Legendary rock band The Who have announced the lineup of guest artists who will join them on their final North American tour, dubbed ‘The Song Is Over Tour.’
The farewell trek will feature appearances from artists including: Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Billy Idol, Booker T. Jones, Candlebox, Feist, Joe Bonamassa, and The Joe Perry Project—featuring rock veterans Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Buck Johnson, Chris Robinson, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz. Also slated to appear are Tom Cochrane and ZZ Ward, with different artists joining at select tour stops.
Additionally, due to overwhelming demand a second concert in Chicago has been added, set for Tuesday, September 9th at the United Center. Guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa is confirmed to support both those dates. Presale tickets for the newly announced Chicago date will be available starting Tuesday, May 20th.
In other news, the band made headlines over the weekend with the announcement they were parting ways with longtime drummer Zak Starkey—marking the second time he’s been dismissed in just a month. Replacing him is Scott Devours, best known for his work with Daltrey’s solo project. A statement from the band read: “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success . We both wish him all the luck in the world. Scott Devours – Who fans will know him from Roger’s solo shows – will be replacing Zak. We hope all our fans will welcome him. — Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey”
Starkey, however, shared a different version of his departure in an Instagram post: “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 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.”
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