Legendary rock band The Who has announced a UK tour which will see the band perform at the Totally Wicked Stadium, St.Helens, Friday 21 July 2023.
They will perform with a full orchestra and also joining them for the St.Helens gig will be UB40 featuring Ali Campbell.
Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and band will be performing music from throughout the band’s nearly 60-year career, including sections devoted to classic albums Tommy & Quadrophenia as well as other beloved Who tracks and songs from their 2019 WHO album, their first studio release in 13 years.
The gigs follow last year’s highly acclaimed ‘The Who Hits Back’ tour of the US, where the band shared the with some of the finest orchestras in America.
The 2023 UK tour will feature THE WHO’s full live band comprised of guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, second keyboardist Emily Marshall, bassist Jon Button, drummer Zak Starkey and backing vocals by Billy Nicholls, along with orchestra conductor Keith Levenson, lead violinist Katie Jacoby and lead cellist Audrey Snyder.
The Who wound up their Who Hits Back tour of the US in November last year having wowed audiences in over thirty cities, with media and fans agreeing that the band were as good as, if not better than ever and that the orchestral arrangements, most of which were done by the legendary David Campbell, brought a new depth and excitement to Pete Townshend’s music.
Performing with The Who and an orchestra had been a long-held ambition for singer Roger Daltrey “Having not toured the UK for six years, it’s great that at this time of our careers we have the chance to go to places that are not on the usual touring map Edinburgh Castle and Derby, as well as the other cities across the country that we haven’t been to for decades, will make this very special for me. This opportunity will give our UK Who fans the chance to hear our current show, which, with the addition of an orchestra, takes our music to new heights.”
Pete Townshend “Roger initially christened this tour with an orchestra ‘Moving On!’ I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose. I’m really looking forward to bringing this show to the UK.”
The Who are calling upon fans to add an optional £1 donation onto their ticket price at point of sale in support of Teenage Cancer Trust. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are longstanding supporters and Roger has been the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s Royal Albert Hall concerts since they began in 2000. For more information visit www.teenagecancertrust.org
For more information about The Who 2023 dates, visit www.robomagicive.com or www.thewho.com
In July 2019, The Who headlined Wembley Stadium in London for the first time in forty years. The show was the only UK date on their ‘Moving On’ Tour and featured the band accompanied by an over 50-piece orchestra performing classic tracks and more as well tracks from their WHO album. The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley will be released as a limited edition yellow, orange & red 3LP set, triple black vinyl, 2CD / Blu-Ray set which features the audio remixed in Dolby Atmos and 1CD edition.
THE WHO WITH ORCHESTRA UK TOUR 2023
JOINED BY UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL*
6th July – Sewell Group Craven Park, Hull*
8th July – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
9th July – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
12th July – The O2, London
14th July – The Incora County Ground, Derby*
16th July – Badminton Estate, Bristol*
19th July – Seat Unique Riverside, Durham*
21st July – Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens*
23rd July – The 1st Central County Ground, Brighton*
ABOUT THE WHO
The Who are one of the top three greatest rock legacies in music history with nine US & ten UK top ten albums and 14 UK top ten singles.
They have played over well over 2,000 gigs in a career spanning over 50 years including venues such as Woodstock, Monterey Pop, Glastonbury (twice), Hyde Park (four times), The Isle Of Wight (three times), the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, Desert Trip, Shea Stadium, The Superbowl half time show and Live Aid to name but a very few.
Emerging in the mid-1960s as a new and incendiary force in rock n’ roll, their brash style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of music’s most passionate followings, with the legendary foursome blazing a searing new template for rock, punk, and everything after.
Inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990, the band has placed 27 top-forty singles in the United States and United Kingdom and earning 17 Top Ten albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy, 1971’s pummeling Live At Leeds, 1973’s Quadrophenia and 1978’s Who Are You. The Who debuted in 1964 with a trio of anthems “I Can’t Explain,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “My Generation.” Since then, they have delivered to the world hits such as Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard,” Who Are You,” and,” You Better You Bet.” 2008, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. The Who has performed all over the world including global music events for the Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show in 2010 and closing the Summer Olympics in 2012. The Who continued their charity work by playing a concert in January 2011 to raise money for trials of a new cancer treatment called PDT. In December 2012 they performed at the Hurricane Sandy Benefit in New York.
Alongside his ground-breaking work with the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK, in November 2012 Daltrey, with Townshend at his side, launched Teen Cancer America, $1 from each ticket sold on the 2019 MOVING ON! Tour, which each night featured a full orchestra, benefited Teen Cancer America (www.teencanceramerica.org)
With both Roger and Pete delivering their own memoirs (Pete’s Who I Am was released to much acclaim in 2012, and Roger’s autobiography, Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite; My Story, was embraced by critics in 2018) it’s fitting that the two remaining WHO members have shared their incredible legacy in literary fashion, for few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era and the reverberating pop culture than The Who.
The band released their first new album in thirteen years, the critically acclaimed WHO in 2019 and are currently about to go back on the road in Europe with their THE WHO HITS BACK tour.
TICKET INFO
Tickets will go on General Sale at 10am on Friday 3 February. Please note tickets will NOT be available from the Clubs Ticket Office. You will be able to purchase all general tickets via the official ticket outlets below:
HOSPITALITY INFO
A variety of CLUB HOSPITALITY PACKAGES will be available to book from 10am Friday 3rd February directly from the Clubs Hospitality Team 0n 01744 455 086 or online via Seat Unique
FAN PACKAGES will be available via Seat Unique from 10am Friday 3rd February.
Follow band on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewho
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewho/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWhoVEVO
Website: https://www.thewho.com/
Stream: https://ume.lnk.to/TheWho