The Who Singer
Roger Daltrey: “Every show could be the last”
Singer Roger Daltrey (r) and guitarist Pete Townshend from The Who come to Germany. photo
© Rick Guest/Hammerl Kommunikation/Trinifold/dpa
For the first time in seven years, The Who are performing in Germany again. In June they will play in Berlin with an orchestra. The concert on the Waldbühne could be the last in Germany for the rock veterans.
The Who are not yet on their farewell tour. Singer Roger Daltrey (79) and guitarist Pete Townshend (77) are not planning for retirement either. But Daltrey cannot rule out that their forthcoming concert in Berlin will be the last appearance in Germany for The Who. “I have to be realistic at the age of 79,” says the frontman in an interview with the German Press Agency in London and laughs. “Each show could be the last.”
On June 20th, The Who will perform their greatest hits as part of their “The Who Hits Back!” tour at Berlin’s Waldbühne. The special feature: when the band plays immortal rock classics such as “Pinball Wizard”, “Who Are You” or the legendary “Baba O’Riley”, they are accompanied by the Babelsberg Film Orchestra. “There’s something magical about the orchestra playing that rich The Who sound,” enthuses Daltrey. “There’s something magically moving about it that no synthesizer ever could.”
Every night with a different orchestra
In the summer of 2019, The Who performed at London’s Wembley Stadium with an almost 60-strong orchestra. The spectacular concert was recently released as a live album. The European tour that is now beginning, on which the band is accompanied by a different orchestra every evening, was supposed to follow shortly after the Wembley concert, but then the pandemic came.
Daltrey has no explanation for the fact that The Who haven’t performed in Germany for seven years. “I don’t know why we’ve been away for so long,” he says, laughing. “You have to ask the concert organizers. Maybe we don’t have an audience in Germany?” The singer, who still throws his microphone through the air at the shows, is all the more excited about the comeback.
After last year’s extensive US tour, Daltrey is looking forward to working with the many classically trained musicians. During the short sound check, he usually still looks into skeptical faces. “But halfway through the show, I turn around and see them suddenly smile and really get a taste for the music,” said the 79-year-old. “And at the end of the concert they’re all smiles and rockin’. It’s wonderful to see the change. They’re really having fun and that’s what it’s about.”
“I’m not afraid of the end”
It’s been almost 60 years since The Who formed at Swinging London. Of the original line-up, Daltrey is the sole survivor alongside guitarist/songwriter Townshend. “We’re trying to stay as fit as we are,” he says. “I am aware that we are all mortal. But I am not afraid of the end.”
Bassist John Entwistle died in 2002, cult drummer Keith Moon in 1978. Zak Starkey (57), son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, has been drumming for The Who for around 25 years now. “He’s very similar to Keith in his drumming,” says Daltrey. “It’s not the same, but it ties us together musically, which is wonderful.” Funny: Moon was once a babysitter for little Zak.
Meanwhile, Pete Townshend’s brother Simon Townshend is also an important part of The Who as a guitarist and background singer. “It’s that sibling bond. When he and Pete sing together, it’s like listening to the Everly Brothers,” enthuses Daltrey, who also hired the much younger Townshend brother (62) for his solo band. “We couldn’t have asked for anyone better than Simon. His voice brings a quality to our harmonies that Pete lost in his voice. We can replace that because Simon sounds very much like young Pete.”
It could be a magical concert evening
Roger Daltrey has retained his own voice surprisingly well at the age of 79. However, the singer had to seek professional help after the Wembley concert. “I had an illness that I didn’t even know I had,” he says. “I don’t think I sang very well in the 1990s and early 2000s.” Laser therapy in the USA helped.
Despite his age, Roger Daltrey has no intention of retiring. Another album after “WHO” (2019) is not necessarily to be expected, because “nobody buys it,” he says. “The last one even cost me money.” But the frontman is hoping for more tours. “I never feel more alive than when I’m singing on stage and having that connection with the audience. I enjoy every second.”
When The Who present themselves in Berlin like they did in Wembley or most recently on their North American tour, it should be a wonderful evening on the Waldbühne. “We can never be what we were in the ’70s again. The glamor is gone,” Daltrey admits. “But if you like our music, then you will hear our music in a way that really touches you. And you will go home from the concert with a lot of memories.”