The Who has announced a UK tour which will see them performing each night with a full orchestra.
The run will take place from 6th to 23rd July taking in stops in Hull, Edinburgh, London, Derby, Badminton, Durham, St Helens and Brighton. They will be joined by UB40 featuring Ali Campbell across all shows except The O2 in London and Edinburgh Castle dates.
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’ and ‘Quadrophenia’, as well as songs from the 2019 ‘WHO’ album.
The 2023 UK shows include Edinburgh Castle, the band’s first show in the Scottish capital in over 40 years as well as shows in Derby, their first since 1966, The O2 London, Durham and Brighton Cricket grounds. The gigs follow last year’s highly acclaimed ‘The Who Hits Back’ tour of the US, where the band shared the with some of the finest orchestras in America.
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.
Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey who says, ‘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 comments, ‘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.’
The Who are calling upon fans to add an optional £1 donation onto their ticket price at point of sale in support of Teenage Cancer Trust. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are longstanding supporters and Roger has been the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s Royal Albert Hall concerts since they began in 2000.
For more information visit www.teenagecancertrust.org
The full dates for the tour are:
JOINED BY UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL*
6th July – Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull*
8th July – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
9th July – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
12th July – The O2, London
14th July – The Incora County Ground, Derby*
16th July – Badminton Estate, Bristol*
19th July – Seat Unique Riverside, Durham*
21st July – Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens*
23rd July – The 1st Central County Ground, Brighton*
For more information about The Who 2023 dates visit www.robomagiclive.com or www.thewho.com
