Roger Daltrey’s New Tour Will Feature Deep Cuts and an Audience Q&A
Roger Daltrey is coming to America in June for a rare solo tour that will feature an onstage Q&A with audience members, Who hits and deep cuts, and selections from his solo career. It opens on June 12 in Vienna, Virginia, and closes June 29 in Highland Park, Illinois. Midway through, Daltrey will return to the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York. KT Tunstall is opening up seven shows, and Dan Bern is on the bill at two.
Daltrey’s backing band for the tour will feature guitarist Simon Townshend, mandolin player/background singer Billy Nicholls, percussionist Jody Linscott, guitarist Doug Boyle, bassist John Hogg, violinist Katie Jacoby, harmonica player Steve Weston, keyboardist/accordion player Geraint Watkins, and drummer Scott Devours.
“Daltrey will answer questions from the audience during the shows, sharing anecdotes and offering up uniquely tailored renditions of songs seldom performed live either by the Who or Daltrey,” reads a press release announcing the tour. “In crafting this completely new show, Daltrey looks forward to unveiling one of his more intimate and unique stage shows, an up close and personal gift to his fans that highlights Who rarities, solo hits, and other songs from his incredible near 60-year career.”
On Daltrey’s 2022 solo tour, he played Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open The Door,” lesser-known Who songs like “Another Tricky Day,” “Break the News,” and “Tattoo,” and solo cuts like “After the Fire” and “Days of Light.” He also sprinkled in a few Who hits, including “Squeeze Box,” “Baby O’Riley,” and “Who Are You.”
The Who played their first concert of 2024 Monday night at London’s Royal Albert Hall as a fundraiser for the Teenage Cancer Trust. They were joined by an orchestra, and the set was virtually identical to the one they played on their most recent American and European tours. They are playing again Wednesday night. And on Sunday, Daltrey is wrapping up his 24-year stint as the curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust with a blowout concert featuring Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, Robert Plant, Paul Weller, and Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics.
The future of the Who beyond these Teenage Cancer Trust gigs is unclear. “I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next,” Pete Townshend told Record Collector last year, shortly before the conclusion of their world tour. “Because [the final summer tour stop] shouldn’t feel like the end of anything, but it feels like the end of an era… 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.’”
In the meantime, Daltrey is keeping his voice in shape with his solo tour.
Roger Daltrey U.S. Tour Dates
June 12 – Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA @ Filene Center
June 14 – Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
June 16 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 18 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
June 20 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
June 22 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood – The Koussevitzky Music Shed
June 25 – Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
June 27 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
June 29 – Highland Park, IL @ The Pavilion at Ravinia