All good things must come to an end, says the well-known phrase. And what better way to go out than with a bang, crash, and some hefty classic rock songs? That’s the plan for The Who as they prepare to say farewell to North America.
The legendary band announced they will play their final dates in North America this summer. The Song Is Over tour launches in Florida on August 16, 2025, and closes on September 28, 2025, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Full details of all 16 farewell tour dates are listed below.
That’s sad to hear in some ways, as a top and iconic band draws to a close. In other ways, a last chance to see them is a superb way to bring the curtain down. Even if that is with just two of the original four band members, it will be a spectacular, thrilling, and emotional experience.
The Who - ending an era in grand style
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, the two remaining original band members, still put on a great show. I saw them live a couple of years back at an outdoor festival, and they were absolutely superb.
More recently, they have been rocking at the Royal Albert Hall in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust again to rave reviews, and not just by fans from my generation! Zak Starkey on drums, despite a recent fallout, and Pete’s brother, Simon Townshend, make up a super band.
It’s just short of sixty years since The Who launched themselves in North America. Back in 1967, they made their first appearance there at a showcase event, Murray The K’s Music in the Fifth Dimension, at RKO’s 58th Street Theatre in New York. They kicked off their North American appearances with three songs, “I Can’t Explain,” ”Substitute,” and ”My Generation.”
That was followed by some magical appearances at huge events, including the Monterey International Pop Festival in California that summer and then two years later, onstage at Woodstock. That’s quite a start to a long-running love in with North America.
We should also note that this won’t be the band's first farewell tour there. They did have their first such goodbye from the stage in 1982. At the time, Daltrey was 38 and Townshend was 37. Those ages now stack up at 81 and 79, going on 80 in a matter of days.
Perhaps that’s a solid enough clue that it really is the close, the end to playing live as The Who in North America. As a slight balance and caveat to saying that, although no dates have yet been announced, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be a further leg to cover their UK homeland and some of Europe too.
The Who farewell tour details and tickets
Tickets
If you want to get your hands on tickets, then there will be some exclusive pre-sales from Tuesday, May 13. There is then a general sale from Friday, May 16. Full details from thewho.com/tour/
The Who - The Song Is Over - 2025 North America 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
• Sep 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
• Sep 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
• Sep 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
• Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
• Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
• Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
• Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
• Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
• Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena