Pete Townshend joked that The Who are “always up for private gigs” as they kicked off what they’re calling their final tour.
The legendary band launched The Song Is Over: The North American Farewell Tour at Florida’s Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday (August 16, 2025). The 80-year-old guitarist teased the crowd that he and frontman Roger Daltrey, 81, could be persuaded to play for fans if the price was right.
He told the audience, “It’s so great you’ve all come out to see us this one last time.”
Pete laughed and added, “If any of you have very, very, very deep pockets, Roger and I are always available for private parties!”
He continued, “Seriously, it’s great to be here. We’re so happy to see you all come out.”
The night featured a 23-song setlist that included the first-ever live performance of Going Mobile with Simon Townshend, Pete’s brother, on lead vocals.
Simon has sung the track before, but it marked the first time it was played during an official Who concert.
The song was written by Pete and first appeared on their 1971 album Who’s Next, originally intended for their scrapped Lifehouse project. Pete originally handled vocals, guitars, and synths, with John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums, while Roger did not take part.
At one point, a technical issue interrupted the show, prompting Roger to lighten the mood by saying, “You never remember the perfect show. You remember the f***-ups.”
As The Who’s touring days wind down, Pete recently admitted he might have been happier if he’d never been part of the band.
The guitarist, who co-founded the group in 1964, confessed he always felt the band was “beneath” him and wished he had followed his passion for art instead.
Speaking to The Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Pete said, “I always feel I wish I’d left before the band got famous and been an artist. I think I would have been happier …
"I was deeply into a college course about how art was going to have a revolutionary function. So I felt The Who were a bit silly, maybe a bit beneath me, I’m afraid.”
When asked how he views it now, he replied, “I feel the same. I think they feel beneath me.”
Pete admitted that Roger does not agree, saying, “Roger and I have conversations about this.
Sometimes he thinks I should be more grateful … I should have left, I think. That’s OK. I don’t regret feeling that. It’s just that there was a life I could have had that I missed.”
Pete revealed he never expected The Who to last as long as they did. He explained, “I expected The Who to self-destruct in six months. That’s why I threw myself into performing in a bloody manner. I hurt myself on stage. I smashed guitars that I could only just afford. But my manifesto was absolute: ‘This is a brief moment in music history. It won’t turn into …’ Well, what it turned into.”
