Did The Who Summon Rock & Roll Magic—or Just Old Ghosts—at Their Final Hollywood Bowl Blowout?
Added on September 18, 2025 inMusic News Cards
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Let’s be honest—how many times can The Who bid us farewell before it’s actually cosmic destiny? Last night’s Hollywood Bowl show wasn’t just another stop on a never-ending nostalgia carousel; it felt like the universe itself pressed pause on Mercury’s retrograde just to watch Roger Daltrey twirl that mic and Pete Townshend windmill his way straight through time . I stood there wondering—if Aries can get a fresh start every spring, why can’t rock legends? What if, beneath those legendary stage lights (and that moon hanging over Los Angeles like an eager groupie), the stars were secretly conspiring for this goodbye to sound suspiciously like an encore?
So, as the band thundered into “I Can’t Explain”—with the kind of energy that made my horoscope’s promise of “emotional closure” feel more like a drumbeat than a therapy session—it was obvious. Some endings were written in the stars, sure, but if classic rock and the cosmos have taught me anything: “never say never,” and always bring a backup lighter . For a night like this, maybe the only thing more unpredictable than setlists is fate itself.
The farewell started with an electric guitar.
On Wednesday night at the Hollywood Bowl, Pete Townshend kicked off The Who’s first of two nights at the venue with “I Can’t Explain,” as Roger Daltrey swung his wired microphone in circles in the air and caught it before singing the opening line of the night.
Close to 43 years after the group embarked on its first run of farewell shows back in 1982, The Who returned for one final trek (for now, at least). Daltrey, Townshend, along with guitarist Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button, drummer Scott Devours (“a very difficult position in this band,” Daltrey joked later on in the show), Jody Linscott, and backing vocalist John Hogg took the stage close to 8:50 p.m. For a farewell show, the band sounded like they were just getting started with every energetic passing track right up until the very last note.
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“Well it’s very nice to be back in this … Los Angeles’ kitchen sink,” Townshend told the crowd a few songs in. “And thank you so much for coming out to see us. We always have such a good time here – and we wanna know who the fuck you are.”
Right on cue, red lights flashed onto the Bowl and the band hit the crowd with “Who Are You,” as old portraits of the members flooded in and out of the screen behind them like splashes of paint on a canvas.
Throughout their monumental opening night at the Bowl, the band reminded the crowd why they’re known as one of the greatest rock groups of all time. Daltrey and Townshend and the group kept the crowd on their feet with early hits like “Long Live Rock” and “I Can See for Miles,” before playing the Tommy cut “Pinball Wizard,” as a virtual Who-themed pinball machine materialized onscreen.
The night continued with Who’s Next tracks like the Townshend love song “Love Ain’t for Keeping,” followed by “Behind Blue Eyes,” as Townshend sat to play his acoustic guitar with a massive projection turning the stage into a blue eyeball. The acoustic moment didn’t last long, as the band moved into the grooving “Eminence Front,” complete with almost Tron– or Matrix-like visuals. Then came a string of Quadrophenia tracks, including “Love Reign O’er Me,” with Daltrey’s vocals sounding powerful as ever.
So much of the band’s farewell show was, of course, about looking back. When the band launched into their Sixties classic “My Generation,” the crowd was transported back to the London Underground at Goldhawk Road Station for a few rocking minutes, as photos of the band and videos of them performing when they first started out appeared as posters against a brick wall.
When the band announced their last round of shows in May, Daltrey said that “every musician’s dream in the early ‘60s was to make it big in the U.S. charts,” the singer shared in a statement. “For The Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Before the tour, Townshend also added that “all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible,” the guitarist and songwriting legend said. “The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal.
“Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans,” Townshend continued. “I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter.”
The fond memories started even earlier in the night as fans were treated to a rock & roll spectacle worthy of its own headlining slot with opener The Joe Perry Project. For close to an hour, the band, including The Black Crowes’ singer Chris Robinson, Brad Whitford, Buck Johnson, Robert DeLeo, Jason Sutter and Eric Kretz, put on a rollicking opening set featuring everything from Crowes cuts to Stone Temple Pilots covers, and even a shredding appearance from Slash.
Then, close to the end of their set, it was time for another surprise from another rock royal. As The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported this week, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler joined The Joe Perry Project during the band’s opening performance. Tyler, who suffered a vocal injury last year, sounded incredible as he jumped onstage to perform “Walk This Way” and “Train Kept a Rollin’.” Aerosmith might’ve retired from touring, but the unit that performed Wednesday night set the tone for one hell of an evening of rock & roll.
Appropriately dubbed The Song Is Over Farewell Tour after the band’s song of the same name, The Who kicked off the North American leg of their trek in August. Following their two nights at the Bowl, the band will head to Vancouver, Seattleand Las Vegas and conclude the tour with a show at the Acrisure Arena outside of Palm Springs in October.
Before saying goodnight to Los Angeles, Daltrey and Townshend finally launched into “The Song Is Over,” a poignant send-off as Daltrey delivered lines like “Thanks for all the years” to applause from the crowd. To cap off their set, Daltrey, holding a white mug in his hand, joined Townshend for the duo’s subdued-and-intimate “Tea & Theatre,” with nothing but a few lights, Townshend’s acoustic plucking and the crowd’s full attention. “We did it all, didn’t we,” Daltrey sang.
But the night wasn’t over just yet. Then, the iconic duo addressed their fans with a few jokes before the lights went up for the evening. “It feels ridiculous calling this a farewell tour,” Townshend told the Bowl, “‘cause we’re still learning how to do the fucking thing.”
“One day we’ll be good, really good,” Daltrey replied before the duo shared some more stories and had some more laughs.
Night one of a farewell show from the iconic rockers had sadly come to a close. “Thank you so much for coming,” Daltrey said. “May you all have wonderfully healthy lives. May you all think lucky. And what’s the magic message? Think lucky, and be lucky.”
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