Do The Who have more shows in their future? Roger Daltrey, who just wrapped up a solo tour of the US, has cast doubt on the idea, saying that it was possible the band would never tour the US again. In a new interview with NME, however, Pete Townshend says that he’s “pretty sure” they will play more shows. “I can’t really see the point of making a big deal of [last Who shows], apart from the fact that it might help sell a few tickets,” he told NME. “When we started the last US tour the year before last, some of the seats were not filled. An easy way to fill seats is to say ‘We’re not coming back’ or ‘This could be the last set of shows’. What I would prefer was that the band adjusted itself to the audience that wants to see it, rather than just saying ‘We need to fill arenas in order to go home with enough money to make the whole thing worthwhile’. The story of the end of The Who is gonna be when either Roger or I drop dead or can’t function anymore on the stage. A lot of the time when we’re on the stage together, it’s not all that comfortable and you can see that. And it’s sad to say that a lot of dedicated Who fans come to every show in order to see Roger hit me in the face again, for me to smash him over the head with a guitar or for one of us to drop dead.”
Daltrey had also made new music from the band seem unlikely in an interview earlier this year, and Townshend seems aligned with him on that. Asked by NME about the chances of them releasing another album, Townshend said, “I don’t think there is. If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could, it’s a piece of cake. The problem is I don’t think Roger wants to do it again. For me it would be a joy because I love writing songs, I love writing to a brief, I love having a commission, I love having a deadline and I love the feedback.”
“I was so pleased that the critical response to the last Who album was so positive,” he continued, “I wasn’t expecting that and I was grateful for it and inspired by it. So where I am at the moment is I’m thinking ‘well, I might write the songs and then say to Roger, either you sing on them or I’m gonna put them out as a solo album and Who fans will love me for it.”
Townshend also told NME about next year’s Quadrophenia ballet, the opera he’s working on, and more. Read the interview in full here.