The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has shared his thoughts on concert-goers looking up setlists before attending gigs – see what he had to say below.
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Speaking to Billboard in a new interview, Daltrey spoke about his upcoming solo North American tour, which he’s due to kick off tomorrow (June 12). The tour will see him play nine “semi-acoustic” shows until June 28. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
However, Daltrey refused to name any of the songs he’ll be playing on the tour before he explained that the internet has “ruined” concerts for him: “Too many people reveal songs. There’s no surprises left with concerts these days, ’cause everybody wants to see the setlist. I’m fucking sick of it. The Internet’s ruined the live shows for me. Who wants to know what’s coming next? People forget about surprises. I can’t stand it.”
When suggested by the interviewer that fans may want to plan for a toilet break, Daltrey replied: “Why not just start to listen to the bloody show in the toilet, then?”
In April, Daltrey’s The Who bandmate Pete Townshend shared an update on a farewell tour, saying that he was being “sarcastic” when he hinted at the idea. Initially, it seemed that the band were planning a farewell tour to end their touring days with a bang, with the guitarist stating last month that The Who have one “final” thing left to do before they call it quits.
The comments about the band coming to an end also follow on from comments made by Roger Daltrey last month, when he reflected on turning 80, saying that “he has to be realistic” and is “on the way out”.
He also opened up about his time as curator for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows over the past 20 years – which came to an end this year – and the feeling of nerves ahead of his recent shows.
Similarly, in January, Daltrey gave an interview about the future of The Who, in which he said he was “happy” that “that part of my life is over”, before clarifying that ultimately any decision about calling it a day would have to be made alongside Pete Townshend.