The Who is set to headline Teenage Cancer Trust benefit shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 18 and 20, but Pete Townshend wants fans to know he will not be taking part in a separate Teenage Cancer Trust concert celebrating his bandmate Roger Daltrey.
Townshend announced on Instagram he won’t be able to make the March 24 show, Ovation, a Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs for TCT, because of his commitments to Tommy the Musical, which opens on Broadway on March 28.
The concert is a celebration of Daltrey’s tenure as host and curator of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts; he’s stepping down from the post after this year.
“I’m sorry for anyone who feels I have let them down,” Townshend shared in his post, “my New York dates have been in my calendar for several months and I have tried to address this calendar conflict with Roger and Who management without any result.”
He adds, “That said, Roger is perfectly capable of blowing your minds in a solo show without me, and has a wonderful array of guests lined up to celebrate his 24 years of producing and performing at the annual Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.”
“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Roger should have a knighthood for his Teenage Cancer Trust campaigning,” Pete writes.
As for those “wonderful array of guests” who’ll be joining Roger, they include Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones and Paul Weller.
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