This past June, Roger Daltrey of The Who stated in a press release that their 2015 tour will be, “the beginning of a long goodbye.” The legendary rock band will be celebrating their jubilee not only with a two-disc collection of their greatest hits from over the course of their long career, but with a two-part tour in support of it as well. The Who Hits 50! North American Tour will kick off this spring on April 15th in Tampa, Florida, hitting twenty eastern locations between that and the final stop on May 30th in Forest Hills, New York. The fall leg of the tour will start off September 14th in San Diego, California, hitting western stops along the way to the tour’s final show on November 4th in Philadelphia.
The 2015 tour setlist will include songs that span The Who’s entire career, just like The Who Hits 50! collection does, from classic hits as early as 1971’s Who’s Next and 1969’s Tommy, on up to some of their latest tunes such as “Be Lucky” (which references Daft Punk). Townshend describes the show’s mix as “Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses,” and describes his view of the tour as “Trying to stay young. Not wearing socks. Growing a great big Woodcutter’s beard. Might even wear a check shirt on stage and get a tattoo of a Union Jack. Always a fashion victim. But under no illusions. We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we’re lucky to be alive and still touring.” Ticket sales for the tour will commence on Friday, October 17th, at 10am on The Who’s official website.
Starting Monday, October 13th also at 10am, Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets via the Private Pass Program. The tour’s exclusive VIP packages include access to the band’s soundcheck and to pre-show VIP parties, reserved tickets, and autographed limited edition memorabilia. One dollar from each ticket sale goes towards Teen Cancer America. The Who Hits 50!collection is due for release on October 27th via Geffen/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Their latest single, “Be Lucky,” is available for streaming here.
The Who’s 2015 North American tour dates for the spring leg are as follows: April 15th, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL; April 17th at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL; April 19th at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL; April 21st at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC; April 23rd at The Arena at Gwinnett Center (on sale Friday, October 17th at 9 am) in Duluth, GA; April 27th at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX; April 29th at Toyota Center in Houston, TX; May 2nd at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX; May 11th at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN; May 13 at Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL; May 15th at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH; May 17th at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA; May 20th at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY; May 22nd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ; May 24th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT; May 26th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY; and lastly, May 30th at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY.
For the fall leg of the tour, the dates are as follows: September 14th at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA; September 16th at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA; September 19th at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV; September 21st at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA; September 23rd at Oracle Arena in Portland, OR; September 27th at KeyArena in Seattle, WA; September 29th at Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC; October 1st at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB; October 10th at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN; October 13th at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI; October 15th at United Center in Chicago, IL. October 17th at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI; October 19th and October 21st at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON; October 23rd at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA; October 25th at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ; October 27th at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY; October 29th at TD Garden in Boston, MA; November 1st at Verizon Center in Washington, DC; and lastly, November 4th at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia PA.