The Who Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Paul Weller invited Roger Daltrey on stage with him last night (March 24), to perform a live rendition of The Who’s ‘So Sad About Us’. Check out footage below.The moment took place during the closing night event for the 2024 Teenage Cancer Trust gig series, dubbed ‘Ovation’. It was billed as “a celebration of 24 years of gigs” for the charity, and saw live performances from Weller, Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Eddie Vedder.Taking place at the historic Royal Albert Hall after kicking off the 2024 concert series on Monday (March 18), soloist and former frontman of The Jam opened the night by performing an eight-song setlist.This started with two tracks taken from his 2018 album ‘True Meanings’: starting the show with ‘Gravity’ and following on with a rendition of ‘Mayfly’.

The Who’s Pete Townshend has put a dampener on any hopes for a farewell tour, saying that he was being “sarcastic” when he hinted at the idea.It comes as both he and the band’s frontman Roger Daltrey have spoken about what the future holds for the iconic rock group in recent weeks, and hinted that their time as a band may be drawing to an end.Initially, it seemed that the band were planning a farewell tour to end their touring days with a bang, with the guitarist stating last month that The Who have one “final” thing left to do before they call it quits. “It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die,” he said.

Roger Daltrey has said that he never reads reviews of his work, whether they’re positive or negative.The singer of The Who wrote a “backstage diary” for The Times in which, among other things, he reflected on the final series of concerts he curated for Teenage Cancer Trust. He mentioned that he avoids even positive reviews on social media on the basis that likes and comments are “just ego food”.“The reviews [of the concert] are in but I won’t read them,” he wrote.

The Who’s Roger Daltrey has reflected on recently turning 80, saying that “he has to be realistic” and that he is “on the way out”. Writing in a “backstage diary” for The Times, the iconic singer expressed his desire to slow down, after recently wrapping up his last year as the active curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust series of shows. “I have to be realistic,” he wrote.

Pete Townshed has said The Who have one “final” thing left to do before they “crawl off to die” in a new interview.Speaking with the New York Times, Townshend was asked about new music from the band, with the publication pointing out that the band had only done two new albums since 1983 and that Townshend’s last solo album arrived in 1993.Asked if he wanted to create new music, he replied in the affirmative, and said The Who want to do a final world tour.Townshend said: “I do and I think I will,” on being asked about creating new music. He continued: “It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die. I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with The Who.

Paul McCartney and Nile Rodgers have thanked The Who‘s Roger Daltrey for his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust – watch their message below.This year’s edition of the TCT series kicked off at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where the charity brought a week’s worth of gigs courtesy of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Chemical Brothers and more.The Who frontman rounded off the series this year last night (March 24) with his final gig for TCT after confirming that he would be stepping down as the curator for the Teenager Cancer Trust concert series this year. He has curated the charity gigs for 24 years.To mark the occasion, Paul McCartney and Nile Rodgers sent a video message thanking Daltrey for his work with the non-profit organisation.

Eddie Vedder performed a solo set for the Teenage Cancer Trust 2024 series, and brought both his daughter Olivia and singer-songwriter Glen Hansard as special guests. Check out footage of the moment below.The performance from the Pearl Jam frontman took place last night (March 24), closing out a week of gigs held at the historic Royal Albert Hall to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.Taking to the stage for the ‘Ovation’ show, following earlier sets from Paul Weller and Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones, Vedder launched into his seven-song set with an opening rendition of the Pearl Jam track ‘Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town’.It was later in his set however when he brought out Simon Townshend – the brother of The Who’s Pete Townshend – as his first special guest, followed by a surprise appearance from Glen Hansard.

