nov. 3 Verizon Center, Washington, DC
Nov. 8 Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 9 Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

The Who Set to Rock Super Bowl Halftime Show

Posted on Nov 12th 2009

Another Super Bowl, another performance from a classic rock icon. Sports Illustrated is reporting this year's halftime spectacular will feature the Who. That's right -- Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and company will provide the musical fireworks when the game hits Miami on Feb. 7.

Ever since the infamous Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake nipple fiasco in 2004, the NFL has gone with "veteran" acts and turned the reins over to one band or artist. Prior to that, there were often medleys and multiple acts, like No Doubt, Sting and Shania Twain in 2003 and the 2001 show that saw Aerosmith rocking 'Walk This Way' with Britney Spears and Timberlake.

The Who certainly fit the newer mold, proving worthy successors to the recent run of Paul McCartney (2005), the Rolling Stones (2006), Prince (2007), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2008) and this year's performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/12/the-who-set-to-rock-super-bowl-halftime-show/

Very cool.

Baba O'Riley
Pinball Wizard
Bargain?

My guesses for what songs they might play.

I've seen better Super Bowl halftime performances. :-\

The Who Superbowl Half-time Show Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Io05fTLSg

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCqgtb3Nby4

The Who take Quadrophenia on the road

The Who's back - and taking Quadrophenia back on the road.

Singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend are reuniting for a 37-city North American tour based around their 1973 rock opera, the pair announced during a live webcast Wednesday.

"We've been trying to find something we can do together, Roger and I,"

67-year-old Townshend said, seated beside Daltrey in London.

"Quadrophenia was something that we both felt we could get together on and look at again. The last time we did it (on tour) was in 1997. We've been anxious to work together before we drop dead."

The Quadrophenia & More Tour includes four Canadian shows: Nov. 20 at Montreal's Bell Centre; Nov. 21 at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place; Nov. 23 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre; and Feb. 19 at Hamilton's Copps Coliseum.
   

Tickets for the Ontario shows go on sale Friday July 27 at Ticketmaster, priced between $53.25 and $143.25 (tickets for the Montreal show go on sale Saturday July 28). The tour - which will also include a selection of Who classics like Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again - will be the pair's first North American trek in four years.

Daltrey said he hopes to incorporate visual and dramatic elements into the tale about a disaffected Mod youth. "What's great about doing it now, is that it's still a work in progress," the 68-year-old singer said. "Hopefully, it'll keep developing into something new. I don't know how many more years I'm going to be able to sing this music."

On a similar note, Townshend - who has dealt with hearing issues for years - said "long periods of being careful about exposure to sound"

have helped his tinnitus.

"I'm all right at the moment," he said. "I don't actually protect my ears. I don't go on with earplugs (and) I can't actually wear in-ear monitors because they actually give you very bad tinnitus. One of the things I like about Quadrophenia is that it tends to be a bit more controlled."

Their backing band will include longtime players Zakk Starkey (Ringo's

son) on drums, Townshend's brother Simon on guitar and Pino Palladino on bass. Townshend admitted that while he and Daltrey still miss late drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle, he has found it "liberating" to perform with different musicians. And don't expect to see hologram versions of Moon or Entwistle, Daltrey says. "We thought about it, but everybody's doing it now. It's very expensive to carry, I don't know if we need it - there's other things you can do. It's only a gimmick."

Along with the tour, a documentary on the album - The Who: Quadrophenia

- Can You Still See the Real Me? - is being released this month, while the original 1979 film is being reissued on DVD and Blu-ray. Townshend said he hasn't seen the documentary. "You get to a certain age the and last thing you want to do is look at yourself looking 105, going on about being 15."

To recreate Quadophenia live, Messrs. Townshend and Daltrey will have a little help from their friends ? Zak Starkey on drums, bassist Pino Palladino, Simon Townshend on guitar/backing vocals, keyboardist Christ Stainton, Loren Gold on keyboards and backing vocals and Frank Simes serving as musical director as well as keyboardist and backing vocalist.

Here?s the routing:

Nov. 1 ? Sunrise, Fla., BankAtlantic Center
Nov. 3 ? Orlando, Fla., Amway Center
Nov. 5 ? Duluth, Ga., The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Nov. 8 ? Greenville, S.C., Bi-Lo Center
Nov. 9 ? Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum
Nov. 11 ? Pittsburgh, Pa., Consol Energy Center
Nov. 13 ? Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
Nov. 14 ? Brooklyn, N.Y., Barclays Center
Nov. 16 ? Boston, Mass., TD Garden
Nov. 20 ? Montreal, Quebec, Bell Centre
Nov. 21 ? Ottawa, Ontario, Scotiabank Place
Nov. 23 ? Toronto, Ontario, Air Canada Centre
Nov. 24 ? Detroit, Mich., Joe Louis Arena
Nov. 27 ? Minneapolis, Minn., Target Center
Nov. 29 ? Rosemont, Ill., Allstate Arena
Dec. 2 ? Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone Arena
Dec. 5 ? New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden Arena
Dec. 6 ? Newark, N.J., Prudential Center
Dec. 8 ? Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
Dec. 9 ? Uncasville, Conn., Mohegan Sun Arena
Jan. 28 ? Anaheim, Calif., Honda Center
Jan. 30 ? Los Angeles, Calif., Staples Center
Feb. 1 ? Oakland, Calif., Oracle Arena
Feb. 2 ? Reno, Nev., Reno Events Center
Feb. 5 ? San Diego, Calif., Valley View Casino Center
Feb. 6 ? Glendale, Ariz., Jobing.com Arena
Feb. 8 ? Las Vegas, Nev., The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel / Casino
Feb. 12 ? Denver, Colo., Pepsi Center
Feb. 14 ? Tulsa, Okla., BOK Center
Feb. 16 ? Louisville, Ky., KFC Yum! Center
Feb. 17 ? Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
Feb. 19 ? Hamilton, Ontario, Copps Coliseum
Feb. 21 ? Uniondale, N.Y., Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Feb. 22 ? Atlantic City, N.J., Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
Feb. 24 ? Manchester, N.H., Verizon Wireless Arena
Feb. 26 ? Providence, R.I., Dunkin' Donuts Center

As a warm-up for the tour, a special one-night-only theater showing of the rock-doc ?The Who: Quadrophenia ? Can You See The Real Me?? is scheduled July 24 at 8 p.m. local time (July 25 in Canada). Presented by NCM Fathom Events, AEG Live and UMe, the film includes a special welcome message from Townshend.

The film also promises plenty of historic footage, including the opening night of the band?s 1973 Quadrophenia tour in San Francisco when Keith Moon collapsed and resulted in Townshend asking the audience if anyone could play drums. Scot Halpin answered Townshend?s call, thus ensuring his place in rock ?n? roll trivia.

The upcoming tour has several VIP experiences and packages including perks such as great seats, entry to the band?s preshow soundcheck, preshow parties and limited edition autographed memorabilia.

Members of The Who?s official fan club will be given priority access to purchase tickets beginning at 10 a.m. July 20. An American Express presale begins July 23 and general onsales launch July 27. Visit TheWho.com for everything you need to know.

Anyone checking out The Who on there 50th aniversary/Farewell tour? I'd like to go to a Toronto show