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Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Fans just discovering how the The Who came up with their iconic name
The Who are one of the most iconic bands in rock history, but they were originally called something very different - and the story of how they came up with their name is a classic rock 'n' roll tale Before they were smashing guitars, filling stadiums, and pioneering the rock opera, The Who were simply four London lads with a completely different name. Their journey to becoming one of the most recognisable names in rock history wasn't just by chance - it involved sketchy club gigs, a name conflict, and a brainstorming session that could have had a very different outcome. As fans continue to discover how they came to be known by their iconic name - and what they were initially called - here's a little about how the band was formed. The tale starts in Acton, West London, where a young Roger Daltrey already felt like an outsider. He didn't quite fit in at Acton County Grammar School, and after being expelled at 15, he found himself working on a construction site. In 1959, Daltrey established The Detours, a functioning band that performed at weddings and corporate events, with Daltrey handling both the music and finances. He then noticed a local lad named John Entwistle strolling down the street with a bass guitar slung over his shoulder, and invited him to join the band. Entwistle, in turn, introduced a guitarist he knew from school: Pete Townshend, reports the Express. The band's early sound was influenced by instrumental covers from The Shadows and The Ventures, with a touch of traditional jazz thrown in, and the line-up evolved over time. The group was still known as The Detours when they discovered in early 1964 that another band, namely Johnny Devlin and the Detours, already had dibs on the name. Pete Townshend recounted how he and his flatmate Richard Barnes spent an entire night brainstorming new monikers, aiming for a theme of comedic stage introductions; suggestions like No One and The Group were considered. Townshend was quite taken with The Hair, but it was Barnes who had a preference for The Who. The band unveiled their new identity with their 1965 release 'I Can't Explain'. The single broke into the UK top ten and marked the beginning of a succession of hits that would come to characterise the era: 'Substitute', 'My Generation', 'Pictures of Lily', leading up to the landmark concept album Tommy in 1969. In 1965, none other than Paul McCartney deemed them "the most exciting thing around," while John Lennon expressed his admiration for 'Pinball Wizard' by incorporating its acoustic guitar style into 'Polythene Pam'. When Jimi Hendrix landed in London in '66, he specifically requested Pete Townshend's amplifier setup, whilst bands like Pink Floyd, Queen, and The Ramones have acknowledged The Who as an influential force in their early days.
Economic Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
The Who announces 'bittersweet' farewell tour: Schedule, tickets and more details here
Key dates to remember Live Events The Who talks about North America tour Tickets and other details FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel British rock band The Who is all set to hold its final tour in North America this summer. On Thursday, May 8, the band officially announced its "bittersweet" final tour, which will take place across multiple locations in the US and Canada. They have termed it as the grand finale of their six-decade-long illustrious career in the music announcement comes at the time when the band's singer Roger Daltrey is 81 years old, while its lead guitarist Pete Townshend turns 80 on May 19. Named after its 1971 hit single, the tour has been titled The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour, ABC News Who is scheduled to kick off its tour in North America from Florida in mid-August and will wrap it up in September-end, with the final show in Las Vegas, according to USA Today. In total, the band members will perform 16 concerts, covering cities like Boston, Toronto, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles and Vancouver, among these events, The Who fans can expect them to perform some of the classic hits from their 60-year-long to Variety, it could be assumed that Daltrey and Townshend will perform alongside their longtime drummer Zak Starkey. But Starkey's name was not mentioned by the band in the official announcement. He was fired from the band for a brief period earlier this year.A media briefing was organised at London's Iconic Images Gallery on May 8. At the event, Townshend was joined by his bandmate Daltrey via video conferencing, since the singer's wife continues to recover from an at the event, Daltrey called it "every young musician's dream" to perform in America. He added that it "meant so much" for them to see that people in the US have put them "into their hearts".Remembering the band's old days, Townshend shared that they were "indoctrinated into the way American music fans were different."Fans of The Who in the US and around the world planning to watch them perform live can look forward to purchasing tickets at the time of Citi presale as well as with the Whooligan Fan Club. This starts at 10 AM (local time) from May 13 and will remain available until 10 PM on May general onsale will be starting at 10 AM (local time) on May 16. These will remain available on interested fans can even join the Whooligan Fan Club. For this, they will have to visit Here, they get an all-exclusive merchandise, which includes early ticket access as well as the band's unreleased album, Live at the Oval of the band's iconic singles include I Can't Explain, Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, Who Are You and I Can See for Miles, among several packages include exclusive benefits for fans, such as invitation to pre-show VIP Lounge, soundcheck access prior to the event, limited edition autographed tour poster and others.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch the Who Play ‘The Song Is Over' for First Time Ever in Concert