Roger Daltrey is about to show Who fans who he is.The 80-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer just announced he’s embarking on a brief, solo, acoustic North American tour this May and June with special guests KT Tunstall and Dan Bern on select dates.Along the way, the “Baba O’Riley” singer will headline at Bethel’s Bethel Woods Center For The Arts on Sunday, June 16 and Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre on Tuesday, June 18.At all shows, Daltrey plans on “presenting a mostly acoustic set of Who gems, rarities, solo nuggets and other surprises with an intimate rock-based band and setting as well as answering questions from the audience,” according to a press release.For fans that can’t wait to chop it up with the man who provided the vocals to timeless hits like “Who Are You,” “Pinball Wizard,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and so many more live, tickets can be secured as soon as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, March 22, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.Highland Park’s annual summer music festival stretches all the way from early June to late August.Just a few of the biggest names set to perform this year include Lynyrd Skynyrd with ZZ Top, James Taylor, Robert Plant with Allison Krauss, Daryl Hall with Elvis Costello

Eddie Vedder joined The Who on stage during the band’s Teenage Cancer Trust show in London last night (March 20) – check out the footage below.The group played their second orchestral show of the week at the historic Royal Albert Hall after kicking off the 2024 TCT concert series on Monday (March 18).To begin the third and final part of yesterday’s gig, frontman Roger Daltrey introduced Pearl Jam‘s Vedder to join The Who on a collaborative rendition of ‘The Punk And The Godfather’ from their 1973 album ‘Quadrophenia’.Daltrey and Vedder traded lines throughout the energetic performance before embracing in the closing moments. Watch a fan-shot video here:The Who and Vedder have teamed up numerous times previously, including at a private cancer benefit show in Los Angeles in 2022 and a charity event in Chicago in 2015.Additionally, Vedder joined The Who on stage at their inaugural Teenage Cancer Trust concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, and guested with the group at Wembley Stadium in 2019 (also on ‘The Punk And The Godfather’).This Sunday (March 24), Vedder will participate in a special closing night event for the 2024 TCT gig series, dubbed ‘Ovation’.

The Who kicked off the 2024 Teenage Cancer Trust concert series in London with a special orchestral show last night (March 18). See footage, images and the full setlist below.This year’s edition of the charity’s annual run of gigs – curated by The Who frontman Roger Daltrey – is taking place at the historic Royal Albert Hall this week, with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Chemical Brothers and more also on the line-up.Following an opening set from Squeeze, yesterday’s audience was treated to The Who’s first live show of 2024.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has announced a new “semi-acoustic” solo tour of North America this June – see the full list of dates below.Yesterday (March 18), The Who’s official Instagram account announced nine dates in June that will see Daltrey perform “The Who hits and rarities along with solo music and stories about his incredible 60 year career” with the help of an “electric/acoustic” band.The tour will kick off in Vienna, Virginia on June 12 before heading to Niagara Falls two days later. Other dates throughout the tour will see Daltrey and his backing band perform in Bethel, Port Chester, Boston, Lenox, Detroit, Indianapolis and Highland Park.A Live Nation pre-sale starts Thursday (March 21) at 10 am local time using the code “KEY”, while general sales begin Friday (March 22) at 10 am local time via Ticketmaster.JUNE 202412 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap – Filene Center *14 – Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino *16 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts *18 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre *20 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion *22 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood – The Koussevitzky Music Shed *25 – Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre ^27 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre ^29 – Highland Park, IL @ The Pavilion at Ravinia ** = w/ KT Tunstall^ = w/ Dan Bern A post shared by The Who (@officialthewho)Earlier this year, Daltrey opened up about the future of The Who, saying that he is “happy” that “that part of my life is over”.

Nandi Bushell has performed a rock medley at the O2 Arena in front of 20,000 people – watch footage from the performance below.Recently, Bushell performed at the O2 Arena as part of the Young Voices youth choir tour, which played to a total of 600,000 attendees across the UK. Backed by the choir and a house band, Bushell performed a medley that consisted of classics from The Who, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Nirvana and many others.This past weekend, Bushell uploaded a clip of her performance onto YouTube, titled ‘The Greatest Rock Medley Ever!’.The medley kicked off with The Who’s ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, before transitioning to The Killers‘ ‘Somebody Told Me’.

Black Sabbath performed their first gig has secured listed status, following fears it may be knocked down.The Crown venue, also regarded by some as the “birthplace of heavy metal” was one of the buildings at risk on Station Street. It is based on the same street as the Electric – the UK’s oldest working cinema which was shut down last week.Now, it has been listed as Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, helping to secure its future on the street.The iconic space has been empty for 10 years now, and initially, Birmingham Open Media had planned to buy and restore the pub.

