The Who will return to the stage to re-launch the North American leg of “THE WHO HITS 50! TOUR” this Saturday in Detroit, the beginning of a 28-date tour of rescheduled dates from THE WHO’s 2015 trek–which was postponed to allow lead singer Roger Daltrey time to recover from his recent bout with viral meningitis.
The trek includes stops in Toronto, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, before wrapping Sunday, May 29 in Las Vegas.
Tickets for the originally scheduled shows will be honored at the new dates. For the tour openers, the band has set Tal Wilkenfeld to perform on the first 13 shows with Slydigs to accompany them on the remaining dates. In addition, 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (who accompanied THE WHO on the first leg of this tour) will perform as special guests at the Thursday, March 3 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
THE WHO have sold over 100 million records since forming in 1964; they brought together four different personalities and in effect produced a musical hurricane. Each of them was a pioneer. Wildman drummer Keith Moon beat his kit with a chaotic elegance; stoic bassist John Entwistle held down the center with the melodic virtuosity of a solo guitarist; raging intellectual Pete Townshend punctuated the epic universality of his songs with the windmill slamming of his fingers across his guitar strings; and Roger Daltrey roared above it all with an impossibly virile macho swagger. They exploded conventional rhythm and blues structures, challenged pop music conventions, and redefined what was possible on stage, in the recording studio, and on vinyl. Deep into their 50th year, the band is still going strong, winning rave reviews.
The updated “THE WHO HITS 50!”tour dates are as follows:
with Tal Wilkenfeld supporting:
Sat 2/27 – Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena
Tue 3/1 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts supporting:
Thu 3/3 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
with Tal Wilkenfeld supporting:
Mon 3/7 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Thu 3/10 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat 3/12 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Mon 3/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Wed 3/16 – Pittsburgh, PA – CONSOL Energy Center
Sat 3/19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Mon 3/21 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Harris Bradley Center
Thu 3/24 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center
Sat 3/26 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
Tue 3/29 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
with Slydigs supporting:
Tue 4/26 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Fri 4/29 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
Sun 5/1 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Wed 5/4 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
Fri 5/6 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
Sun 5/8 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
Tue 5/10 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
Fri 5/13 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Sun 5/15 – Seattle, WA – KeyArena at Seattle Center
Tue 5/17 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Thu 5/19 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
Sun 5/22 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Wed 5/25 – Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
Fri 5/27 – San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center
Sun 5/29 – Las Vegas, NV – Colosseum at Caesars Palace
