The Who are among the many culprits of crying farewell tour numerous times over the years, with their impressive run of fake-outs dating all the way back to 1982. This time, however, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are insisting that this is actually the last one: the "truly grand finale," the Song Is Over Tour, will bring them across North America this August and September, and is set to include Canadian performances in Toronto and Vancouver.
UPDATE (5/19, 11:08 a.m. ET): The Who have announced support for the run, including Billy Idol, Feist, Billy Bob Thorton, ZZ Ward and more. The Toronto and Vancouver shows will see support from Tom Cochrane and Candlebox, respectively. See the full list of openers in bold below.
"Every musician's dream in the early '60s was to make it big in the US charts. For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever," Daltrey said in a statement. "The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It's not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time."
Townshend added:
Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans. I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.
The Song Is Over Tour gets underway starting August 16 in Sunrise, FL. The Who will venture to Canada at the top of the following month for two Toronto concerts at Budweiser Stage (on September 2 and 4). After weaving their way back through the US, the band will return to Canadian soil to play Vancouver's Rogers Arena on September 23 ahead of wrapping the run on September 28 in Las Vegas, NV.
Tickets go on general sale May 16, with presales beginning in certain markets on May 13 at 10 a.m. local time. Find the full itinerary below, as well as more upcoming shows via Exclaim!'s Canadian concert listings.
The Who 2025 Tour Dates:
08/16 Sunrise, FL - Amerant Bank Arena *
08/19 Newark, NJ - Prudential Center *
08/21 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center ^
08/23 Atlantic City, NJ - Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall +
08/26 Boston, MA - Fenway Park ~
08/28 Wantagh, NY - Northwell at Jones Beach Theater $
08/30 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden $
09/02 Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage >
09/04 Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage >
09/07 Chicago, IL - United Center <
09/09 Chicago, IL - United Center <
09/17 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl ~
09/19 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
09/21 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre #
09/23 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena #
09/25 Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena #
09/28 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena !
* with Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
^ with ZZ Ward
+ with Booker T. Jones
~ with the Joe Perry Project
$ with Feist
> with Tom Cochrane
< with Joe Bonamassa
# with Candlebox
! with Billy Idol