The Who’s lead guitarist & singer-songwriter, Pete Townshend, is 80. Lead singer Roger Daltrey is 81. And 82 is the year of their first Farewell Tour.
It was a big deal those 43 years ago. The Who had their greatest success in the 60s & 70s, and their original drummer, Keith Moon had died of an overdose in 1978. Back then, it didn’t seem out of place that a band would retire from touring after nearly two decades of success. Rolling Stone magazine even put the band (with drummer Kenny Jones and bassist John Entwistle) on the cover and declared it The End.
Now, The Who are doing the 2025 version of their Farewell Tour, which is officially called The Song Is Over. The tour name is the title of one of The Who’s best songs from their classic 1971 album, Who’s Next. This tour will probably be the real final tour, at least for fans in the U.S. and Canada, where all the concerts are scheduled. By the way, between the two farewell tours, the group had a Long Goodbye Tour in 2014.
Back in the heyday of Classic Rock, no one expected the artists to keep performing into their 80s. After all it was The Who singing “Hope I die before I get old” in their hit “My Generation” in 1965. Obviously the artists get as much emotional satisfaction out of their performances as their fans.
Here’s wishing the two remaining original members of the band, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, the best of health for their tour. Some of our other Classic Rock artists have had health issues while performing recently, including Billy Joel, Tommy James, and Carlos Santana. Tour dates for The Who are August 16th through September 28th, 2025.
