FORTY three years after their first farewell to the US, The Who are having another go at a goodbye.
And as they announced their second one during a VIP launch of The Song Is Over tour in London yesterday, I fear this really could be the band’s final swan song.
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Not just for American fans, but us Brits too — with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend admitting the likelihood of a UK tour is, to put it bluntly, pretty bleak.
“I don’t want to say that there won’t be, but equally I’m not confident in saying there will be,” Roger told me.
“Let’s see if we survive this one. I’ve just finished a solo tour in the UK.
“Touring America is a damn sight easier than touring the UK, because for some reason the UK has decided to make it as difficult as possible to go from A to B.”
Pete added: “I really enjoyed the last tour that we did, but it was a strange one.
“We played a lot of open-air gigs. We had an insurance problem, which meant that we couldn’t play some of the more classic places that one plays on a UK tour.
“But the door is open to us. We could do a week at the O2 or a couple of weeks at the Royal Albert Hall.”
Roger, who appeared at the event via Zoom, recently revealed he was struggling with his sight, saying at a Teenage Cancer Trust gig last month: “The joys of getting old mean you go deaf, I also now have got the joy of going blind.”
And his voice is also something he’s desperate to protect. Roger said: “I’ve been ordered by my voice specialist who said, ‘You have to have a day off after every gig.
“And then after every three gigs, you have to have two days off.
“Because otherwise you will wreck your voice and you will not be able to sing’.”
Despite the rather gloomy outlook for us Brits, the pair are in good form as they prepare to kick off a 16-date run of shows in Florida on August 16.
Roger and Pete will then play huge shows across the States, including a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York and two shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
That’s before their final night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am next Friday. Fans can expect tracks from their entire back catalogue, with Pete and Roger agreeing that Baba O’Riley and Love, Reign O’er Me will definitely make the cut.
As they joked among themselves, after Roger managed to unmute himself on Zoom, Pete reminisced about one of their first trips to the States, to play at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
He said: “On the way back, which was kind of more spectacular, I was given a little pill by the Grateful Dead, which was called STP.
“On the plane on the way back, I was looking over at Roger, who looked like an angel, and looking at the air hostess, who looked like a little pig.
“I landed in the UK in the middle of the hippy era and decided not to do drugs any more.”
TYLA’S AZTEC SAVVY
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TYLA looks quite the golden goddess in this Aztec-style top – as she launches her new single Bliss today.
And the singer clearly enjoyed writing her pop banger as much as she did dressing up to promote it.
In the chorus she sings: “You take me to bliss, never found a love like this.”
Other tunes released today include Ella Eyre’s High On The Internet, Call Me When You Know Better from 5 Seconds of Summer’s Calum Hood, and rising soul star Worricka’s Love Is Alone.
Amelia Moore’s EP He’s Still Just Not That Into You also drops today, along with The Kooks’ Never/Know.
And, after seven years away, American Boy singer Estelle has announced her album Stay Alta will be out on May 23.
ALEX: BLUR MAY GO THE ABBA ROUTE
BLUR’s Alex James says the Britpop giants are still mulling over their next move – two years after their comeback.
Appearing on Ken Bruce’s Greatest Hits Radio show, Alex said: “There’s two ways to go either the ABBA thing and stop at the top and just let it take its own course and make avatars of yourself when you were 27 and beautiful.
“Or treat it respectfully and dip in and out occasionally.
“As long as you don’t overcook it or annoy the guitar player or singer too much.”
BOX BLOW FOR BARRY
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BARRY KEOGHAN is preparing to take on the role of one of the world’s most famous drummers – but the honour has come at a personal cost.
The Irish actor has been forced to give up boxing as he prepares to play Ringo Starr in his Beatles biopic, after the film’s bosses took out insurance on both of his hands.
Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel about his love of sparring, Barry said he’d been forced to stop, explaining: “Not any more because they’re insured now.”
