# The Who Hits 50!

Billed as The Who Hits 50!, The Who's 2014–16 tour was a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band. Roger Daltrey has referred to this tour as the band's "long goodbye" hinting that it will be the final tour for The Who. The tour consisted of 70 dates with the band performing in Asia, Europe and North America.
An announcement about the tour came through the band's website and social media networks on 30 June 2014. Pete Townshend described the show as "Hits, Picks, Mixes and Misses", for the band would play all their classic anthems as well as tackling deeper cuts from their catalog;
In addition to longtime veterans Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino, and Simon Townshend, the same backing musicians from the group's previous tour were retained, minus the horn section.
In September 2015 the band announced that the fall 2015 North American leg was being postponed due to Daltrey contracting viral meningitis and told by doctors to rest. The tour resumed in February 2016 and ended on 29 May 2016.

## History

The tour kicked off with the group's first ever show in the United Arab Emirates, followed by a UK leg. The band included several numbers not included in any recent tours, including the first full performance of "A Quick One (While He's Away)" since 1970 and the first full band appearances of "So Sad About Us" (Townshend and special guest Paul Weller performed it acoustically at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000) since 1967; "Pictures of Lily" and "Join Together" had not been played since 1989. The North American leg, with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts featured as the opening act, kicked off in April 2015. Eddie Vedder joined the band for a performance of "The Real Me" in Chicago. Daltrey suffered a throat infection in September 2015 forcing the band to postpone the 2015 fall North American dates until February 2016. Tal Wilkenfeld was featured as the opening act when the North American tour resumed on 27 February 2016. Pete Townshend was suffering from his own ailments when the band hit Washington, D.C., on 24 March 2016. Townshend was suffering from a cold and losing his voice, so his brother Simon took over his backing vocals. However, he was able to make it through "Pinball Wizard" and "I'm One" despite his rough sounding voice. "Eminence Front", which had been featured in all of the shows, was dropped in favor of the unrehearsed and rarely played "Slip Kid" due to Townshend's hoarse voice. For most of the 2016 tour dates in North America, British band Slydigs performed a four-song opener for The Who, though the band's final North American concert in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace did not feature an opening act.

## Tour band
### Original members

* Roger Daltrey – lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, tambourine
* Pete Townshend – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
* John Entwistle – bass solo on "5:15" (via video and audio recording from Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
* Keith Moon – drums, vocals on "Bell Boy" (via audio recording from Quadrophenia)

### Backing musicians

* Zak Starkey – drums, percussion
* Pino Palladino – bass guitar
* Simon Townshend – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
* Loren Gold – keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, jaw harp
* Frank Simes - keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, banjo, mandolin
* John Corey - keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, bass harmonica

## Set list

This set list is representative of the performance on 26 May 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
* "I Can't Explain"
* "The Seeker"
* "Who Are You"
* "The Kids Are Alright"
* "I Can See For Miles"
* "My Generation"
* "Behind Blue Eyes"
* "Slip Kid"
* "Bargain"
* "Join Together"
* "You Better You Bet"
* "I'm One"
* "Love, Reign O'er Me"
* "Eminence Front"
* "A Quick One (While He's Away)"
* "Amazing Journey"
* "Sparks"
* "Pinball Wizard"
* "See Me, Feel Me"
* "Baba O'Riley"
* "Won't Get Fooled Again"

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue | Tickets Sold/Available | Box Office | Opening Act |
| Leg 1 — Middle East ||||||
| 23 November 2014 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | du Arena | — | — |
| Leg 2 — Europe ||||||
| 30 November 2014 | Glasgow | Scotland | SSE Hydro | 11,356 / 11,356 | $1,214,320 |
| 2 December 2014 | Leeds | England | First Direct Arena | — | — |
| 5 December 2014 | Nottingham | England | Capital FM Arena | — | — |
| 7 December 2014 | Birmingham | England | Barclaycard Arena | — | — |
| 9 December 2014 | Newcastle upon Tyne | England | Metro Radio Arena | — | — |
| 11 December 2014 | Liverpool | England | Echo Arena Liverpool | — | — |
| 13 December 2014 | Manchester | England | Phones 4u Arena | 10,961 / 12,389 | $1,185,690 |
| 15 December 2014 | Cardiff | Wales | Motorpoint Arena Cardiff | — | — |
| 22 March 2015 | London | England | The O2 Arena | 29,416 / 32,631 | $3,160,040 |
| 23 March 2015 | London | England | The O2 Arena | 29,416 / 32,631 | $3,160,040 |
| 26 March 2015 | London | England | Royal Albert Hall | — | — |
| Leg 3 — North America |||||||
| 15 April 2015 | Tampa | United States | Amalie Arena | 9,389 / 11,489 | $905,569 | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts |
| 17 April 2015 | Miami | United States | American Airlines Arena | — | — | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts |
| 19 April 2015 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | — | — | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts |
| 21 April 2015 | Raleigh | United States | PNC Arena | — | — | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts |
| 23 April 2015 | Duluth | United States | Arena at Gwinnett Center | 8,609 / 9,605 | $823,017 | Joan Jett & the Blackhearts |
| 25 April 2015 | New Orleans | United States | Fair Grounds Race Course | — | — |
| 27 April 2015 | Austin | United States | Frank Erwin Center | — | — |
| 29 April 2015 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | 7,671 / 9,343 | $860,080 |
| 2 May 2015 | Dallas | United States | American Airlines Center | — | — |
| 5 May 2015 | Kansas City | United States | Sprint Center | — | — |
| 7 May 2015 | St. Louis | United States | Scottrade Center | — | — |
| 9 May 2015 | Louisville | United States | KFC Yum! Center | — | — |
| 11 May 2015 | Nashville | United States | Bridgestone Arena | 8,914 / 8,914 | $626,547 |
| 13 May 2015 | Rosemont | United States | Allstate Arena | — | — |
| 15 May 2015 | Columbus | United States | Nationwide Arena | — | — |
| 17 May 2015 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | 12,383 / 12,383 | $1,192,337 |
| 20 May 2015 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | — | — |
| 22 May 2015 | Atlantic City | United States | Boardwalk Hall | — | — |
| 24 May 2015 | Uncasville | United States | Mohegan Sun Arena | 7,327 / 7,359 | $1,023,826 |
| 26 May 2015 | Brooklyn | United States | Barclays Center | 11,800 / 13,536 | $1,131,705 |
| 30 May 2015 | Forest Hills, Queens | United States | Forest Hills Stadium | — | — |
| Leg 4 — Europe ||||||
| 21 June 2015 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | Odyssey Arena | — | — |
| 23 June 2015 | Dublin | Ireland | 3Arena | — | — |
| 26 June 2015 | London | England | Hyde Park | — | — |
| 28 June 2015 | Pilton | England | Worthy Farm | 135,000 | — | — |
| 30 June 2015 | Paris | France | Zénith de Paris | — | — |
| 2 July 2015 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Ziggo Dome | — | — |
| 13 February 2016 | London | England | The SSE Arena, Wembley | — | — |
| Leg 5 — North America |||||||
| 27 February 2016 | Detroit | United States | Joe Louis Arena | 13,468 / 13,468 | $1,170,833 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 1 March 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | 9,514 / 10,636 | $675,954 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 3 March 2016 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | 14,863 / 14,863 | $1,597,504 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 7 March 2016 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | 13,054 / 13,054 | $1,289,318 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 10 March 2016 | Chicago | United States | United Center | 12,104 / 12,104 | $1,254,813 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 12 March 2016 | Louisville | United States | KFC Yum! Center | 9,326 / 10,002 | $747,946 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 14 March 2016 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | 10,375 / 11,220 | $969,884 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 16 March 2016 | Pittsburgh | United States | Consol Energy Center | 10,272 / 11,216 | $829,134 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 19 March 2016 | Newark | United States | Prudential Center | 12,648 / 12,648 | $1,282,646 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 21 March 2016 | Milwaukee | United States | BMO Harris Bradley Center | 10,212 / 10,689 | $820,162 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 24 March 2016 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Verizon Center | 11,119 / 12,277 | $1,143,938 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 26 March 2016 | St. Louis | United States | Scottrade Center | 9,515 / 10,316 | $800,976 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 29 March 2016 | Denver | United States | Pepsi Center | 9,508 / 10,562 | $732,862 | Tal Wilkenfeld |
| 27 April 2016 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | 7,716 / 9,042 | $694,197 | Slydigs |
| 29 April 2016 | Kansas City | United States | Sprint Center | 9,823 / 10,160 | $881,221 | Slydigs |
| 1 May 2016 | Minneapolis | United States | Target Center | 8,212 / 10,031 | $743,692 | Slydigs |
| 4 May 2016 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre | 6,822 / 7,853 | $539,576 | Slydigs |
| 6 May 2016 | Saskatoon | Canada | SaskTel Centre | 7,308 / 8,138 | $632,002 | Slydigs |
| 8 May 2016 | Edmonton | Canada | Rexall Place | 8,382 / 8,941 | $789,407 | Slydigs |
| 10 May 2016 | Calgary | Canada | Scotiabank Saddledome | 9,472 / 10,630 | $805,816 | Slydigs |
| 13 May 2016 | Vancouver | Canada | Rogers Arena | 11,484 / 12,021 | $927,124 | Slydigs |
| 15 May 2016 | Seattle | United States | KeyArena | 11,863 / 12,099 | $1,132,069 | Slydigs |
| 17 May 2016 | Portland | United States | Moda Center | 8,777 / 9,208 | $837,408 | Slydigs |
| 19 May 2016 | Oakland | United States | Oracle Arena | 9,842 / 12,119 | $1,055,206 | Slydigs |
| 22 May 2016 | Anaheim | United States | Honda Center | 7,971 / 9,017 | $866,201 | Slydigs |
| 25 May 2016 | Los Angeles | United States | Staples Center | 10,882 / 11,951 | $1,184,472 | Slydigs |
| 27 May 2016 | San Diego | United States | Valley View Casino Center | 9,709 / 9,876 | $848,331 | Slydigs |
| 29 May 2016 | Las Vegas | United States | The Colosseum at Caesars Palace | 4,103 / 4,103 | $1,092,885 | N/A |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | TOTAL | TOTAL | 267,907 / 286,163 (94%) | $26,531,986 |

### Cancellations and rescheduled shows

| 26 November 2014 | Dublin, Ireland | 3Arena | Postponed to 23 June 2015 due to unforeseen logistical difficulties. |
| 17 & 18 December 2014 | London, England | The O2 Arena | Postponed to 22 & 23 March 2015 due to Daltrey's illness |
| 28 & 29 June 2015 | Paris, France | Zénith de Paris | Cancelled in order for the band to appear at Glastonbury Festival. |