The Who released their landmark LP Who's Next in 1971, and before the year was out they'd played seven of the nine songs live in concert. The two exceptions were 'The Song Is Over' and 'Goin' Mobile.' It took 54 years and more than 1,000 concerts, but they finally broke out 'The Song Is Over' Sunday evening at London's Royal Albert Hall on the second of their two charity shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust. 'We dedicate this to all the fans that heard the 2016 setlist a 100 times,' Pete Townshend told the audience. 'Well, not 100 times, but a lot. So, we're going to have a go at this one. I think Roger is having trouble hearing though.' More from Rolling Stone Watch The Who Rip Through 'The Real Me,' 'I Can't Explain,' '5:15' at First Show of 2025 Pete Townshend: 'I've Got Maybe 10 Years Left as a Creative' Robert Smith Takes the Reins on Curating Teenage Cancer Trust 2026 Concert Lineup Drummer Zak Starkey live-streamed extensive rehearsals of the song on Instagram prior to both Royal Albert Hall shows. But when the big moment came to finally debut it before live audience, Daltrey was indeed having trouble hearing. He stopped the band about two minutes into their first attempt. 'To sing that song, I do need to hear the key,' he says. 'And I can't hear. There's no pitch here. I just hear drums, 'boom boom boom.' I can't sing to that. I'm sorry guys. We'll try one more even though it's getting late.' In a blog post prior to the show, the group's longtime associate, Brian Kehew, explained that Daltrey decided to ditch his in-ear monitors for these gigs so he'd feel closer to the audience. 'Without his in-ear monitors, Roger has us bring forward his rear wedge speakers, the ones that feed him drum sounds,' Kehew wrote. 'This makes the drums feel closer to him, which is helpful.' The plan seemed to backfire during the initial run at 'The Song Is Over.' 'I can sing it in any fuckin' key you want, but I need to be able to hear myself,' Daltrey said. 'It's not your fault guys. I just can't hear.' Townshend underwent knee replacement surgery just a few weeks ago, and he sat down for parts of the show. But at this point, he stood up to try and work things out with the sound crew. It seemed to be a success: the band ran through it a second time and Daltrey had no trouble. This now leaves 'Goin' Mobile' as the only Who's Next song they've never done live. It has been a staple of many recent Daltrey solo shows where Simon Townshend sings lead vocals in the place of his older brother. The younger Townshend is also a member of the Who's touring band. But even if they added that song into the mix, they'd still need to find a way to play 'My Wife' without John Entwistle before attempting a complete Who's Next concert. It's hard to imagine that happening. In the meantime, the Who will now be inactive before they play a pair of Italy shows in July. Their plans beyond that are unclear. But Kehew did inform fans that the band discussed the possibility of breaking out other obscure songs before deciding to simply focus on the classics, since they hadn't played a single gig in the past year prior to this week. 'They're working hard to just regain ground that seemed lost during the orchestral years,' he wrote. 'So just playing the old familiar tunes has become hard enough. A lot to remember. (Zak told me that in the year 2000 he was tasked to come up with a set of obscure-but-cool Who tunes to play in/out of the tour set lists. He chose a bunch of his favorites – 'Melancholia' is the only one he remembers now, an exceptional choice, I must say!!! They practiced these new pieces for days and then went on tour; none of them were ever played. Ah well, history repeats itself.)' For you non-fanatics out there, 'Melancholia' is a fantastically obscure song from The Who Sell Out they've never done in concert. In a dream world, they'll debut it in Italy this summer. For now, fans should be happy they finally got a chance to hear 'The Song Is Over' after all these years. Who could have imagined back in 1971 we'd have to wait until 2025 to witness that? Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Sky News
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
The Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey tells fans he's going blind during live show
The Who's Roger Daltrey has told fans he's going "blind" while performing live at a charity concert. The 81-year-old lead singer was performing alongside his bandmate Pete Townshend on Thursday in the first of a series of gigs at London's Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Daltrey told the 5,000-strong audience: "The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind. "Fortunately, I still have my voice." He went on to say if he lost his voice too, he'd have a "full Tommy" - referring to the title character of The Who's 1969 album. "Deaf, dumb and blind kid" Tommy is also mentioned in Pinball Wizard from the same record. Daltrey has long worn purple-tinted glasses when out and about. During a later song at Thursday's gig, Daltrey's voice cracked, which he called a "senior moment", before adding: "No apologies, I f***** up." Guitarist Townshend, 79, also revealed an age-related ailment, saying: "Four and a half weeks ago, I had my left knee replaced." He said he had done it by dancing in the style of Sir Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, who is two years his senior. Daltrey is stepping back from his role as curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust's Royal Albert Hall concerts, having launched the series in 2000. However, he will remain an honorary patron of the charity. 0:34 The trust will now work with a series of guest curators, with The Cure's Robert Smith announced as the first musician to oversee duties next year. Daltrey and Townshend have been performing together for six decades, and are the only surviving original members of The Who. With hits including I Can't Explain, My Generation and Substitute, The Who are widely considered to be one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. The Who will return to the Royal Albert Hall for another gig in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust later today.
