Pete Townshend ‘Interested’ In Bringing The Who To Las Vegas Sphere

The Who last took the stage at London's Royal Albert Hall in March and currently have no future dates on the books. Guitarist Pete Townshend spoke about the band’s future in a new NME interview, where he brought up his interest in having The Who play Sphere in Las Vegas.

Townshend was asked directly if the March concerts were the last ever Who shows. “No. I’m pretty sure there will [be more]. I can’t really see the point of making a big deal of [last Who shows], apart from the fact that it might help sell a few tickets,” the legendary musician began his response. “When we started the last US tour the year before last, some of the seats were not filled. An easy way to fill seats is to say ‘We’re not coming back’ or ‘This could be the last set of shows’. What I would prefer was that the band adjusted itself to the audience that wants to see it, rather than just saying ‘We need to fill arenas in order to go home with enough money to make the whole thing worthwhile’. The story of the end of The Who is gonna be when either Roger or I drop dead or can’t function anymore on the stage.”

The 79-year-old musician addressed the turbulence in his relationship with The Who frontman Roger Daltrey. “A lot of the time when we’re on the stage together, it’s not all that comfortable and you can see that. And it’s sad to say that a lot of dedicated Who fans come to every show in order to see Roger hit me in the face again, for me to smash him over the head with a guitar or for one of us to drop dead,” Townshend told NME.

Pete Townshend went on to answer whether he’s “given up all ideas of going out with a big bang” and brought up Sphere in his response. “I don’t think we’ve ever had that kind of idea. I must admit, I’m interested in the [Las Vegas] Sphere – just as a crazy, narcissistic art school thing. It’s interesting as a venue because it challenges you to beat the fabric of the theatre,” the guitarist said.

Another topic Townshend discussed was the potential for a new The Who album:

“I don’t think there is. If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could, it’s a piece of cake. The problem is I don’t think Roger wants to do it again. For me it would be a joy because I love writing songs, I love writing to a brief, I love having a commission, I love having a deadline and I love the feedback.

“I was so pleased that the critical response to the last Who album was so positive, I wasn’t expecting that and I was grateful for it and inspired by it. So where I am at the moment is I’m thinking ‘well, I might write the songs and then say to Roger, either you sing on them or I’m gonna put them out as a solo album and Who fans will love me for it.”

Pete Townshend also detailed the upcoming production of Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, his thoughts on The Who’s Royal Albert Hall concerts, setlist spoilers and more. Head to NME to read the full interview.