The Who hits back with headline show at The O2 in 2023

Legendary rock band The Who has announced a UK tour which will see the band performing with a full orchestra at The O₂ on Wednesday 12 July 2023.

Tickets are available to O₂ and Virgin Media customers via Priority from 10am on Wednesday 1 February and go on general sale at 10am on Friday 3 February via www.theo2.co.uk.

Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and band will be performing music from throughout the band’s nearly 60-year career, including sections devoted to classic albums Tommy & Quadrophenia as well as other beloved Who tracks and songs from their 2019 WHO album, their first studio release in 13 years.

The 2023 UK tour will feature The Who’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, second keyboardist Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls, along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder.

The Who wound up their Who Hits Back tour of the US in November last year having wowed audiences in over thirty cities, with media and fans agreeing that the band were as good as, if not better than ever and that the orchestral arrangements, most of which were done by the legendary David Campbell, brought a new depth and excitement to Pete Townshend’s music.

Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey “Having not toured the UK for six years, it’s great that at this time of our careers we have the chance to go to places that are not on the usual touring map Edinburgh Castle and Derby, as well as the other cities across the country that we haven’t been to for decades, will make this very special for me. This opportunity will give our UK Who fans the chance to hear our current show, which, with the addition of an orchestra, takes our music to new heights.”

Pete Townshend “Roger initially christened this tour with an orchestra ‘Moving On!’ I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose. I’m really looking forward to bringing this show to the UK.”

ABOUT THE WHO 

The Who are one of the top three greatest rock legacies in music history with 9 US & 10 UK top ten albums and 14 UK top ten singles. Emerging in the mid-1960s as a new and incendiary force in rock n’ roll, their brash style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of music’s most passionate followings, with the legendary foursome blazing a searing new template for rock, punk, and everything after. Inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990, the band has placed 27 top-forty singles in the United States and United Kingdom and earning 17 Top Ten albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy, 1971’s pummeling Live At Leeds, 1973’s Quadrophenia and 1978’s Who Are You.

The Who debuted in 1964 with a trio of anthems “I Can’t Explain,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “My Generation.” Since then, they have delivered to the world hits such as Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard,” Who Are You,” and,” You Better You Bet.” 2008, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. The Who has performed all over the world including global music events for the Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show in 2010 and closing the Summer Olympics in 2012. The Who continued their charity work by playing a concert in January 2011 to raise money for trials of a new cancer treatment called PDT. In December 2012 they performed at the Hurricane Sandy Benefit in New York.

Alongside his groundbreaking work with the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK, in November 2012 Daltrey, with Townshend at his side, launched Teen Cancer America, $1 from each ticket sold on the 2019 MOVING ON! Tour, which each night featured a full orchestra, benefited Teen Cancer America (www.teencanceramerica.org)

With both Roger and Pete delivering their own memoirs (Pete’s Who I Am was released to much acclaim in 2012, and Roger’s autobiography, Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite; My Story, was embraced by critics in 2018) it’s fitting that the two remaining WHO members have shared their incredible legacy in literary fashion, for few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era and the reverberating pop culture than The Who.  The band released their first new album in thirteen years, the critically acclaimed WHO in 2019 and are currently about to go back on the road in Europe with their THE WHO HITS BACK tour.

ENDS

For more information on The O₂, please contact:

Communications.team@theo2.co.uk

For more information on the event, please contact:

chris.goodman@outside-org.co.uk

suzie.fellows@outside-org.co.uk

caitlin.buller@outside-org.co.uk