we are planning on doing something.”
Following concerns about Pete Townshend's hearing issues, after they surfaced again this past year (see "The Who - What's Next" here), there's good news for fans of The Who: Roger Daltrey is talking about a 2011 tour.
“We’re in the planning stages for next year…we are planning on doing something," Daltrey said. "I can’t really talk about specifics yet, but it will be based around a past work.”
But wait...there's more: "Pete is writing…you never know when that might turn up," Roger added. "So, between now and then, there might be a new album, plus Quadrophenia, and Tommy, and those things we haven’t visited for a while. That will be fun.”
Daltrey's comments are part of a fan Q&A session recorded for the band's website.
Roger says The Who are considering how to approach touring these days, given their age and changes in the industry. “The whole music business has been through a seismic shift, so we’re looking at new ways of doing it," said Daltrey. "At the age we are now, you can’t do the number of shows per week that we used to, and you need to do so many to maintain the kind of budget that will allow you to do it in the first place. So it’s kind of a catch-22 situation we’re in.”
When asked about The Who doing a “greatest hits” tour, Roger says, "We have thought about that. But what is a greatest hits show? All the hits and nothing else, and none of the obscure? That would bore me sh*tless.” Beyond that, pleasing themselves and fans is tough juggling act. "If we did a greatest hits tour, everybody would say we’re bored with that’ give us something else. We can never please everybody.”
Roger has his own thoughts on how he'd like to see things come together. “I would like to be on the road playing as many different kind of shows as we could: maybe doing Quadrophenia one night, do greatest hits the next night…this is what I would like to do. And Tommy…if I could still sing Tommy. That, to me, would be really good fun. And don’t keep going out with the same show every night - the audience would have to take a chance on what show they actually got.”
Check out audio of the full Daltrey Q&A session (runs 30 minutes plus) here.
The WhoThe Who - Who Are You
The Kids Are Alright (1979)
The Who - Baba O'Riley
The Kids Are Alright (1979)
