Pete Townshend Reveals The Who’s Tour Finale as ‘The End of an Era’
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Pete Townshend, the iconic guitarist of The Who, recently shared his contemplations on the future of the legendary band after their summer tour. The tour, featuring Townshend and Roger Daltrey backed by a full orchestra, concluded in August, leaving Townshend to ponder the band’s next move.
In a conversation with Record Collector magazine
Townshend expressed the need for a discussion about the band’s future.
“I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next. Because [the final summer tour stop] shouldn’t feel like the end of anything, but it feels like the end of an era.”
While contemplating a new direction for the band
Townshend admitted uncertainty about the specific path.
“It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun? So, I wrote to Roger and said, ‘Come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there.’”
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Notably, despite Townshend’s previous aversion to touring
He confessed to finding fulfillment in The Who’s recent treks.
“I’ve never really enjoyed touring at all, but this last couple of bashes – the U.K. tour, the shows in Europe and the American tour (in 2022) – I admit I started to get a real feeling of fulfillment. I feel very lucky to still be doing this at my age, to still be able to perform.”
While the future of The Who remains uncertain, Townshend is keeping busy with his own projects. The guitarist is currently working on a new rock opera based on his 2019 novel, The Age of Anxiety.
In the interview with Record Collector, Townshend described the project as his “really big magnum-opus piece,” expressing hope to have it finished “this year.” Additionally, Townshend has revisited Lifehouse, a concept album abandoned in 1970, which has now been re-imagined as a graphic novel.
