Pete Townshend of The Who will perform on NBC-TV’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, September 8.
Joined by singer Alfie Boe, the appearance is to promote Townshend’s short US run of his Classic Quadrophenia stage show this month, which kicked off at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA on September 2
The project sees The Who guitarist create a new orchestral version of the band’s 1973 concept album based around lead character Jimmy’s search for an identity amongst the mods and rockers in mid-60s Brighton.
Boe, Billy Idol and a full symphony orchestra and chorus will join Townshend for the five-show run, while Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder will make a guest appearance during the Chicago, IL stop on September 13.
“I’m thrilled to be bringing Classic Quadrophenia stateside through the month of September,” says Townshend. “Melding the contrasting sounds of Quadrophenia with a symphony has been a really unique and powerful way to reach a wide audience of classical and pop music lovers alike. I couldn’t be more excited to see it continue in the U.S.”
Townshend released Classic Quadrophenia on CD in 2015 in sync with its premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall, where he was joined by Boe alongside The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted Zeigler and the London Oriana Choir; the performance was later issued on CD and DVD.
Upon its original release, “Quadrophenia” peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart on its way to US sales of more than 1 million copies.
The Who performed “Quadrophenia” in its entirety on a 2012-13 tour of North America and Europe.
The 2017 shows follow the band’s summer tour of North America and land ahead of a series of South American dates that begin later this month, including an October 1 show in Buenos Aries, Argentina opening for Guns N’ Roses.
UPDATE: Watch video of Townshend's appearance on The Tonight Show here.
Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia
2017 U.S. Tour
Sep 09 – New York, NY – Metropolitan Opera House
Sep 10 – New York, NY – Metropolitan Opera House
Sep 13 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
Sep 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre
See also:
VIDEO: The Who preview Tommy Live At The Royal Albert Hall package
The Who to release career-spanning 5CD singles box set
VIDEO: The Who perform 1967 classic on The Tonight Show
The Who to perform on The Tonight Show
Search The Who at hennemusic
