Roger Daltrey angrily responds to Pete Townshend describing The Who as “flogging a dead horse”
The Who frontman, Roger Daltrey, has hit back at Pete Townshend, who described the band as “flogging a dead horse” ahead of their farewell tour.
Their final set of dates will take place across August and September. Notable stops on the road include visits to iconic venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Fenway Park in Boston. They’ll play their final date on September 28th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
It was announced during a press conference in London earlier this month, and due to demand, they’ve since added an extra show in Chicago.
However, ahead of their retirement, Townshend told Sunday People in a recent interview: “The Who has gone on a bit too long with two of us dying. It does sometimes feel like flogging a dead horse”.
Daltrey has now seemingly interpreted this comment as Townshend not wanting to participate in the tour. The singer told the Daily Mail: “If Pete doesn’t want to tour, I don’t want to be back with The Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn’t want be there — if that’s what he’s saying.”
The Who frontman continued: “I won’t do it with someone who is half-hearted about it. But, you know, every dog has its day and it was a wonderful ride.”
The latest back-and-forth comes after Townshend confirmed Zak Starkey’s exit from The Who last weekend, after previously firing the drummer last month before re-hiring him.
Starkey re-posted Townshend’s statement with his own message written over the top. He claimed: “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie.”
After Starkey’s response, The Who released an official statement in the comment of an Instagram post that brandished the logo for their upcoming farewell tour. The statement began: “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20yrs younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects.”
It continued: “He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”
Scott Devours has been announced as Starkey’s replacement for their final tour and has described his feelings as “a strange contradiction of emotions to have the greatest moment of my professional career also be one framed with some sadness and shadowed by someone else’s loss”.
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