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In what looks like the beginning of the last chapter of one of the world’s most iconic rock bands, guitarist Pete Townshend has embarked on a 17-date stadium tour across North America. Sharing the stage with lead singer Roger Daltrey, Townshend said that at his age, 80, the touring lifestyle can be isolating. However, the guitarist is very much grateful to be out on the road.

“It can be lonely,” Townshend said in a recent interview. “I’ve thought, ‘Well, this is my job, I’m happy to have the work, but I prefer to be doing something else.’ Then, I think, ‘Well, I’m 80 years old. Why shouldn’t I revel in it? Why shouldn’t I celebrate?”

Townshend is touring this fall as part of The Who, an English rock band he has been with since its inception in 1964. On stage with Daltrey since 1964, after decades of performing and making music, the guitarist said that sometimes life on the road can feel long and monotonous. However, now that he is aware of his mortality, Pete Townshend said that the traveling and performing lifestyle has made him grateful to be able to live and perform, despite the isolation he may feel while on the road.

As The Who continues on the farewell tour, both Townshend and Daltrey have reflected on what comes next. In a recent interview, Daltrey opened up about what will and will not be following the North American stadium tour. Daltrey, who at the start of the year performed in London at the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit with Townshend, reassured fans that his voice was in good condition. “Fortunately, I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” he said to the audience in London. The title character in The Who’s 1969 rock opera Tommy, Daltrey quoted the lyric: “Deaf, dumb and blind kid.”

However, at the beginning of the month, Daltrey gave another interview to The Times, with language that sounded more like a full stop than a period at the end of a sentence. Speaking in terms that may come as a shock to longtime fans, Daltrey said, “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour.” He added, “It’s grueling.”

He continued the story of what it means to be The Who in 2023. The 80-year-old lead singer was reflective in his choice of words, bringing attention to the band’s most active touring years. “In the days when I was singing Who songs for three hours a night, six nights a week, I was working harder than most footballers,” Daltrey said.

The singer is less certain as to whether or not he and Townshend will be able to continue as a band for one-off shows, which The Who often play. “As to whether we’ll play [one-off] concerts again, I don’t know. The Who to me is very perplexing,” Daltrey said. He does make one thing clear, though. “My voice is still as good as ever,” Daltrey said.

While a farewell tour may not mean a full stop to the end of the band as a whole, it may mean the end of new material for one of the most famous rock bands in the world. It also may mean that the upcoming shows in North America could be the last chance fans get to see The Who, Townshend, and Daltrey live. However, at the beginning of the month, Daltrey gave another interview to The Times, with language that sounded more like a full stop than a period at the end of a sentence. Speaking in terms that may come as a shock to longtime fans, Daltrey said, “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour.” He added, “It’s grueling.”