Pete Townshend has opened up about his plans after The Who’s farewell tour wraps up in September.
In a new interview with Billboard, the 80-year-old guitarist-singer said he’s got “another five years” left in show business and intends to perform “one-man shows” following The Who’s final outing.
“I’ve got songs in all kinds of development, 140 tracks ready to go,” he said, adding that he also plans to finish his long-gestating solo album, The Age of Anxiety, which he began in 2007, and experiment with the material on the road while touring in a solo context.

As for The Who, Townshend believes the final gig in Las Vegas on September 28th is the end of the line. “We reserve the right to pop up again,” he said. “But I think one thing is very clear: that at our age, we will not.”
Still, Townshend said he’ll work with singer Roger Daltrey again while admitting that he doesn’t communicate with the singer “very well.”
“Roger and I certainly [will] work together for charity and possibly for special projects,” Townshend said. “Together we represent all aspects of The Who legacy. You know, I’m the songwriter and creator, but Roger’s been the driving force, meaning keeping The Who band and his brand on track. Even with his solo work, we’ll continue to work together, even if we rarely socialize.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Townshend offered his side of the story regarding the beef between Daltrey and drummer Zak Starkey, which led to the latter’s removal from the band.
According to Townshend, Daltrey got frustrated during a performance of “The Song Is Over” during a show at the Royal Albert Hall back in April and expressed his disapproval to his sound engineer. Meanwhile, Starkey thought Daltrey’s ire was directed at him and took to Instagram to put Daltrey on blast after the gig.
Townshend’s account matches up with Daltrey’s version of events. Regarding Starkey’s removal, Townshend said that Daltrey was upset that the drummer “jumped straight into Instagram and started to mouth off and defend his position in a cheeky, chatty manner, which belies the seriousness of what actually happened.”
Pete continued: “It looked like he was raging at Zak, but that’s not the case. It became a story among fans, and it looked like Roger made a mistake, but something technical went wrong. [Zak’s] handling of it, was, I suppose, light-hearted, but you know Roger.”
Meanwhile, The Who’s farewell tour is underway, with the next gig on Thursday (August 21st) in Philadelphia.
The Who 2025 Tour Dates:
08/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
08/23 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
08/26 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
08/28 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
08/30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/02 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/04 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/07 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
09/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
09/21 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
09/23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
09/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena (Final Show)