Photo Credit: William Synder

After sending shockwaves with news of their “The Song Is Over” Farewell Tour, The Who have unveiled the tour support for their final North American outing. From Aug. 16 to Sept. 28, the legendary band will deliver 17 shows across the U.S. and Canada as a “truly grand finale” for the stateside audiences who helped secure their towering legacy; they’ll be joined in this sprint by nine acclaimed and stylistically diverse special guests.

The who’s who of The Who’s fall series will rotate after every couple of shows. To kick off the tour with performances in Sunrise, Fla. and Newark, N.J., the band will be supported by actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters, followed by ZZ Ward in Philadelphia, Booker T. Jones in Atlantic City, N.J. and The Joe Perry Project in Boston. Indie pop staple Feist will sign on for stops in Wantagh, N.Y. and New York, then Tom Cochrane will tap in for two nights in Toronto, Joe Bonamassa will bolster two nights in Chicago and The Joe Perry Project will return for the first of two presentations at the famed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. After Candlebox open in Mountain View, Calif., Vancouver and their native Seattle, Billy Idol will bring some star power to The Who’s last-ever North American performance in Las Vegas.

This update on The Who’s eagerly anticipated “The Song Is Over” Tour arrived just after word of another shake-up in their live lineup. Yesterday, May 18, both guitarist Pete Townshend and drummer Zak Starkey shared to their social channels that the latter had been fired from the band again, just under a month after their very public split and quick reconciliation in April. This time, it seems the change will take; Townshend announced that Scott Devours, who has previously played with Roger Daltrey’s solo band and occasionally subbed in for Stakey will sign on for the group’s bittersweet goodbye.

“After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,” Townshend wrote. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours who has worked with Roger’s solo band will join The Who for our Final shows. Please welcome him.”

Overlaid against Townshend’s announcement, Starkey shared his side of the story: “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endevours,” he wrote, “this would be a lie. I love The Who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement … quitting The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox.”

Starkey, who is the son of Ringo Starr, has played with The Who since 1996. He was first fired from the group on April 17, following a benefit concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall that ended with Daltrey pausing “The Song Is Over” to tell the audience: “To sing that song, I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys.” Starkey’s message implies that he was asked to announce his departure roughly two weeks ago, just before the band unveiled their final North American tour. Read the full details of that earlier saga here, and see the full statements from Townshend and Starkey below.

Tickets for The Who’s North American Farewell Tour are on sale now. Find more information at thewho.com and read on for the complete tour dates.

The Who’s “The Song Is Over” North American Farewell Tour Dates:
Sat Aug 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena =
Tue Aug 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center =
Thu Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center ^
Sat Aug 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall +
Tue Aug 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park ~
Thu Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater $
Sat Aug 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden $
Tue Sep 02 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage >
Thu Sep 04 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage >
Sun Sep 07 – Chicago, IL – United Center <
Tue 09 – Chicago, IL – United Center < — NEW SHOW
Wed Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl ~
Fri Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl 
Sun Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre #
Tue Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena #
Thu Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena #
Sun Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena !
Notes:
=with Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
^with ZZ Ward
+with Booker T. Jones
~with The Joe Perry Project
$with Feist
>with Tom Cochrane
<with Joe Bonamassa
#with Candlebox
!with Billy Idol