The Who will perform their final North American dates in August and September. ‘The Song Is Over’ tour has been named after the band’s 1971 song.
The song choice is interesting. The side one track five song from the 1971 ‘Who’s Next’ album has only ever been played once by The Who and that was recently in March 20 this year.
Pete Townshend had originally written for song for his ‘Lifehouse’ project, the rock opera intended to follow-up ‘Tommy’. When the project was aborted, ‘The Song Is Over’ as well as ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, ‘Getting In Tune’, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, ‘Bargain’, ‘Love Ain’t For Keeping’, ‘Baba O’Reilly’ and ‘Going Mobile’ were used for the ‘Who’s Next’ album. Other tracks made it to the albums ‘Odds & Sods’, ‘Scoop’ and ‘Hooligans’ and finally ‘Lifehouse Chronicles’ when Townshend finally released the work as a solo album.
Of The Song Is Over tour Roger Daltrey says: “Every musician’s dream in the early 60’s was to make it big in the US charts. For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Pete Townshend says: “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans. I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”
THE WHO
THE SONG IS OVER
2025 NORTH AMERICA TOUR
• Aug 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
• Aug 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
• Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
• Aug 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
• Aug 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
• Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
• Aug 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
• Sep 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
• Sep 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
• Sep 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
• Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
• Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
• Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
• Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
• Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
• Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Prior to North America there is a European tour.
The Who have only ever toured Australia twice in 1968 and 2004 and performed once again in Australia for the Grand Prix in Melbourne in 2009.
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