“Fortunately I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” the Who frontman told the crowd at London’s Royal Albert Hall
The Who‘s two-night stand at London’s Royal Albert Hall in late March marked the introduction of their new stripped-down band, the live debut of the lost Who’s Next classic “The Song Is Over,” and the resurrection of “Love Ain’t For Keeping” 21 years after they last played it. It also gave Roger Daltrey an opportunity to share an update on his health.
“The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind,” he said. “Fortunately I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy.”
His comments sparked headlines all across the world, but some caveats are necessary. First off, for an 81-year-old who has been fronting a loud rock band for the past 63 years, it’s a wonder Daltrey has any hearing left at all. We’ve also spoken with him on a number of recent occasions, and can report he hears well enough to carry on a conversation without any noticeable problems.
(The same goes for Pete Townshend despite the fact he felt compelled to perform behind a glass, soundproofed booth on the Who’s 1989 tour due to tinnitus and hearing loss. We spoke to him just last month and he didn’t ask us to repeat a single word over a nearly hour-long Zoom. If anything, he seemed to have better hearing than your typical man a few weeks short of his 80th birthday. This is not the trajectory anyone expected back in 1989.)
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Secondly, Daltrey said nothing about the extent of his vision problems. Until he says more, there’s little reason to think he’s on the verge of completely losing his sight. And as he said, his voice remains quite powerful. He had significant issues about 15 years back, which were abundantly clear when the Who played the halftime at the 2010 Super Bowl. But he had successful throat surgery that resolved the issue.
He’s also held onto his voice by launching solo tours whenever the Who are inactive, calling them “use it or lose it” shows. He feels they make sure his vocal muscles don’t atrophy if the band is absent for a long stretch. He launches his next solo tour in Brighton, England, on April 20. It wraps up Aug. 8 in Margate, England. He takes a brief break in late July, however, so the Who can play two shows in Italy.
