{"id":13907,"date":"2025-08-21T13:14:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/13907\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T13:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:14:11","slug":"pete-townshend-planning-one-man-shows-once-the-who-finish-farewell-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/13907\/","title":{"rendered":"Pete Townshend planning “one-man shows” once The Who finish farewell tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pete Townshend<\/a> has revealed that he is planning to embark on some solo shows once his farewell tour with The Who<\/a> wraps up.<\/p>\n

The rock icons are currently out on their final run of US shows<\/a>, dubbed \u2018The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour\u2019.<\/p>\n

There are 16 tour dates lined-up in total, and the name comes as a nod to their classic 1971 track. It is set to mark the last-ever shows from the group.<\/p>\n

Now, guitarist Pete Townshend has revealed that, while the band have no intention of playing any more shows together after this run, that doesn\u2019t mean his days of playing live are also coming to an end.<\/p>\n

Speaking to AARP<\/a>, Townshend said that he plans to continue his work on his solo album, \u2018The Age Of Anxiety\u2019, once the latest tour is done. The album is something he has been working on since 2007, and is based on a novel he wrote of the same title (which got published in 2019).<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to continue to be creative. I\u2019ve got songs in all kinds of development, 140 tracks ready to go. On \u2018The Age of Anxiety\u2019, I\u2019ve got 26 songs,\u201d he said, going on to explain how he tackles themes of mental health in both the upcoming album and the 2019 book.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not not autobiographical, but the scope of my own mental journey through addiction and recovery has led me to a place where I feel that I can write a character, a genuine, realistic character \u2014 youngish, who, rather than be depressed, has an acuity, a kind of instant, psychic feeling, and he decides that he wants to really dig in to make his audience as happy as they possibly can be,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018The Age of Anxiety\u2019, I am hoping to start a conversation. I\u2019m hoping that people will talk about depression, but also about the nature of the artist and what artists are going through, and how, for example, some have to be very selfish, very self-obsessed or go through periods of that. I found it a cathartic thing to write. Everybody I\u2019ve shared it with has said that it starts a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for how the project could feed into future live shows, Townshend said he plans \u201cto experiment with some one-man shows\u201d, but is also open to working with Roger Daltrey again for \u201ccharity and possibly for special projects\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also said that he will continue to join forces with the band\u2019s frontman to help retain \u201call aspects of The Who legacy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I\u2019m the songwriter and creator, but Roger\u2019s been the driving force, meaning keeping The Who band and his brand on track. Even with his solo work, we\u2019ll continue to work together, even if we rarely socialise,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Townshend\u2019s comments come after he previously remarked that he was mentally done with the days of extensive touring<\/a>, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t love performing. I don\u2019t like being on a stage\u2026 it doesn\u2019t fill my soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments would prompt a response from Daltrey<\/a>, who said: \u201cIf Pete doesn\u2019t want to tour, I don\u2019t want to be back with The Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn\u2019t want [to] be there\u2026 if that\u2019s what he\u2019s saying.<\/p>\n

Speaking about their supposed \u201clove\/hate\u201d relationship with Daltrey in the AARP interview, Townshend said that it stems from the two of them not being able to \u201ccommunicate very well\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and I are very different and we have different needs as performers,\u201d he shared. \u201cHe got upset because he felt I had sometimes given the impression of having left the building. Roger complained about the fact that he is deaf. He\u2019s a singer, and he has to be 100 per cent fit in order to do his job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Townshend spoke to NME about his production of Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet<\/a> \u2013 a dance adaptation of the band\u2019s seminal 1973 album, and Townshend\u2019s first foray in ballet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat inspires me is trying to do something that has a slightly more ambitious thread,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not me being pompous. It\u2019s just something that seemed to fit more into the dis-conjunction that I felt when I left art school and ended up in the band. It felt like there was unfinished business for me, which was the art.\u201d<\/p>\n