The Who have revealed the openers for their upcoming North American farewell tour, featuring Billy Idol, the Joe Perry Project, and more.
Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters will open on the first two dates of the Song Is Over tour, taking place on Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida, and on Aug. 19 in Newark, New Jersey. The Joe Perry Project — featuring Perry, Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford and Buck Johnson, the Black Crowe’s Chris Robinson, and Stone Temple Pilot’s Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz — will support the band in Boston on Aug. 26 and L.A. on Sept. 17.
Billy Idol will open on the last show of the trek, in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 28. Other supporting acts include ZZ Ward, Booker T. Jones, Feist, Tom Cochrane, Joe Bonamassa, and Candlebox; dates can be found below. The band also added an additional show in Chicago, at United Center on Sept. 9. The new Chicago date goes on sale on Friday, while all other tickets are available now.
The news of the openers arrives hours after the band parted ways with drummer Zak Starkey for a second time, just one month after he was fired and rehired within a single week. Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr, served as the band’s drummer for three decades.
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie,” he wrote. “I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement … quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox x”
Pete Townshend, who recently dropped the eight-CD solo box set Studio Albums, described the farewell tour as a “poignant” time. “For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible,” he said. “The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets, and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger [Daltrey] and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans.”
The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour
Aug. 16 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena =
Aug. 19 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center =
Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center ^
Aug. 23 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall +
Aug. 26 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park ~
Aug. 28 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater $
Aug. 30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden $
Sept. 2 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage >
Sept. 4 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage >
Sept. 7 – Chicago, IL @ United Center Sept. 9 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Sept. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ~
Sept. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 21 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre #
Sept. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena #
Sept. 25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena #
Sept. 28 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena !
= Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
^ ZZ Ward
+ Booker T. Jones
~ The Joe Perry Project
$ Feist
> Tom Cochrane
# Candlebox
! Billy Idol
