Long live rock: Roger Daltrey says The Who ‘are not retired’

By Andrea Dresdale May 29, 2026 | 1:00 PM

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform onstage on May 3, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Rick Kern/Getty Images for The Who)

Remember when The Who did a farewell tour last year? Well, according to Roger Daltrey, that wasn’t exactly the end.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Daltrey says that The Who still have to do “farewell tours” of England, Australia and the rest of the world, but it won’t be until 2027. “It won’t fall into this year because Pete’s going to have another knee op, which puts him out of action for a long while,” Daltrey says of his bandmate Pete Townshend. “And I’ve had a few things to deal with health-wise in the time off, but we’re hoping to finish it all off next year.”

And, Daltrey says, The Who will still continue to play, if they “get invited to do a charity gig or something.” He clarifies, “What I’m trying to say is we are not retired. [It’s just that] we don’t want to do another tour of America.”

However, Daltrey has a solo U.S. tour booked for later this year and plans to keep his own live shows going as long as he can. “Voices are voices: They don’t last forever, that’s a fact,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Mine is incredibly powerful and still is. I’m very lucky to have it there, but equally it might go tomorrow, and if it does go tomorrow, I won’t be seeing you in August, it’s as simple as that.”

“I’m 82 years old and still got good energy, still can deliver it well. But I can’t do any more than that. I can only do my best and whatever happens, happens. If it’s still like this when I’m 90, I’ll still be doing it.”

When asked about The Who’s legacy, Daltrey notes, “We were just different than everybody else.” Mentioning The Who’s notoriety for playing loud, he contends, “We were the first heavy metal band.”