This past November, the iconic rock band The Who played their final American show in Las Vegas, which was possibly historic.

Frontman Roger Daltrey recently told USA Today that they are unlikely to perform in America again, citing rising costs and high financial risk.

The 79-year-old English musician explained:

“I don’t know if we’ll ever come back to tour America.”

“There is only one tour we could do, an orchestrated ‘Quadrophenia’ to round out the catalog. But that’s one tall order to sing that piece of music, as I’ll be 80 next year. I never say never, but at the moment it’s very doubtful.”

Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, touring has become financially difficult for many bands.

As a result, tour costs, such as airfare, lodging, and crew salaries, are said to have risen.

To make matters worse, artists only make money once they’ve performed multiple times – being struck down by the virus might mean losing out on those potential profits entirely.

In 2019, The Who headlined their first Wembley Stadium show in 40 years, which has now been archived as a 20-song live compilation titled “The Who with Orchestra: Live at Wembley.”

According to lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, they were playing better than ever at the time. However, some of their signature pieces resonated less loudly than they had on previous occasions – more than 50 years ago.

Roger said about one of its original remaining members:

“Pete can’t quite jump 10 foot in the air anymore. He can do 3 foot, so he’s not bad!”

“I don’t swing the microphone hardly at all now because it doesn’t matter to the sound anymore. Before, when all of those things used to work, it was a circus act. We’re more than that now. I’m proud that our music has come of age and I think you could say this is the most modern classical music out there.”

When one of classic rock’s most adored performers embarks on a new tour in June, music fans all over Europe will have the opportunity to see them live.