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The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's 2014–16 tour was a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band.
Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...
has referred to this tour as the band's "long goodbye" hinting that it will be the final tour for The Who. The tour consisted of 70 dates with the band performing in Asia, Europe and North America. An announcement about the tour came through the band's website and social media networks on 30 June 2014.
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
described the show as "Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses", for the band would play all their classic anthems as well as tackling deeper cuts from their catalog; In addition to longtime veterans
Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...
,
Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...
, and
Simon Townshend Simon Townshend (; born 10 October 1960) is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, and is most associated with The Who and the various side projects of its original members ...
, the same backing musicians from the group's previous tour were retained, minus the horn section. In September 2015 the band announced that fall 2015 North American leg was being postponed due to Daltrey contracting
viral meningitis Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is a type of meningitis due to a viral infection. It results in inflammation of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). Symptoms commonly include headache, fever, sen ...
and told by doctors to rest. The tour resumed in February 2016 and ended on 29 May 2016.


History

The tour kicked off with the group's first ever show in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
, followed by a UK leg. The band included several numbers not included in any recent tours, including the first full performance of " A Quick One (While He's Away)" since
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and the first full band appearances of " So Sad About Us" (Townshend and special guest
Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...
performed it acoustically at the Royal Albert Hall in
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) since
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
; " Pictures of Lily" and " Join Together" had not been played since
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. The North American leg, with
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...
featured as the opening act, kicked off in April 2015. Eddie Vedder joined the band for a performance of " The Real Me" in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. Daltrey suffered a throat infection in September 2015 forcing the band to postpone the 2015 fall North American dates until February 2016.
Tal Wilkenfeld Tal Wilkenfeld (born 2 December 1986) is an Australian singer, songwriter, bassist, and guitarist. She has performed with artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Incubus, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, and Mick Jagger. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was vot ...
was featured as the opening act when the North American tour resumed on 27 February 2016. Pete Townshend was suffering from his own ailments when the band hit Washington, D.C. on 24 March 2016. Townshend was suffering from a cold and losing his voice, so his brother Simon took over his backing vocals. However, he was able to make it through " Pinball Wizard" and " I'm One" despite his rough sounding voice. "
Eminence Front "Eminence Front" is a song written and sung by Pete Townshend of the Who. It appears as the sixth track on the group's 1982 studio album, ''It's Hard''. The single reached number 68 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Background and recording In th ...
", which had been featured in all of the shows, was dropped in favor of the unrehearsed and rarely played " Slip Kid" due to Townshend's hoarse voice. For most of the 2016 tour dates in North America, British band Slydigs performed a four-song opener for The Who, though the band's final North American concert in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace did not feature an opening act.


Tour band


Original members

*
Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...
 – lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, tambourine *
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
 – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals * John Entwistle – bass solo on "5:15" (via video and audio recording from '' Live at the Royal Albert Hall)'' * Keith Moon – drums, vocals on "Bell Boy" (via audio recording from ''
Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...
'')


Backing musicians

*
Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...
– drums, percussion *
Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...
– bass guitar *
Simon Townshend Simon Townshend (; born 10 October 1960) is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend, and is most associated with The Who and the various side projects of its original members ...
– rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals * Loren Gold – keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, jaw harp * Frank Simes - keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, banjo, mandolin *John Corey - keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, bass harmonica


Set list

This set list is representative of the performance on 26 May 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. #" I Can't Explain" #" The Seeker" #"
Who Are You ''Who Are You'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a ...
" #" The Kids Are Alright" #"
I Can See For Miles "I Can See for Miles" is a song by the English rock band the Who, recorded for the band's 1967 album '' The Who Sell Out''. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, it was the only song from the album to be released as a single. Recording Recorde ...
" #"
My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...
" #"
Behind Blue Eyes "Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band the Who. It is the second single from the band's fifth album, ''Who's Next'' (1971), and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his '' Lifehouse'' project. The song is one of the Who's best ...
" #" Slip Kid" #" Bargain" #" Join Together" #"
You Better You Bet "You Better You Bet" is a song by British rock band the Who, appearing as the first track on their 1981 album '' Face Dances''. It is sung by frontman Roger Daltrey with backing vocals from Pete Townshend and bassist John Entwistle. Townshend' ...
" #" I'm One" #"
Love, Reign O'er Me "Love, Reign o'er Me", subtitled "Pete's Theme", is a song by English rock band The Who. Written and composed by guitarist Pete Townshend, it was released on 27 October 1973 as the second single from the band's sixth studio album and second roc ...
" #"
Eminence Front "Eminence Front" is a song written and sung by Pete Townshend of the Who. It appears as the sixth track on the group's 1982 studio album, ''It's Hard''. The single reached number 68 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Background and recording In th ...
" #" A Quick One (While He's Away)" #" Amazing Journey" #" Sparks" #" Pinball Wizard" #"
See Me, Feel Me "See Me, Feel Me" (aka Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me and See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You) is a song from the Who's 1969 album '' Tommy''. It consists of two overture parts from ''Tommy'', the second and third parts of the album's final song ...
" #"
Baba O'Riley "Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album ''Who's Next'' (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single on 23 October 1971, coupled with "My Wife". Roger Daltrey sings most of the song ...
" #"
Won't Get Fooled Again "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track ...
"


Tour dates


Cancellations and rescheduled shows


Notes


References


External links


The Who Online Concert Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Who Hits 50 The Who concert tours 2014 concert tours 2015 concert tours 2016 concert tours Farewell concert tours