The Who have shared details of a farewell tour, taking place across North America later this year. Find the details below.
The news was shared by surviving co-founders, frontman Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, today (May 8) during a press conference at the Iconic Images gallery in Piccadilly, London. In the announcement, the co-founders of the legendary rock group confirmed that the forthcoming tour dates will mark the end of their illustrious six-decade career.
The tour will be called ‘The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour’ – making a nod to their classic 1971 track – and the secret conference also showcased a rare piece of Who memorabilia that ties the band to the US. This is one of the American football helmets that was seen on the cover of their 1974 album ‘Odds & Sods’.
In total, 16 new live shows have been planned, kicking off at the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida on August 16. Other shows across the month include stops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York.
From there, the final run of shows all take place in September, with two nights at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto planned for September 2 and 4, as well as two at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles later in the month. Elsewhere, there are appearances in Illinois, Washington, Nevada and more.
“The historic 2025 ‘The Song Is Over’ tour will mark the final face-to-face celebration of this timeless connection with North American Who fans, forever appreciative of the band’s ability to dispense with nostalgia and deliver authentic rock moments time and time again,” reads a new description.
Tickets go on sale Friday (May 16) at 10am local time, although pre-sale options will be available through Citi and the Who Fan Club from Tuesday (May 13). Visit here for tickets and find a list of new shows below.
The Who’s ‘The Song Is Over’ North American tour dates are:
AUGUST
16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
SEPTEMBER
2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
“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,” said Roger Daltrey. “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 added: “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,” he continued.
“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 news of the farewell tour comes as drummer Zakk Starkey’s role in the band was recently thrown into question. The musician, who is also the son of Ringo Starr, has been a part of the band since 1996, although it seemed earlier this year that he had been asked to leave the line-up.
This was reportedly decided as the result of a “collective decision” following a series of shows at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and led to Starkey sharing a statement stating that he was “surprised and saddened” by the news. After a few days of confusion, the band went on to add that the issue was actually a misunderstanding that stemmed from “some communication issues”, and that the drummer hadn’t left the line-up.
There has been a lot of debate about the future of the band in recent years too – particularly around whether or not they were planning on writing new material.
Back in August 2024, Townshend said that although he doesn’t “know what’s gonna happen with The Who”, he was hoping that he and Daltrey “can find some common ground and find some way to work again”.
Before then, he told NME that he was “pretty sure” there would be more Who shows, although hopes of an album were slim. “The story of the end of The Who is gonna be when either Roger or I drop dead or can’t function anymore on the stage,” he said. “If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could, it’s a piece of cake… The problem is I don’t think Roger wants to do it again. For me it would be a joy because I love writing songs.”
In October, he said that The Who would “definitely” be making plans for 2025 and, just last month, he opened up again, saying that he does not love performing live on stage as it “does not fill my soul”.
While Townshend was optimistic about new material from the band, frontman Roger Daltrey didn’t share the same outlook. In March last year, he said he was “on [his] way out” and “has to be realistic” about future plans. Then, when asked by NME about the possibility of a new album, he laughed and said: “What’s the point? What’s the point of records?”
“We released an album four years ago [2019’s ‘WHO’], and it did nothing. It’s a great album too, but there isn’t the interest out there for new music these days,” he added. “People want to hear the old music. I don’t know why, but that’s the fact.”