The Who‘s Roger Daltrey has opened up about the one time he smashed a guitar and compared it to “killing his wife”.The rock icon has shared that he has only broken one of his instruments in his life which he regrets and likened the moment to the idea of murdering his wife. While appearing as a guest on Shawn Keaveny’s Daily Grind podcast, the 80-year-old musician said: “[Fans] never came to hear the music, they came to see the guitar being broken.”He continued: “The trouble is the guitar was worth 50 gigs.

Roger Daltrey has opened up about the future of The Who, saying that he is “happy” that “that part of my life is over”.The legendary frontman spoke to The Times about the band’s status, stating that ultimately any decision about calling it a day would have to be made alongside Pete Townshend. But for now, it appears he is in no rush to get back on the stage.“I don’t write the songs.

Roger Daltrey has blamed his generation for the ongoing NHS crisis, and called on the service to cut the salaries of its top executives.The Who frontman shared his thoughts on the ongoing healthcare crisis in a new interview with The Times, and revealed that he partly blames his generation for putting strain on the service and reducing the service offered to young people.“I’m in the way,” the 79-year-old told the outlet. “All us old farts, we really are just in the way of the young now, aren’t we?”The rock singer, who famously sang the line “I hope I die before I get old”, also learned of a young cancer patient who was forced to get a private scan to be diagnosed with stage four Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of blood cancer.“For fuck’s sake… Let’s just die!” he said.

Pete Townshend of The Who has admitted that “all guitarists are intimidated” by the young guitarists who post videos of themselves shredding on social media.Speaking to Guitarist – per Guitar.com – in an interview, Townshend spoke of using the guitar as a technical tool when it comes to composing music. “I think one of the things that all guitarists of today are intimidated by is these young guys on Instagram that shred to hell and back, or to heaven and back, I should say, who started when they were six.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has announced that he will be stepping down as the curator for the Teenager Cancer Trust gigs.The announcement was made today (January 8) via BBC, and comes following the rock veteran acting as the curator for the annual charity gigs for over two decades.The benefit shows have been taking place at the Royal Albert Hall since 2000 – although took a break in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Since its initiation, it has raised more than £32million in ticket sales and has gone on to support those struggling with cancer.Daltrey will be stepping down from the role after this year’s set of concerts.For the 2024 instalment – due to take place between March 18 and March 24 – Daltrey and The Who will open the series with two gigs on March 18 and 20, and an evening of comedy is scheduled in between.Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will appear on the Thursday (March 21), featuring support from Blossoms, and performances from The Chemical Brothers and Young Fathers are lined-up on the following two nights.The series will draw to a close with a celebration of the series, titled ‘Ovation’, starring some huge names from across the rock world.

Teenage Cancer Trust gig series in London.This year’s edition of the charity’s annual run of concerts – curated by The Who’s Roger Daltrey – is due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall between March 18 and March 24.Daltrey and The Who will open the series with two gigs on March 18 and 20, with an evening of comedy in between the two shows. Gallagher will be supported by Blossoms for his gig on March 21, before gigs from The Chemical Brothers and Young Fathers on the following two nights.The series will then close on March 24 with a special gig titled ‘Ovation’, which will celebrate 24 years of Teenage Cancer Trust gigs.On the line-up for that show will be Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller.See the full line-up below.

Pete Townshend has said The Who will have talks about where they go next.The legendary band wrapped up their final orchestral tour date at the Sandringham Estate over the summer.Now, Townshend said he is looking at meeting up with frontman Roger Daltrey about their future plans.He told Record Collector: “I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next. Because Sandringham shouldn’t feel like the end of anything but it feels like the end of an era.”Townshend added: “It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun? So, I wrote to Roger and said, come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there.”It comes after he recently revealed that he is currently working on creating a new rock opera, that will see him take his novel The Age Of Anxiety to the stage, and see it performed alongside a variety of new songs.The novel was released by Townshend in 2019 and explored themes of societal anxiety, triggered by things such as global warming and the threat of terrorism.

