Pete Townshend has never been shy about poking fun at The Who’s long history of “farewell” tours. He recently joked that the band has been “swindling” fans ever since their first supposed goodbye back in 1982. Now, more than forty years later, The Who are once again hitting the road for what is billed as their final North American tour.
The trek, titled The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour, will take Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend across major cities in the U.S. and Canada. With both frontmen now in their eighties, fans are left wondering if this really will be the last time—or if a future run through the UK and Europe could follow.
Speaking to The New York Times, Townshend was asked whether fans could believe this was truly The Who’s final bow. With typical wit, he replied: “Are you suggesting we’re swindling the public? The fact is, we are willing to swindle them. That’s what we’ve done our entire life. Why stop?”
His remark highlights the strange history of The Who’s first farewell tour in 1982, which turned out to be anything but final. The band regrouped not long after, returning to the stage and staying active for decades.
Townshend explained that the original farewell had less to do with the band and more with his personal struggles at the time. “I was in terrible shape, with family troubles, and I needed a sabbatical,” he admitted. “I wrote to the music newspapers and said, ‘I’m stopping work with The Who.’ We already had a tour booked, and when it started, I realized it was being billed as the final tour.”
That period also coincided with the release of It’s Hard, which Townshend candidly described as “one of our weakest” albums. “I didn’t feel I was able to write great songs for the Who. I didn’t know who we were anymore,” he reflected.
This year’s farewell run includes stops in Wantagh, New York, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mountain View, Vancouver, and Seattle, before closing with a final performance at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 28.
Whether it truly is the end for The Who remains to be seen. But for now, fans across North America are getting one last chance to say goodbye—again.
