Legendary rock group The Who have unveiled plans for an extensive North American farewell tour, dubbed “The Song Is Over,” scheduled for August and September 2025. However, during a press conference in London on May 8, founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend expressed significant doubts about bringing the tour to their home turf in the UK, citing logistical and physical challenges.
While Townshend attended the London event in person with Daltrey joining via video link, their responses to questions about UK and European dates from Absolute Radio‘s Claire Sturgess were cautious. “Let’s see if we survive this one,” Daltrey initially joked, before elaborating on the difficulties of touring in the United Kingdom.
“I’ve just finished a solo tour of the UK,” Daltrey said. “I’ve got to say that touring America is a damn sight easier than touring the UK. For some reason, the UK has made it as difficult as possible to go from A to B. In America, you seem to want to make it as easy as possible – but we are in the land of ‘no’.” He added a more direct note of uncertainty, stating, “I don’t want to say it won’t happen, but equally I’m not confident in saying that there will be.”
Pete Townshend echoed these concerns, reflecting on their previous UK tour in the summer of 2023. “I would agree completely. I really enjoyed the last tour that we did, but it was a strange one,” Townshend remarked. “We played a lot of open-air gigs, but we had an insurance problem, which meant we couldn’t play some of the more classic places that one plays on a UK tour.”
While acknowledging that options like a week at The O2 or a couple of weeks at the Royal Albert Hall could be open, Townshend noted their preference against playing consecutive shows.
This scheduling consideration is particularly crucial for Daltrey‘s vocal health. “I can’t do consecutive shows,” the singer emphasized. “In the middle of a tour, I might be able to do two back-to-back, but I’ve been ordered by my throat and voice specialist who said I had to have a day off after every gig, and after every two gigs I need to have three days off. Otherwise, I’ll wreck my voice and will not be able to sing.”
With “The Song Is Over” tour being billed as a farewell, the lack of confirmed UK dates leaves British fans in suspense, potentially facing a bittersweet end to seeing the iconic band live if these shows do not materialize. For now, the confirmed goodbye is set for North America.
The Who – “The Song Is Over” 2025 North American Tour Dates:
- August 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
- August 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
- August 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
- August 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
- August 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
- August 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
- August 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
- September 02 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
- September 04 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
- September 07 – Chicago, IL – United Center
- September 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
- September 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
- September 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
- September 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
- September 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
- September 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
While the door isn’t completely shut on UK performances, The Who‘s current focus is on delivering a memorable final tour across the U.S. and Canada.
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