Watch The Who perform their final song together in North America as farewell tour ends: “It’s goodbye”
The Who have bid a final farewell to North America as their last tour, The Song Is Over tour, has officially come to a close.
The Who’s US and Canada tour took 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.
The iconic band were set to round out their farewell on September 28th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. However, in September, they announced the addition of one final date, at Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, California, on October 1st. The tour was announced at an exclusive event in London.
On their final night, they played 23 songs, beginning with ‘I Can’t Explain’ and winding their way through hits like ‘The Real Me’ and ‘Behind Blue Eyes’. Katie Jacoby joined them for a rendition of ‘Baba O’Riley’, before they closed out, finally, with ‘Tea & Theatre’.
Across the tour, the British band were joined by Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters, Billy Idol, Booker T Jones, Candlebox, Feist, Joe Bonamassa, The Joe Perry Project, Tom Cochrane, and ZZ Ward.
“I suppose, you know, it’s goodbye,” Pete Townshend told the crowd after the rendition of ‘Tea & Theatre’ to close the show.
He emotionally continued, “That’s what it is. To what we know as the Who, it’s goodbye. What Roger and I will get up to next, who knows? If we last any longer, I’m sure we’ll get up to all kinds of mischief, We’ll do stuff together, I’m sure sharing some stuff, all kinds bits and pieces. But for this kind of thing, it’s goodbye. And you were last!”
The Who’s farewell celebrations were originally overshadowed by controversy. On May 18th, the band definitively fired their drummer Zak Starkey, following a saga of firing and re-hiring him in recent weeks.
At the time, they released a statement saying: “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”
Ruminating on what comes next for the old friends, Townshend has said previously: “Roger and I certainly [will] work together for charity and possibly for special projects. Together, we represent all aspects of The Who legacy. You know, I’m the songwriter and creator, but Roger’s been the driving force, meaning keeping The Who band and his brand on track. Even with his solo work, we’ll continue to work together, even if we rarely socialise.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.