New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "THE WHO HITS 50!" tour explosively kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland (11-30) to rave reviews and a set list that featured a wide range of songs ("Substitute," "The Seeker," "Join Together," "Squeeze Box," and "Magic Bus," along with "The Kids Are Alright," "I Can See For Miles," "Who Are You," "Behind Blue Eyes," "You Better You Bet," "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again," and "Pinball Wizard," among others) from one of rock's most legendary and defining bands. The first date on the year-long world tour-celebrating the band's 50-year legacy-includes a month of U.K. dates in December, before coming stateside in April 2015. A behind-the-scenes look at the tour launch can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBn-Sn36-VM&feature=youtu.be
Here are some initial reviews from "THE WHO HITS 50!" tour kick-off:
"…their farewell tour finds them not only very much existing but also remaining the best live band in the world is nothing short of a miracle." -The Times (UK), 12-1-14 (Five star review)
"Over the two-and-a-half hour running time, those who packed the hall would have surely heard everything they came for from that extensive catalogue…the show skipped through eras, and it was the signature tracks which the group have been playing for decades which sounded most resolute and noisily pristine: a spine-tingling 'Behind Blue Eyes'; the gripping, rocky epics 'Who Are You' and 'The Seeker'; 'Pinball Wizard's frazzled energy giving way to the staunch 'See Me, Feel Me'; 'Baba O'Riley' whipping the audience up to join in at full blast with its "teenage wasteland" refrain."-The Independent (UK), 12-1-14 (Four star review)
"In a show lasting more than two and a half hours, The Who defied the years to power through the highlights of their glorious back catalogue…-Newcastle Chronicle (UK), 12-10-14 (Five star review)
"THE WHO HITS 50!" tour will kick off its spring run April 15 in Tampa, FL and include 20 stops throughout the east before wrapping May 30 in Forest Hills, NY. The fall leg will launch
September 14 in San Diego, CA and begin with west coast dates throughout the U.S. and across Canada before concluding November 4 in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are currently on sale at www.thewho.com. "THE WHO HITS 50!" tour is being presented by AEG Live.
The classic songs fans can expect to hear on "THE WHO HITS 50!" tourappear on the band's just released WHO HITS 50! collection. Released October 27 on Geffen/Universal
Music Enterprises (UMe), this definitive collection of THE WHO's greatest tracks-from their very first recordings as The High Numbers right up to the present day with the brand new track "Be Lucky"-is being released to coincide with the band's 50th anniversary tour.
THE WHO have sold over 100 million records since forming in 1964; they brought together four different personalities and in effect produced a musical hurricane. Each of them was a pioneer. Wildman drummer Keith Moonbeat his kit with a chaotic elegance; stoic bassist John Entwistle held down the center with the melodic virtuosity of a solo guitarist; raging intellectual Pete Townshend punctuated the epic universality of his songs with the windmill slamming of his fingers across his guitar strings; and
Roger Daltrey roared above it all with an impossibly virile macho swagger. They exploded conventional rhythm and blues structures, challenged pop music conventions, and redefined what was possible on stage, in the recording studio, and on vinyl. As they enter their 50th year, the band is still going strong, winning rave reviews for their performances of QUADROPHENIA in 2013.
THE WHO's 2015 North American tour dates are as follows:
2015 Tour Dates - Leg 1
Wed 4/15 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
Fri 4/17 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena
Sun 4/19 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Tue 4/21 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
Thu 4/23 Duluth, GA The
Arena at Gwinnett Center
Mon 4/27 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Wed 4/29 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Sat 5/2 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Tue 5/5 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Thu 5/7 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Sat 5/9 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Arena
Mon 5/11 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Wed 5/13 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
Fri 5/15 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Sun 5/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Wed 5/20 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Fri 5/22 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Sun 5/24 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino - Sun Arena
Tue 5/26 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
Sat 5/30 Forest Hills, NY Forest Hills Stadium
2015 Tour Dates - Leg 2
Mon 9/14 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center
Wed 9/16 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
Sat 9/19 Las Vegas, NV Colosseum at
Caesars Palace
Mon 9/21 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
Wed 9/23 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Fri 9/25 Portland, OR Moda Center
Sun 9/27 Seattle, WA KeyArena
Tue 9/29 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Thu 10/1 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Sat 10/3 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Tue 10/6 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
Thu 10/8 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
Sat 10/10 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Tue 10/13 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
Thu 10/15 Chicago, IL United Center
Sat 10/17 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
Mon 10/19 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Wed 10/21 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Fri 10/23 Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL
Energy Center
Sun 10/25 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Tue 10/27 New York, NY Madison
Square Garden
Thu 10/29 Boston, MA TD Garden
Sun 11/1 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Wed 11/4 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
