As The Who gets ready to launch the second North American leg of its The Who Hits Back! tour next month, singer Roger Daltrey reveals this could be the British rock legends’ final road trip, depending on how his voice holds up.
“The Who is getting near retirement age,” the 78-year-old singer tells Forbes. “I would like to stop while we’re still doing it well. When I can’t sing the notes anymore, sing to where it touches the audience, then it’s time.”
He adds, “The Who’s music is very different from most rock. You’re dealing with words from a deep inner space within us all. [The words] have to connect the singer to the audience. If I lose the power to do that, well, I will stop, even if it’s after this tour. I don’t want the downward slope where you’re not quite as good as you used to be.”
Having said that, Daltrey insists that he still loves touring, noting he had a great time on the solo U.K. trek he mounted over the summer.
Roger says one of the motivating factors was to give his backing musicians and road crew members some work after the COVID-19 pandemic hit them hard financially.
“[Musicians] were quite poorly treated during the [COVID-19] lockdowns, and received very little help from both [British and American] governments,” Daltrey maintains.
Meanwhile, questioned about the toll touring takes on him at his age, Roger responds, “[I]t’s a good toll — gets you fit, keeps you moving — instead of just sitting on a chair watching TV.”
The upcoming leg of The Who Hits Back! tour features 14 shows, running from an October 2 concert in Toronto through a November 4-5 engagement in Las Vegas.
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