[UPDATE 5/19/25]: The Who has revealed a stacked lineup of special guests set to join the band on select dates of The Song Is Over North American farewell tour, and confirmed that longtime drummer Zak Starkey is no longer in the band.
The tour will feature appearances by a diverse slate of artists including Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Billy Idol, Booker T. Jones, Candlebox, Feist, Joe Bonamassa, Tom Cochrane, ZZ Ward, and The Joe Perry Project—featuring Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry along with Brad Whitford, Buck Johnson, Chris Robinson, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz. Click below for a full breakdown of which guests will appear at each stop.
Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey also confirmed that Zak Starkey will not be participating in the tour following reports of his dismissal and subsequent reinstatement after an incident at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
“The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects,” they said in a statement. “He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success. We both wish him all the luck in the world.”
In a post of his own, however, Starkey disputed The Who’s statement that they mutually parted ways for him to focus on his other creative endeavours.
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie,” Starkey wrote. “I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement.”
Drummer Scott Devours, who has previously toured with Daltrey’s solo band, will step in for Starkey on the farewell trek.
Additionally, due to overwhelming demand, The Who has added a second show at Chicago’s United Center on Tuesday, September 9th. Tickets for the newly added date will be available beginning Tuesday, May 20th via a Citi cardmember pre-sale and The Who Fan Club. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week before tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 23rd at 10:00 a.m. CT. All other tour dates are on sale now.
[5/8/25]: At a press conference held today at London’s Iconic Images gallery in Piccadilly, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend announced that The Who will embark on its final North American tour in 2025, aptly named The Song Is Over Farewell Tour [get tickets].
The Who Announces Final North America Tour – Full Press Conference
Standing among the most influential bands of all time, The Who helped shape the sound and spirit of rock music in the 20th century with explosive live performances and groundbreaking projects like Tommy, an early rock opera that was turned into a film in 1975 and a Tony Award-winning musical. The band broke through in the U.S. nearly 60 years ago as part of the so-called British Invasion, making history with iconic performances at Monterey International Pop Festival and Woodstock, and has remained one of the top acts in rock ‘n’ roll ever since, earning induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame more than 30 years ago in 1990. The group undertook its first farewell tour in 1982 before returning to the road in 1989.
“Every musician’s dream in the early ’60s was to make it big in the US charts,” Daltrey shared. “For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Townshend added, “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans. I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”
This news arrives after the band recently made headlines when longtime drummer Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr) was temporarily fired from the band following an incident where Daltrey, who has openly acknowledged having significant hearing loss after decades of exposure to loud music, halted a performance at Royal Albert Hall during “The Song Is Over”, saying, “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom boom boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys.” The band promptly reinstated Starkey days later. The announcement also follows comments from Townshend that the band had planned to tour in 2025.
Tickets to see The Who one last time on The Song Is Over Farewell Tour will be available starting with Citi cardmembers and The Who Fan Club pre-sales beginning on Tuesday, May 13th. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, May 16th at 10:00 a.m. local venue time.
Various VIP packages will be available with perks including premium tickets, access to pre-show soundcheck, invitation to the pre-show VIP Lounge, a limited edition autographed tour poster, and more.
Find a full list of tour dates below and head here for tickets.
View this post on Instagram
THE WHO – THE SONG IS OVER 2025 NORTH AMERICA TOUR:
Aug 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Aug 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Aug 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Aug 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sep 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena