Of the big four, I place em like this:
The Beatles
the Stones
The Kinks
The Who
So as the remaining days of their lives dwindle for the remaining Who members, one more time, even after the Quadrophenia gigs, we need to say goodbye. I got a tix for barclay Center May 26th, and they are back again at MSG in October, in a retirement party lasting longer than Derek Jeter’s. It must be seen but what can we expect?
“The classic songs fans can expect to hear on THE WHO HITS 50! TOUR will appear on the band’s forthcomingTHE WHO HITS 50! collection. Set for an October 27, 2014 release on Geffen/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), this definitive collection of THE WHO’s greatest tracks–from their very first recordings as The High Numbers right up to the present day with the brand new track ‘Be Lucky’ – is being released to coincide with the band’s 50th anniversary tour.
The show, described by PETE TOWNSHEND as “All the Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses” will see the band play all their classic anthems as well as tackling deeper cuts from their catalog.
“This is the beginning of the long goodbye,” says ROGER DALTREY of the upcoming tour.
PETE TOWNSHEND commented, “Trying to stay young. Not wearing socks. Growing a great big woodcutter’s beard. Might even wear a check shirt on stage and get a tattoo of a Union Jack. Always a fashion victim. But under no illusions. We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we’re lucky to be alive and still touring.”
THE WHO have sold over 100 million records since forming in 1964; they brought together four different personalities and in effect produced a musical hurricane. Each of them was a pioneer. Wildman drummer Keith Moon beat his kit with a chaotic elegance; stoic bassist John Entwistle held down the center with the melodic virtuosity of a solo guitarist; raging intellectual Pete Townshend punctuated the epic universality of his songs with the windmill slamming of his fingers across his guitar strings; and Roger Daltrey roared above it all with an impossibly virile macho swagger. They exploded conventional rhythm and blues structures, challenged pop music conventions, and redefined what was possible on stage, in the recording studio, and on vinyl. As they enter their 50th year, the band is still going strong, winning rave reviews for their performances of QUADROPHENIA in 2013
THE WHO’s 2015 North American tour dates are as follows:
| 2015 TOUR DATES – LEG ONE | |
| DATE | CITY/VENUE |
| Wed, April 15 | Tampa, FL at Amalie Arena |
| Fri, April 17 | Miami, FL at American Airlines Arena |
| Sun, April 19 | Jacksonville, FL in Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena |
| Tue, April 21 | Raleigh, NC in PNC Arena |
| *Thu, April 23 | Duluth, GA at The Arena at Gwinnett Center |
| Mon, April 27 | Austin, TX in Frank Erwin Center |
| Wed, April 29 | Houston, TX in Toyota Center |
| Sat, May 2 | Dallas, TX in American Airlines Center |
| Tue, May 5 | Kansas City, MO in Sprint Center |
| Thu, May 7 | St. Louis, MOScottrade Center |
| Sat, May 9 | Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Arena |
| Mon, May 11 | Nashville, TN in Bridgestone Arena |
| Wed, May 13 | Chicago, IL in Allstate Arena |
| Fri, May 15 | Columbus, OH in Nationwide Arena |
| Sun, May 17 | Philadelphia, PA in Wells Fargo Center |
| Wed, May 20 | Uniondale, NY in Nassau Coliseum |
| Fri, May 22 | Atlantic City, NJ in Boardwalk Hall |
| Sun, May 24 | Uncasville, CT in Mohegan Sun Arena |
| Tue, May 26 | Brooklyn, NY in Barclays Center |
| Sat, May 30 | Forest Hills, NY in Forest Hills Stadium |
| *On sale Friday, October 17 at 9:00 AM | |
| 2015 TOUR DATES – LEG TWO | |
| Mon, September 14 | San Diego, CA in Valley View Casino Center |
| Wed, September 16 | Anaheim, CA in Honda Center |
| Sat, September 19 | Las Vegas, NV in Colosseum at Caesars Palace |
| Mon, September 21 | Los Angeles, CA in STAPLES Center |
| Wed, September 23 | Oakland, CA in Oracle Arena |
| Fri, September 25 | Portland, ORModa Center |
| Sun, September 27 | Seattle, WA in KeyArena |
| Tue, September 29 | Vancouver, BC in Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena |
| Thu, October 1 | Calgary, AB in Scotiabank Saddledome |
| Sat, October 3 | Edmonton, AB in Rexall Place |
| Tue, October 6 | Saskatoon, SK in SaskTel Centre |
| Thu, October 8 | Winnipeg, MBMTS Centre |
| Sat, October 10 | Minneapolis, MN in Target Center |
| Tue, October 13 | Milwaukee, WI in BMO Harris Bradley Center |
| Thu, October 15 | Chicago, IL in United Center |
| Sat, October 17 | Detroit, MI in Joe Louis Arena |
| Mon, October 19 | Toronto, ON in Air Canada Centre |
| Wed, October 21 | Toronto, ON in Air Canada Centre |
| Fri, October 23 | Pittsburgh, PA in CONSOL Energy Center |
| Sun, October 25 | Newark, NJ in Prudential Center |
| Tue, October 27 | New York, NY in Madison Square Garden |
| Thu, October 29 | Boston, MA in TD Garden |
| Sun, November 1 | Washington, DC in Verizon Center |
| Wed, November 4 | Philadelphia, PA in Wells Fargo Center |
My bet is they will be back in 2016 as well and end it all in London around two years from now, Pete and Roger make 50 million a piece and live happily ever after. I also really hope they get Wilko Johnson, if he is still kicking, one of the great disappointments in the Daltry-Johnson tour didn’t make it to New York. The film I saw was superior to the Who last year. Of course, I saw the Who four times in the last year so I am probably a little tired of them.
