The Who have officially embarked on what they’re calling their last-ever tour across the United States, and frontman Roger Daltrey has even given one of their songs a heartfelt lyrical twist to mark the occasion.
The farewell journey kicked off on August 16 at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, before rolling into Newark, New Jersey, on August 19. Tonight (August 21), the legendary rockers are set to take the stage at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Appropriately, the tour carries the title The Song Is Over, named after their 1971 classic. Interestingly, the band only began performing the track live earlier this year—more than five decades after its release—and it has now become their poignant set closer.
During the Newark stop, Daltrey shifted the song’s original lyrics—“The song is over, I’m left with only tears, I must remember, even if it takes a million years”—into something far more personal: “The song is over, thanks for all the years, I’ll always remember, even if I live for a million years.” The change struck fans deeply, turning the performance into a moment of gratitude and goodbye.
The tour is set to wrap up in Las Vegas on September 28, with a powerhouse lineup of special guests along the way, including Billy Idol, Joe Bonamassa, Feist, The Joe Perry Project, and many others.
Still, the run hasn’t come without concerns. Earlier this month, Daltrey admitted to The Times that he’s anxious about the physical toll: “The potential to get really ill is there and, I have to be honest, I’m nervous about making it to the end of the tour.”
Meanwhile, guitarist Pete Townshend has his eyes fixed on the future. Beyond the farewell trek, he revealed he has more than 140 new songs in the works, along with 26 tracks already written for his upcoming solo album Age of Anxiety. “I want to continue to be creative,” Townshend said. “I’ve got songs in all kinds of development.”
For fans, this farewell tour is not just the end of an era—it’s also a reminder that The Who’s legacy will continue to echo long after the final chord rings out.