The Who‘s Tommy is set to return to Broadway in 2024.The musical, featuring music and lyrics by Pete Townshend, started as a concept album in 1969 and debuted on Broadway in 1993.It’s now set to return for a new run – a reimagined version of the classic from director Des McAnuff and Townshend – at New York’s Nederlander Theatre in March 2024.Previews are due to start on March 8 before the official opening on March 28. Tickets will be available to purchase here from Friday, November 10 at 10am local time.Check out a teaser below.“In 1969, when I originally wrote TOMMY with The Who, nobody had ever written popular music songs about trauma, nobody talked about bullying, domestic sexual abuse was a subject that was virtually censored,” Townshend shared in a press statement.“Then, in 1993, working with Des on the staged theatre piece, we broke the established rules for a musical show.

Pete Townshend of The Who has revealed that he is currently working on creating a new rock opera.Opening up about the upcoming project in a new interview, the rock veteran confirmed that it will see him take his novel The Age Of Anxiety to the stage, and see it performed alongside a variety of new songs.The novel was released by Townshend in 2019 and explored themes of societal anxiety, triggered by things such as global warming and the threat of terrorism. It also saw the musician depict the detrimental consequences of social media on modern life, and how mental health issues are becoming more prominent across younger generations.Speaking with The Sun’s Bizarre column, the 78-year-old guitarist confirmed that the book is currently being remade as a rock opera and that he is “still developing the score and recording the music” for production.He also revealed that he is creating a making-of programme about its development, and speculated it may be another couple of years before either is officially complete.“I am also working on a documentary about the project, from its inception in 2007 until today,” he told the outlet.

Pete Townshend of The Who has revealed Keir Starmer was the lawyer who challenged him in Townshend’s infamous child pornography case.In 2003, it was discovered that Townshend had paid to view a child pornography site, which prompted a police investigation. The Who star claimed that it was research for a campaign against pedophilia for his memoir, where Townshend believed he may have been sexually abused as a child: “You have to know what’s out there.”Shortly before his memoir was published in 2012, Townshend elaborated on the incident.

Mantra Of The Cosmos – the new group featuring Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays, Black Grape), drummer Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis), guitarist Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride) and Bez (Happy Mondays, Black Grape) – have shared their new single ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)’ and spoken to NME about their forthcoming plans.The collective were formed by Starkey – who is the son of Ringo Starr – after he initially tried to work on a krautrock project with ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos during the pandemic.“I wanted him to produce it and write the lyrics because I really like his solo work and what he did with Kraftwerk,” Starkey, who is at pains to point out that Mantra are not a supergroup, told NME over Zoom. “He’s got really mad words and he can think outside the box.

The Who, Madness, Soul II Soul, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie and more.The trail will recognise more pivotal figures in music with a five-day-long celebration. This year’s recipients are Janis Joplin, Harvey Goldsmith CBE, UB40, Gordon Mac (Founder Of Kiss FM), Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson, Sugarhill Gang, Eddy Grant, Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, Shalamar and The Kinks.

Shaun Ryder has formed a new band consisting of ‘90s music icons, called Mantra Of The Cosmos.The Happy Mondays frontman revealed the new supergroup in an interview with The Sun’s Bizarre column, and announced to fans that new music and a Glastonbury debut are imminent.Mantra Of The Cosmos is formed of Ryder, former Oasis bassist Andy Bell, The Lightning Seeds guitarist and vocalist, Ian Broudie, and drummer Zak Starkey — who has previously performed with The Who.Former Happy Mondays percussionist, Bez — real name Mark Berry — is the final name completing the lineup, and as confirmed by Ryder, an album is on the way.“I’ve got a new band together. It’s me, Zak Starkey, you know, Ringo [Starr’s] son, and the drummer in The Who, Andy Bell from Oasis and Ian Broudie from The Lightning Seeds.

Nicolas Cage has recalled the first concert he ever attended to see The Who.In a newly aired segment from the April 13 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nicolas Cage partook in the “Colbert Questionert” and was asked about the first concert he ever attended.Cage revealed that his first concert was seeing The Who perform at the Fillmore Stadium in San Fransisco, before going on to explain how “blown away” he was by the performance. “Roger [Daltrey] did this incredible thing where he was spinning the microphone with the cable and he just hit the cymbal.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has opened up about the chances of the band touring America again.Speaking to USA Today for a new interview, Daltrey spoke about the band’s latest live record ‘The Who with Orchestra: Live at Wembley’, the 79-year-old singer shared his thoughts on The Who touring the US again, saying he’s “very doubtful” it will happen, though he says “never say never”.When asked if The Who have plans to tour America again, Daltrey said: “Nothing at the moment. I don’t know if we’ll ever come back to tour America.

