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Pete Townshend has been on the road a lot these last few years. The iconic guitarist is once again touring with longtime bandmate Roger Daltrey on a 17-date North American tour. At 80, life on the road is a lonely one at times for the now semi-retired performer, who, although he finds joy in touring, sometimes wonders what the future will bring, especially with this tour being a farewell one.

“It can be lonely,” Townshend said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer recently. “I’ve thought, ‘Well, this is my job. I’m happy to have the work, but I prefer to be doing something else.’ Then I think, ‘Well, I’m 80 years old. Why shouldn’t I revel in it? Why shouldn’t I celebrate?”

Touring the United States, which has been a staple of The Who’s music career, can be as much about pride in one’s work as it can be a reminder of how much touring and performing one can take. Townshend has reflected on that very thing during an interview that took place earlier this week. His attitude is a common theme for the latter part of one’s career, especially when still afforded the privilege to perform and tour. “I do feel privileged still,that we can do this,” he said. “It’s just that the whole thing has become a lot bigger than the band. We’re celebrating, really, more than the band, because we’re a Who tribute band.”

“I think, in a way, for decades now The Who has been more of a brand than a band,” he said. “Roger and I have a responsibility to the music, and the history, and everything. The Who still sells records, so Moon and the Entwistle families are multi-millionaires, but beyond that, it’s a brand. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing, but the more exciting, creative part of the artwork is when we do it: when we perform it. We’re celebrating.”

His mention of Moon and Entwistle, the band’s original drummer and bassist who have passed away, also touches on the band’s relationship to that work and those who came before them. There is a remembrance aspect for the two members still alive and performing, but also an intrinsic question of personal life and what comes after one is no longer performing. “It does whet an appetite to think, ‘God, how should we bow out in our personal lives? What should we do with our families and our friends, and everything else at this age? ‘” he added. “We’re just lucky to be alive. I’m looking forward to playing. Roger likes to chuck a few wild cards into the set sometimes, and we’ve been taught and rehearsed a few songs that we don’t always pla,y so there will be a freshness to it.”

The Who have been on the road and in the studio for over five decades now. There is a comfort level with that, but also an excitement and curiosity in what those performances might include, especially with sets including songs that are not so regularly played and even rehearsed for the shows, the two note, keeping things fresh for the audience and band members. This may, be the last chance for the audience to see Townshend and Daltrey share a stage as The Who.

Roger Daltrey Comments on Tour and Thoughts on the Future

Roger Daltrey has been on this road almost as long as his bandmate Pete Townshend and found similar feelings with regard to their current tour. He was on stage with Townshend in London at the Teenage Cancer Trust in April of this year and noted to the audience his thanks for being able to continue singing, referencing the main character in The Who’s first rock opera, Tommy. “Fortunately, I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” he said, alluding to the title character. From the rock opera, Daltrey said: “Deaf, dumb, and blind kid.”

In a more recent interview with The Times earlier this month, Daltrey opened up about a farewell tour and its finality. The words of the interview were definitive, especially to longtime listeners of The Who’s work. “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour,” he said. “It’s grueling.”

Daltrey went on to elaborate on the difficulty of maintaining the stamina required to perform The Who’s work for two hours or more,every night. “In the days when I was singing Who songs for three hours a night, six nights a week, I was working harder than most footballers,” he said. The 80-year-old Daltrey has found it more challenging as of late to perform so strenuously, especially for such a long time.

Asked about the likelihood of one-off performances after this tour, Daltrey had no definitive answer, although he did have some definitive feelings. “As to whether we’ll play [one-off] concerts again, I don’t know. The Who to me is very perplexing,” he admitted, a perplexing band that is as living history as it is tribute.

Despite what that means for the future, the one thing Daltrey is certain of is his ability to still sing like he used to. “My voice is still as good as ever,” he said. A confidence for fans still anxious that he would be unable to reach the notes that have powered some of the most well-known and revered music in rock history.

For the audience on this 17-date tour of the United States, this will likely be the last time to see The Who. For the musicians, they recognize it is both an end but also a cause to celebrate. They can reflect on all the time spent and recognize all they have been able to share. As Townshend said: “We’re lucky to be alive.”