The Who legend, Roger Daltrey, spoke to Music Week to reflect on his 24-year stint organizing fundraising concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall.
This year’s series, held between March 18-24, not only attracted the likes of Noel Gallagher, Chemical Brothers, Young Fathers, Eddie Vedder, Paul Weller, Robert Plant, Kelly Jones to join The Who in performing, but was also significant for two other important reasons. First, it is the final run of shows to be curated by Daltrey, with new musicians set to be taking the reins in the future. Secondly, and crucially, for the first time in its history, the charity raised over £2 million – its highest ever amount.
Since 2000, audiences at Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual gigs have witnessed a host of once-in-a-lifetime shows, from Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn performing together for the first time ever in 2013, to Sir Paul McCartney, Oasis, Muse, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Ed Sheeran, Florence + The Machine, Rudimental and many more.
In the new interview, Daltrey reflects on his journey with the concert series, teases who might be taking over from him, and tells the industry why it needs to get involved. A couple of excerpts from the chat follows...
Music Week: How do you reflect upon the journey you’ve been on with the Teenage Cancer Trust?
Roger Daltrey: “From the moment my GP – who started the whole thing – Adrian Whiteson [OBE, founding member and chairman of TCT until 2010], mentioned what they were trying to achieve, it had an impact on me. From that day on, I was trying to work out how to help them, and myself, Pete Townshend and The Who did fundraisers for them for the first 10 years before the Royal Albert Hall shows. When I went to visit the first [TCT] unit, that only cemented the idea of what needed to be done, and what’s happened in the years since has been remarkable. There was the first year, in 2000, with The Who doing two nights at the Royal Albert Hall, recorded as a live album and DVD, which enabled us to replace two hospital wards. And that opened it up to the media and the public. To be honest, no one does anything alone, so to have the media on our side, recognising the issue, has been great. I love working for the charity – I’m not going away from it. In the space of 12 years, we’re in 65 hospitals and hoping to be at 100 hospitals by the end of next year, which is astonishing.”
Music Week: You have a close fraternity of artists who’ve supported the shows from the start, with Paul Weller, Eddie Vedder and Kelly Jones among them. Do you already know the people who will curate in the future, and will any of those names be among them in the future?
Daltrey: “I know who will be there for me in 2026, but I haven’t got a clue for next year. The Royal Albert Hall is run as a charity, and to guarantee the week when we have our shows -– which are positioned at the time of the year when most bands are getting ready to go out touring in the summer – then the new contracts with the Albert Hall are going to be a five-year period. So we’ve got to make sure we’ve got someone to sign up for the next five years.”
Music Week: What are your reflections on this year’s line up, featuring the likes of Noel Gallagher and Robert Plant, which was the first time TCT raised £2m from the shows?
Daltrey: “Yes, just £2m net in a week, which is remarkable. It’s only when you go out there and rattle a box that you find out how hard it is to raise money for a charity! This year’s lineup was brilliant, because it’s great to be around my old mates. Noel has been there from day one. When I had to have a year off because [The Who] were on tour, Noel did a year for me. And I’ve been friends with Robert [Plant] for 50 years and to have him on stage with me – two old farts having a good time – it was heaven!”
Read more at MusicWeek.com.
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
