Roger Daltrey on the future of The Who: “I’m happy saying that part of my life is over”
The frontman says he and Pete Townshend need to sit down for a meeting to discuss the future.
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The Who have had their fair share of hiatuses during their decades-long tenure, but frontman Roger Daltrey says he wouldn’t mind saying goodbye to the band once and for all.
In a new interview with The Times, The Who frontman insists that Pete Townshend is ultimately the one who will decide the future of the band, but he is content with laying the band to rest where it currently is.
“I don’t write the songs – I never did,” he says. “[Pete and I] need to sit down and have a meeting, but at the moment I’m happy saying that part of my life is over.”
Speaking to Record Collector last year, Townshend hinted that the future was unclear; “I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next,” he said. “Sandringham shouldn’t feel like the end of anything, but it feels like the end of an era.”
While the climactic orchestral shows last Summer at the Sandringham Estate felt like a triumphant way to close off The Who’s legacy, there’s no firm decision on band’s future. “It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun?” Townshend added. “So, I wrote to Roger and said, come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there.”
Despite the possibility of The Who calling it a day, it will certainly not be the last we see of The Who’s tunes onstage. The Who‘s Tommy musical is set to return to Broadway in 2024.
Townshend is also currently working on a new rock opera, inspired by his novel The Age Of Anxiety. The opera will host a slew of new songs, exploring themes of metal health, environmental anxiety, and the harrowing impact social media is having on the next generation.