The Who is kicking off their greatest hits tour next April in Tampa, Florida. They will hit the DC Area next November. NOVEMBER 2015. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 17th. OCTOBER 2014! Are they kidding me?
Have I said recently how much I loathe the idea of buying tickets this early? I have no idea where I’m going to be NEXT week, that alone 12 freaking months from now? I love The Who, but this is ridiculous. Official press release and tour information after the jump.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – THE WHO, one of rock’s most legendary and defining bands, will celebrate their 50-year legacy when they bring their “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour to North America in 2015. “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 go on sale to the general public on Friday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. at www.thewho.com or www.ticketmaster.com. “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour is being presented by AEG Live.
Set lists on these shows will take their audience on an “Amazing Journey” through THE WHO’s entire career, from the band’s early days to classic albums including WHO’S NEXT, TOMMY, QUADROPHENIA, MY GENERATION and LIVE AT LEEDS, through the present day.
Citi is the official credit card of “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour. Citi card members will have access to purchase presale tickets for the U.S. dates beginning Monday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visitwww.citiprivatepass.com.
Exclusive VIP packages for the “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour includes reserved tickets with amazing seats, special access to THE WHO’S VIP pre-show sound check, pre-show VIP parties, autographed limited edition memorabilia and much more. Additional details on tickets and VIP packages can be found at www.thewho.com. In addition, $1 from each ticket sold on “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour will benefit Teen Cancer America (www.teencanceramerica.org).
“From the band’s first hit single ‘I Can’t Explain’ to pioneering the rock opera with Tommy, The Who is one of the most influential and storied bands of our time,” said Jennifer Breithaupt, SVP of Entertainment Marketing for Citi. “This will be one of the most anticipated tours of 2015 and we are delighted to be able to offer Citi card members early access to see this legendary band perform.”
The classic songs fans can expect to hear on “THE WHO HITS 50!” Tour will appear on the band’s forthcoming WHO HITS 50! collection. Set for October 27, 2014 release 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 show–described by Pete Townshend as–“Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses” will see the band play all of their classic anthems as well as tackling deeper cuts from their catalog.
“This is the beginning of the long goodbye,” says Roger Daltrey of the upcoming tour.
Pete Townshend commented, “Trying to stay young. Not wearing socks. Growing a great big Woodcutter’s beard. Might even wear a check shirt on stage and get a tattoo of a Union Jack. Always a fashion victim. But under no illusions. We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we’re lucky to be alive and still touring.”
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 Moon beat 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:
DATE CITY VENUE
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 Coliseum
Fri 5/22 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Sun 5/24 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Tue 5/26 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
Sat 5/30 Forest Hills, NY Forest Hills Stadium
*On sale Friday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m.
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
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