Roger Daltrey confirms The Who’s upcoming American run will be their last ever tour

Roger Daltrey has said that The Who’s upcoming North American jaunt will be their last ever tour, although he doesn’t rule out one-off shows in the future.

The band had previously announced that the run, billed as ‘The Song Is Over’, would be a ‘bittersweet final tour of the US and Canada’.

Speaking to The Times, the singer was asked if that meant they had played their final UK shows as well.

He replied: “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour.”

Daltrey added: “It’s gruelling. In the days when I was singing Who songs for three hours a night, six nights a week, I was working harder than most footballers. As to whether we’ll play (one-off) concerts again, I don’t know. The Who to me is very perplexing.”

The singer, who is 81, said: “Fortunately, my voice is still as good as ever. I’m still singing in the same keys and it’s still bloody loud, but I can’t tell you if it will still be there in October. There’s a big part of me that’s going: I just hope I make it through.”

He added that he was still struggling with the after-effects of a bout of meningitis nine years ago.

Daltrey explained: “It’s buggered up my internal thermometer, so every time I start singing in any climate over 75 degrees I’m wringing with sweat, which drains my body salts. The potential to get really ill is there and, I have to be honest, I’m nervous about making it to the end of the tour.”

Watch: The Who with the Isobel Griffiths Orchestra - 'Baba O’Riley' (Live At Wembley, UK / 2019)

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Daltrey described axed drummer Zak Starkey’s recent remarks on his dismissal as a “character assassination”.

Earlier this year, Starkey - the son of Ringo Starr - was dismissed with the reasons behind the split being disputed.

Daltrey and Pete Townshend claimed that Starkey made a mistake during their Royal Albert Hall performance in April, while Starkey has claimed that the error was Daltrey’s.

“What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong,” Starkey claimed in an interview with The Telegraph.

He also dismissed a statement that he retired from the Who as “total bollox” on social media.

Daltrey told The Times: “Pete and I retain the right to be The Who. Everyone else is a session player. You can’t replace Keith Moon. We wanted to branch out and that’s all I want to say about it. But (Starkey’s reaction) was crippling to me.”

The Who perform live at Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall 2025

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