The Who has postponed Thursday night’s Philadelphia stop on its “The Song Is Over — North American Farewell Tour,” which was scheduled to play the Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly known as the Wells Fargo Center).
A spokesperson for The Who said the postponement was due to “an unfortunate cold/flu bug” that hit the band, and said the date will “definitely” be rescheduled.
The show was planned to be the last ever Philly performance of the Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend-led band that — along with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Kinks — stands among the greatest of first generation 1960s British Invasion bands.
The band’s tour kicked off in Sunrise, Fla. last weekend and stopped at Newark, N.J. on Tuesday, where Daltrey, who has been plagued with vocal problems at times in recent years, was reported to be in powerful voice.
Back in March, in a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, he revealed that he was developing issues with his hearing and sight.
The Who’s concert history in Philadelphia dates back to 1967, when the band opened for Herman’s Hermits at the Civic Center. In 1969 when they played the Townshend rock opera opus,Tommy, in its entirety, on the week of its release, at the original Electric Factory on 22nd and Arch Street.
The band made headlines this year in April, when drummer Zak Starkey, who is Ringo Starr’s son and has played with the Who for 19 years, was fired from the band. He was then rehired, and then fired again a month later.
» READ MORE: The Who was my first favorite band. I’m seeing them one more time at Citizens Bank Park
Starkey has been replaced on drums for this tour by Scott Devours.
In 2019, the band played Citizens Bank Park and returned in 2022 to play the same South Philly sports arena it was scheduled to perform at Thursday, back when it was known as the Wells Fargo Center.
The band is also scheduled to play at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday. There is no word, as of yet, on the status of that show, or when the Philadelphia show will be rescheduled for.
Ticket holders for Thursday’s show received an email from Ticketmaster that said “the Event Organizer is still trying to reschedule your event; if they do, your tickets will remain good for the rescheduled date.”
The email went on to say that refunds will be available if the show is canceled, or if 60 days pass without a new show date being announced.
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