The Who launched what founding bandmates Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have insisted will be the group’s final North American tour on Saturday, August 16, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The trek, dubbed The Song Is Over: The North American Farewell Tour, features 17 confirmed shows, plotted out through a September 28 performance in Las Vegas.
As seen in fan-shot footage, the concert began with a video montage feature archival film clips and audio snippets from interviews with The Who’s members over the years.
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The band kicked off the show with two classic early tunes, “I Can’t Explain” and “Substitute.” Before the next song, “The Seeker,” Townshend addressed the audience.
“It’s so great you’ve all come out to see us this one last time,” Pete said. He then quipped, “If any of you’ve got very, very, very deep pockets, Roger and I are always available for private parties! Seriously, it’s great to be here. We’re so pleased to see you all come out.”
According to a USA Today review, Daltrey struggled with voice issues and technical glitches at various points during the show, but also delivered powerful vocal performances on many songs.
More About The Who’s Tour Kickoff
The set was made up predominately of The Who’s best-known and most-popular tunes, although the rock legends did dig into their catalog for a few deep cuts.
The show included blocks of four songs and five songs, respectively, from the band’s classic albums Who’s Next and Quadrophenia.
The Who’s Next mini set featured “Bargain,” “Love Ain’t for Keeping,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” and “Going Mobile.” This marked the first time The Who had ever performed “Going Mobile” in concert. Longtime Who touring guitarist/backing singer Simon Townshend handled lead vocal duties on the song, which originally was sung by his brother Pete. Simon also has actually sung the tune more than 100 times at Daltrey’s solo shows.
The Who followed that segment with “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me,” from the landmark 1969 rock opera Tommy.
The Quadrophenia mini set featured the songs “The Real Me,” “I’ve Had Enough,” “I’m One,” “5:15,” and “Love, Reign O’er Me.” USA Today reported that “Love, Reign O’er Me” featured one of Daltrey’s best vocals of the evening. You can check out fan-shot video of the performance on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Daltrey addressed some of the concert’s rough edges when a technical issue led to a pause at the start of “You Better You Bet.”
“You never remember the perfect show,” the 81-year-old frontman said. “You remember the f***-ups.”
Of course, no Who concert would be complete without the Who’s Next anthems “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Those tunes were played near the end of the show.
About The Who’s New Touring Drummer, Scott Devours
The August 16 show was The Who’s first U.S. concert since officially hiring Scott Devours as its touring drummer. Earlier this year, the band created much drama when it was announced that Devours was replacing the group’s much-beloved longtime touring drummer, Zak Starkey.
Devours has been the drummer of Daltrey’s solo band since 2009. Scott also filled in for Starkey several times in 2013 when Zak was dealing with a tendon issue.
While the band was being introduced on August 16, Townshend joked about Devours, “I have no idea who he is.”
The Show’s Finale
The concert ended with The Who’s first-ever U.S. performance of the Who’s Next track “The Song Is Over.” The band first played the tune live on March 30 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was Starkey’s last show with the group. During the Royal Albert Hall performance, Daltrey struggled to begin the tune, and complained about Zak’s drumming. It’s believed that that incident was a factor in Starkey’s ouster from the band.
The Who has since played “The Song Is Over” at its two shows in Italy in July, with Devours drumming.
The Who farewell tour continues on Tuesday, August 19, in Newark, New Jersey. Check out all their scheduled shows at TheWho.com.
The Who’s Set List, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL – 8/16/2025:
- “I Can’t Explain”
- “Substitute”
- “Who Are You”
- “The Seeker”
- “I Can See for Miles”
- “Bargain”
- “Love Ain’t for Keepin’”
- “Behind Blue Eyes”
- “Going Mobile”
- “Pinball Wizard”
- “See Me, Feel Me”
- “Eminence Front”
- “My Generation”
- “You Better You Bet”
- “The Real Me”
- “I’ve Had Enough”
- “I’m One”
- “5:15”
- “Love, Reign O’er Me”
- “Baba O’Riley”
- “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
- “Tea & Theatre”
- “The Song Is Over”
(Photo by Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images)