Pete Townshend Says The Who Have Been Running Farewell Tours Longer Than Most Bands Have Careers
via Giuseppe Vergara / YouTube
A Long Goodbye
Pete Townshend has joked that The Who have been “swindling” fans ever since their first farewell tour back in 1982. Now, more than forty years later, the band is once again on the road for what is billed as their final run across North America.
The tour, called The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour, covers major U.S. and Canadian cities. With both Townshend and Roger Daltrey in their eighties, it remains uncertain if they will extend this farewell to audiences in the UK or Europe.
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Joking About Farewell Tours
In a conversation with the New York Times, Townshend was asked if fans could trust that this tour would truly be their last. He responded with humor: “Are you suggesting we’re swindling the public? The fact is, we are willing to swindle them. That’s what we’ve done our entire life. Why stop?”
His remarks reflected the unusual history of The Who’s first farewell. That tour was announced as their final outing in 1982, yet the group reunited not long after and continued performing for decades.
Looking Back at 1982
Townshend admitted that their first farewell had more to do with his personal struggles than the band’s future. “I was in terrible shape, with family troubles, and I needed a sabbatical,” he explained. “I wrote to the music newspapers and said, ‘I’m stopping work with The Who.’ We already had a tour booked, and when it started, I realized it was being billed as the final tour.”
Reflecting on the period, he added: “The album I’d just written for the Who, It’s Hard, is one of our weakest. I didn’t feel I was able to write great songs for the Who. I didn’t know who we were anymore.”
Final Dates Ahead
The Who’s farewell tour continues with shows in Wantagh, New York, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mountain View, Vancouver, and Seattle, before closing at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 28.
