The Who Announce 'Quadrophenia' Tour, Olympics Appearance

At a London-based press conference that was streamed online, the Who announced a major North American arena tour where they'll perform their iconic 1973 double album Quadrophenia in its entirety, along with a selection of Who classics.

Founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will be joined by Zak Starkey (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), Simon Townshend (guitar/backing vocals), Chris Stainton (keyboards), Loren Gold (keyboards/backing vocals) and Frank Simes (musical director, keyboards/backing vocals).

During the wide-ranging Q&A, Daltrey and Townshend spoke at length about the tour, their first trek across North America in four years.

Daltrey offered that the band wants to create many visual spectaculars to help bring the show to life, a concert that will also include many Who classics in addition to an end-to-end playing of Quadrophenia. He added that while the idea of creating holographic images of deceased band members Keith Moon and John Entwistle did come up, the band passed on the idea because it would have been too expenseive and 'gimmicky.'

The ever-outspoken Townshend reflected that the album, when recorded back in 1973, helped the Who reconnect with their audience after "the heady days of Tommy and 'Baba O'Riley.'" He also said that as tragic as the death of Entwistle was, it liberated him to explore more as a musician and, in turn, start listening more carefully to Roger on stage.

The band also revealed that for right now, only North American dates are being scheduled and that they are in fact performing at the Olympics closing ceremonies this summer in London (which had been widely rumored). Their set at the games will be, according to Townsend, "Not a medley, but a carefully constructed thematic piece."

Check out an interview with Pete Townshend and the Who's full tour dates below.





DATE: CITY: VENUE:
Tue 11/1 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
Sat 11/3 Orlando, FL Amway Center
Mon 11/5 Duluth, GA The Arena at Gwinnett Center
Thu 11/8 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
Fri 11/9 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
Sun 11/11 Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL Energy Arena
Tue 11/13 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Wed 11/14 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
Fri 11/16 Boston, MA TD Garden
Tue 11/20 Montreal, QC Bell Centre (on sale 7/28)
Wed 11/21 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Fri 11/23 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sat 11/24 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
Tue 11/27 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Thu 11/29 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
Sun 12/2 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Wed 12/5 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Thu 12/6 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Sat 12/8 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Sun 12/9 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena (on sale 8/3)

Leg #2
Mon 1/28 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
Wed 1/30 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
Fri 2/1 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Sat 2/2 Reno, NV Reno Events Center
Tue 2/5 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center
Wed 2/6 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
Fri 2/8 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tue 2/12 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Thu 2/14 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Sat 2/16 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Arena
Sun 2/17 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Tue 2/19 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum
Thu 2/21 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Fri 2/22 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Sun 2/24 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Tue 2/26 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center

Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Us on Facebook | Sign Up for Our Newsletter