The Who singer Roger Daltrey has said he is “singing better than I have for years” and insists his band “aren’t finished yet”.
The 80-year-old told the PA news agency he is embarking on a solo tour next year as if he does not keep singing his voice will “disappear”, and also to “explore the music” by approaching familiar songs in new ways.
With The Who, Daltrey was synonymous with the Mod movement of the 1960s, as his band pioneered the use of guitar feedback and destroying their equipment on stage.
I love exploring different ways of approaching them and doing them, because you constantly find more in them
Speaking about his recent performances, Daltrey told PA: “The Who aren’t finished yet, I feel that I’m singing possibly better than I have for years.
“Our music is very, very different than most rock music, we should keep doing it.
“To do that, I have to keep singing in the breaks between two shows, because those breaks can be quite long, and without using the human voice, it’ll disappear.
“So that’s what started this (the upcoming tour), and I just thought I love exploring the music, even though they’re songs that I’ve sung for 50 years.
“I love exploring different ways of approaching them and doing them, because you constantly find more in them.”
He continued: “It has an effect on an audience that makes them perhaps consider the song again for the first time.
“I find it’s really joyful to do, when it works, it’s heaven, when it doesn’t work, it’s a laugh.
“And that’s the great thing about being 80 years old, you can’t take anything seriously anymore, not with the world we’re living in, it’s gone f****** nuts.”
I can't believe someone's paying £1,000 for a ticket in the f****** stadium. Are they nuts? The show can't be that good
The I Can’t Explain singer went on to confirm The Who had “a couple of things planned for next year” and added he “can’t go through the motions” and had to be “totally 100% committed to the job” to take to the stage.
Daltrey said: “As long as we can do that, we’ll be alright, there might be a tour.
“I have to be totally committed, and then if the money comes, that’s great.
“Sometimes the money doesn’t come, or you think it’s coming and it doesn’t, because you spent too much in putting the show together.
“And that happens, I mean, the touring industries, at the moment, it’s not in trouble yet, but if they’re not careful, they will be in trouble with this kind of ticket stuff that’s going on, the pricing thing.
“I mean, it’s all becoming a nonsense. I can’t believe someone’s paying £1,000 for a ticket in the f****** stadium. Are they nuts? The show can’t be that good.”
Daltrey went on to say that dynamic pricing is “not the bands’ fault” as “they’re not in control of that at all”.
The singer, known for his signature microphone swinging, went on to hint that The Who’s next steps may be to return to smaller venues.
The only place we can go now is back to the beginning, when we're raw, small and raw, and bring back the jamming, because we used to do a lot of that
He said: “After we took it to the pinnacle, which was kind of the last tour, which was with an orchestra.
“The only place we can go now is back to the beginning, when we’re raw, small and raw, and bring back the jamming, because we used to do a lot of that.
“Maybe we should do a bit more of, let’s give them (the audience) what we feel like giving them, and dig in and maybe we’ll find something else.
“It maybe needs to get a bit more dangerous.”
Daltrey’s Alive And Kicking… And Having Fun tour will see him perform both solo and The Who hits, rarities, and tell stories from his career.
Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am, with shows at London’s Palladium, Brighton Dome and Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo.
The Who are best known for the albums Who’s Next, Tommy, and Quadrophenia, with the latter two adapted into films in 1975 and 1979 respectively.
Daltrey has also had three UK top 10 solo albums.
– Roger Daltrey 2025 tour dates
Sunday April 20 – Brighton DomeMonday April 21 – London, The PalladiumWednesday April 23 – Southend-on-Sea, The Cliffs PavilionThursday April 24 – University of Wolverhampton at The HallsSaturday April 26 – Dundee, Caird HallMonday April 28 – Glasgow, SEC ArmadilloWednesday April 30 – Edinburgh, The Usher HallThursday May 1 – Gateshead, The Glasshouse – Sage 1Sunday May 4 – Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
