This year The Who fulfilled a dream and performed their greatest hits with an orchestra. A few months ago their special tour concluded at Sandringham in England. Now it’s time for new adventures – or something like that.
In an interview with Record Collector, guitarist Pete Townshend indicated that discussions about the future of the band are now underway.
“I think it’s time for Roger (Daltrey) and I to meet for lunch and talk about what happens next,” he said. “Sandringham shouldn’t feel like the end of anything, but it does feel like the end of an era.”
That sounds like a pinch of melancholy that has recently surrounded the musician. Possibly also with a view to the comeback of contemporaries such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. At least on the market for re-released treasures, The Who succeeded with a bang: The super deluxe edition of “Who’s Next/Life House” is one of the reissues of the year.
Townshend continued: “It’s really a question of what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun. So I wrote to Roger and said, come on, let’s chat a bit and see what might be possible.”
Pete Townshend writes a fear opera
However, the guitarist does not have to be afraid of unemployment. Townshend recently revealed that he wanted to turn his 2019 novel “The Age of Fear” (subtitle: An Art Novel) into a rock opera.
The title of the book already gives it away: the Brit is not particularly optimistic about the future. It’s about fears about the consequences of climate change and terrorism as well as the harmful effects of social media on our social life. But a depression opera would really be something new.