Holding up his mitts, he said: “I cannot do anything with my hands. I don’t box any more because of drumming.”
Jokingly, Jimmy told Barry: “I would be worried that somebody at the movie company might carry a hammer or something and go, ‘Hey, now we get a cheque?’.”
Given Barry’s got a handy right hook, I doubt anyone would try.
Speaking about taking on the role of Ringo, Barry revealed he had met the drummer after being cast in the upcoming film series about the Fab Four, but admitted his nerves got the better of him.
Barry said: “I met Ringo the other day in his house and he played the drums to me. He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.
“It was sort of just one of those moments where you are in awe and I just froze. When I was talking to him, I couldn’t look at him. I was nervous.”
So, no pressure. Barry?
HEADS UP FOR LOST ALBUM
MOTORHEAD’s “lost” album of never-before-heard material is resurfacing – 49 years after it was recorded.
The Manticore Tapes features 11 recordings from the first-ever studio session, featuring the “three amigos” line-up of Lemmy, “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil Taylor.
The project, which will be released for the first time on June 27, takes its title from Manticore Studio in Fulham, West London, where it was recorded.
Long-time collaborator Cameron Webb has helped recover and restore the material, including instrumentals and demos of songs from their 1979 debut album On Parole.
All three rockers are no longer alive.
Drummer Phil died in 2015, a month before frontman and bass player Lemmy, above. Guitarist Eddie died in 2018.
TOM’S MISSION IN JAPAN
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TOM CRUISE and Hayley Atwell are back on the promo trail in the run-up to the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
They were dressed in black as they kicked off their press tour in Japan with a red carpet event, where they were joined by co-stars including Pom Klementieff and Simon Pegg.
The film is the eighth instalment in the franchise and will have its global premiere in London next Thursday, ahead of its release on May 21.
BANJO BROS PODCAST UNCOVERED
ASHLEY and Jordan Banjo are teaming up with Diversity co-star Perri Kiely for their first podcast, Brothers Uncovered.
The show launches on all major platforms today and is then released weekly, with the dance troupe trio playing Would You Rather?, to take on daft dares and share hilarious stories.
So, it will be just like being on the Diversity tour bus with them . . .
MACY SENDS HER CROWD CRAZY
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MACY GRAY has just kicked off a European tour and is dedicating her sets to “crazy bitches”.
The diva is celebrating 25 years of her debut album On How Life Is.
She whipped fans up on the first night at Ronnie Scott’s in London, ahead of more dates across the UK next month.
Her tune Relating To A Psychopath contains the lyrics: “You are relating to a psychopath, Your role model is therapy, You must be real far gone, You are relating to a psychopath.”
But on stage, Macy added a line, singing: “They say I’m a crazy bitch.”
She also dedicated part of her show to all the “psycho bitches” in the audience.
Macy, right, shouted: “Anyone sitting beside a crazy bitch say, ‘Woo’.”
After some blokes responded, Macy told them: “You’re in trouble now. You were meant to sit there and say nothing.”
I wouldn’t mess with her.
WIN GIG TICKETS
TO celebrate the return of Concert Week, where music fans can get specially priced tickets to some of this year’s hottest gigs, Live Nation have given Bizarre a bunch to give away for FREE.
As well as a pair of tickets for Robbie Williams’ gig at the Emirates on June 7, we’ve got two for Nelly and Eve’s show at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on June 4.
Also up for grabs is a pair of tickets to see rockers Guns N’ Roses at Wembley Stadium on June 26, along with two tickets for Iggy Pop at Alexandra Palace on May 28.
Plus a pair of tickets to see John Legend at London’s O2 Arena on June 1. For a chance to win, visit thesun.co.uk/concertweek and click which act you’d like to see.
The competition runs every day this week and the winners will be selected at random.
If you aren’t one of our lucky winners, Live Nation’s Concert Week is offering 80,000 tickets from £25, so keep an eye out for promotions.
Go to thesun.co.uk/concertweek
