While the future of the Who remains a bit nebulous, at least Roger Daltrey will be out and about, performing the band's songs this summer. The singer announced a "semi-acoustic" solo tour on March 18, with a slate of shows at intimate venues scheduled to kick off in May.
Daltrey will also answer fan questions during his solo tour dates.
According to a press release, the tour will see Daltrey performing Who chestnuts as well as solo material, and also participating in a Q&A session at each stop. With the first date scheduled for May 6 in San Diego, the tour will wrap in late June in Highland Park, Ill.
Daltrey's tour comes at an uncertain moment for the Who. Though the group -- whose only remaining original members are Daltrey and Pete Townshend -- toured last year and are scheduled to perform at the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit this coming weekend, Daltrey seemed to cast a skeptical eye on setting any large-scale future plans.
"At the moment I’m happy saying that part of my life is over," the singer said during an interview with The Times published in January.
Aside from a pair of benefit concerts this week, the Who have no public plans to perform again in the near future.
Daltrey added that any final decisions about the band's future would have to be run by guitarist Pete Townshend. "I don’t write the songs. I never did," Daltrey said. "We need to sit down and have a meeting."
Townshend made a similar remark during an interview with Record Collector in December.
"I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next," Townshend said. "It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun? So, I wrote to Roger and said, come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there."
Daltrey has been the curator of the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concerts for near a quarter of a century.
As for the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit, this week's show will be Daltrey's last as curator of the nonprofit. He announced he was stepping down this year, after nearly a quarter century as the organizer of the annual concerts. In addition to two performances from the Who, this year's event will also feature performances by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, the Chemical Brothers, and Young Fathers.
Starting next year, Daltrey will continue as a Teenage Cancer Trust Honorary Patron, with the annual concerts overseen by a series of guest curators. In a statement announcing his retirement, the Who singer said: "The £32 million raised from these concerts (since 2000) has been the foundation for the 28 specialized units within the NHS, as well as specialist nurses and youth workers to be there for a young person when cancer has turned their world upside down."
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KT Tunstall will be the opening act for all but two of Daltrey's tour dates. Check out the full itinerary below:
5/6 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
6/12 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap – Filene Center
6/14 – Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
6/16 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
6/18 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
6/20 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
6/22 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood – The Koussevitzky Music Shed
6/25 – Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
6/27 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
6/29 – Highland Park, IL @ The Pavilion at Ravinia
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