The Who are postponing the rest of the concert dates for their ‘The Who Hits 50!’ anniversary tour. The reason for the postponement is singer Roger Daltrey’s recent diagnosis of viral Meningitis.
Daltrey has been told by his doctors to take a break from touring this year. He is presently recovering and the band will be rescheduling all the postponed dates for 2016. The vocalist posted a statement on the band’s website today saying, “We are very sorry to disappoint our fans in this way. For the last four weeks, I have been in and out of the hospital and have been diagnosed with viral Meningitis. I am now on the mend and feeling a lot better but I am going to need a considerable time to recover.”
Guitarist Pete Townshend added, “We are rescheduling all the shows for next spring 2016. We apologise to all our fans who have supported us in the last 50 years. Once Roger is completely well we will come back stronger than ever and Roger and I will give you all a show to remember.”
In a recent interview with British music magazine Mojo, Townsend mentioned that this tour will the band’s last and that The Who will finally disband afterward. “I think I will stop after this year. When this tour is over, we’ll probably both go our separate ways. So it’s to demonstrate that even this particular gang can grow old – not necessarily gracefully, but can grow old ungracefully, or whatever it is that we’re doing.”
Last May, Pete Townsend teamed up with Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder in Los Angeles for a charity concert in honor of Teen Cancer America. The Who later teamed up again with Vedder on September 12 for an exclusive charity concert for 500 guests. Back in August rocker Alice Cooper along with actor Johnny Depp as the Hollywood Vampires recorded a cover version of The Who classic, My Generation. Listen to the song here.
Here is the list of cancelled tour dates:
09/14: San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center
09/16: Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
09/19: Las Vegas, NV – Colosseum at Caesars Palace
09/21: Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
09/24: Portland, OR – Moda Center
09/27: Seattle, WA – Key Arena at Seattle Center
09/29: Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
10/01: Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
10/03: Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
10/06: Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
10/08: Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
10/10: Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
10/13: Milwaukee, WI – BMO Harris Bradley Center
10/15: Chicago, IL – United Center
10/17: Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena
10/19: Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
10/23: Pittsburgh, PA – CONSOL Energy Center
10/25: Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
10/27: New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
10/29: Boston, MA – TD Garden
11/01: Washington, DC – Verizon Center
11/04: Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
12/01: Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
12/04: Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
12/06: St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
12/08: Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
12/10: Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
12/13: Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena