Charity Teenage Cancer Trust’s historic annual Royal Albert Hall concert series returned for a momentous year, celebrating the work of its founder and curator, rock legend Roger Daltrey, as he bows out as the driving force of these very special concerts.
The Who singer, who will continue as a Teenage Cancer Trust Honorary Patron, has tirelessly fundraised and advocated for the charity for nearly a quarter of a century. A key part of this has been Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, the now iconic, annual concert series taking place at one of the world’s most prestigious concert venues.
For 22 editions, Roger has persuaded some of the greatest artists on the planet to perform unique, one night only gigs to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, generating over £32 million from ticket sales alone and spreading word of this extraordinary charity far and wide. That money is enough to pay for over a million hours of specialist care from Teenage Cancer Trust nurses, or 13 Teenage Cancer Trust hospital units. In 2000, when the gigs began, Teenage Cancer Trust was a much smaller organisation with only 5 hospital units across the whole of the UK and far fewer nurses and youth support workers.
For his 22nd year as the boss, an extraordinary line up of some of the biggest and most acclaimed artists around was assembled.
This included three nights of celebrations of Roger himself, including ‘Ovation - A Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs For Teenage Cancer Trust' on Sunday, March 24. The event featured Roger’s friends and fans, many of those who helped establish these gigs as a celebrated annual event - Roger himself, with Stereophonics Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller. At the end of Daltrey’s set, he brought out Plant, Vedder, Jones, and Glen Hansard to perform The Who classic, "Baba O’Riley."
Fan-filmed video from the event can be viewed below:
Roger Daltrey will be returning to North America on a special solo tour this June, presenting a mostly acoustic set of Who gems, rarities, solo nuggets and other surprises with an intimate rock-based band and setting as well as answering questions from the audience, kicking off this very exclusive set of shows on 12 June at Virginia’s renowned Wolf Trap at Filene Center. The nine-city run will continue throughout the month of June (see dates below), wrapping on 29 June at The Pavilion at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois.
Special guests for the much-anticipated performances include Grammy-nominated Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall and acclaimed, offbeat singer/songwriter Dan Bern. The unique venues and amphitheaters Daltrey has chosen for his summer run will showcase Roger’s acoustic interpretations of his extraordinary canon of Who songs and solo work, supported by a hand-picked ensemble of musicians. Simon Townshend: Guitar and backing vocals; Billy Nicholls: Mandolin and backing vocals; Jody Linscott: Percussion; Doug Boyle: Guitar; John Hogg : Bass and backing vocals; Katie Jacoby: Violin and backing vocals; Steve Weston: Harmonica; Geraint Watkins: Keyboards/accordion; Scott Devours: Drums.
Daltrey’s return to the States follows The Who’s incredibly successful The Who Hits Back! US tour of 2022, with the band’s incomparable frontman drawing praise from all media platforms. The charismatic singer also brought a highly successful solo tour to the States in 2018 via a 10-city run that showcased The Who’s legendary rock opera Tommy, supported by full orchestral backing. Never content to rest on his laurels, the adventurous artist will continue to peel back the layers on his upcoming June tour, excited about expressing more musical shades of his solo palette, which he has generously shared with audiences in the US and beyond throughout his career.
Also known to be one of rock’s more candid, straight-shooters, the working-class Daltrey (originally from London’s Shepherd’s Bush) will answer questions from the audience during the shows, sharing anecdotes and offering up uniquely tailored renditions of songs seldom performed live either by The Who or Daltrey.
In crafting this completely new show set to kick off in June 2024, Daltrey looks forward to unveiling one of his more intimate and unique stage shows, an up close and personal gift to his fans that highlights Who rarities, solo hits, and other songs from his incredible near 60-year career.
Tour dates:
June
12 Wolf Trap, Filene Center, Vienna, VA*
14 OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON*
16 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY*
18 The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY*
20 Leader Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA*
22 Tanglewood, The Koussevitzky Music Shed, Lenox, MA*
25 Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, Detroit, MI**
27 Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, Indianapolis, IN**
29 The Pavilion at Ravinia, Highland Park, IL*
* with KT Tunstall
** with Dan Bern
