The Who guitarist Pete Townshend spoke about touring while in his 70s in a recent interview with the Dallas Morning News.

“Growing old includes growing up,” Townshend told the newspaper. “Even in the rock business.”

“I listen now to what Roger [Daltrey]says, attend to what he needs as an artist and try to be a supportive colleague on stage,” he added. “I also try to sincerely demonstrate that I love him.”

Townshend said in writing songs for the Who’s new album, due out in November, he had to accept that he and Daltrey are “both old men now” but still “very different.”

“So it’s the broader issues I ended up writing about,” Townshend said. “The songs are about what we agree on, and one thing we can’t argue about is that we are both old.”

When asked how The Who wound up performing with orchestras in arenas, and what challenges does that bring, Townshend said, “I had insisted I would not tour again unless we had a new album ready for release. (I’m tired of looking like I can’t write good songs for Roger anymore). Roger insisted I seriously consider using an orchestra on tour. I was nervous, and I’m glad to say my decision to take a chance has worked out well”.

“Well, a few nights ago we performed at Jones Beach, an outdoor venue in New York. Just about everything that could go wrong happened: instruments going out of tune in the high humidity and changing temperatures, and me taking two painkillers, having forgotten I hadn’t eaten all day,” he added.

“The show before was at Fenway Park in Boston, and the sound was like a concert hall — the performance, perfect. We play the same notes every night — the challenge is to make them sound as good every night … and we are not in control of the venues”.

Source: RTT News