The Who‘s Pete Townshend has released his first solo single in 29 years in the form of ‘Can’t Outrun The Truth’.The track – released today (March 24) for charity – was composed and produced by Townshend’s partner Rachel Fuller under the pseudonym Charlie Pepper. All proceeds of the track’s vinyl sales, and an undisclosed portion of all digital downloads, will go towards the Teenage Cancer Trust.Listen to Pete Townshend’s ‘Can’t Outrun The Truth’ below.Townshend said of the track per a press statement: “The pandemic years were terrible for charities; the Teenage Cancer Trust was created in order to take the money from a series of concerts at the Albert Hall every year and various other things and that had all dropped out.”“So, the idea of doing this, which is it’s something that has sprung out of Lockdown about mental illness, but also for this particular charity.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has spoken to NME about the long-awaited Keith Moon biopic, vowing that the film “will be made” despite numerous past setbacks.The project has been in the works since at least 2005, when Mike Myers signed up to portray the late drummer. However, it’s since languished in development limbo and failed to get off the ground.In early 2022, it was reported that the movie would finally begin shooting that summer but that ended up not being the case.

Roger Daltrey has spoken to NME about the upcoming Teenage Cancer Trust shows, as well as The Who‘s “big, bold and sexy” orchestral tour, and whether we’ll hear any new music from the band.The frontman, who is an Honorary Patron of TCT, enlisted the likes of Kasabian, Wet Leg, Courteeners and Underworld for the 2023 edition of the charity’s annual gig series at the Royal Albert Hall in London.To close proceedings, Daltrey will play a solo concert at the historic venue on Sunday March 26. He’ll be joined on the night by special guests Richard Ashcroft and Joan Armatrading.

The Who have surprised fans in Long Island with a song that’s only been played a handful of times by the band in the last 40 years.During the gig, which took place on October 7, Roger Daltrey and co played ‘Young Man’s Blues’ as an extra encore.The band haven’t played the song since a one-off in 2014, and it’s only been played six times in the last 40 years of the band’s touring history (via Rolling Stone).The song, which was written by jazz pianist Mose Allison in 1957, added a R&B version of the song into their live set in 1964. It later appeared on the band’s ‘Live At Leeds’.

Tenacious D have shared a medley of songs from The Who‘s rock opera Tommy.The band have posted a video, which you can watch below, featuring snippets of the tracks ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘There’s A Doctor’ and ‘Go To The Mirror’.“Who better to deliver a tribute to the greatest rock opera of all times? Who? The D! That’s Who!! We’ve been working on this medley for 20 years. It’s finally ready to be unleashed.

The Cure‘s albums are set to go up for auction.The LPs, which will go under the hammer in Manchester on June 7 in aid of the BRIT Trust charity, include the band’s albums ‘Disintegration’, ‘Pornography’, ‘Seventeen Seconds’, ‘Head On The Door’ and ‘Acoustic Hits’.

The Who’s Pete Townshend has reflected on the death of drummer Keith Moon, saying he “tried everything” to keep him alive.Moon was the drummer for The Who between 1964 and 1978, and died from an overdose of Heminevrin, a drug used to treat and prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. He was 32 years old.“I tried everything,” Townshend told People of his attempts to help his friend. “I tried giving him money, I tried starving him of money.

Roger Daltrey has said he believes that the music industry has been “stolen” from artists.During a recent interview with The Independent, the frontman of The Who claimed that the band’s 2019 album ‘WHO’ left him £10,000 out of pocket. “Musicians cannot earn a living in the record industry anymore,” Daltrey told the publication.“That is ridiculous, and they’re being robbed blind by streaming and the record companies, because the old deals with record companies that existed in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, they’re still working on the same percentage breaks.”He continued: “And of course, they don’t do any work.