The singer turned 80 on March 1, and after his birthday, Daltrey stepped down as the curator of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. He gave reasons for this decision:
“I have to be realistic. I’m on my way out. The average life expectancy is 83, and with a bit of luck, I’ll make that, but we need someone else to drive things.”
Then, Roger talked more about feeling nervous before recent gigs:
“We haven’t done anything for seven months, and this winter’s been brutal. I’ve been in hibernation. For the whole of January, I lost my voice completely. I live like a monk, and if I went on tour for a week, I’d be fit as a butcher’s dog again, but tonight, for the first time in my career, I think, ‘Blimey, this is hard.'”
The gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall this March were his last with Teenage Cancer Trust. Daltrey spoke about his 24 years working with the charity in a January chat with the Metro:
“I’m some old fart of a rock singer, and this has given me a purpose. I’m not very good at doing nothing and I’m looking towards the end of a singing career. So this has been something I’m so proud of.”
He also shared how he would recruit artists for the Teenage Cancer Trust shows:
“When I see someone famous, I go straight over and ask them to play a gig – and I’m sure they’ll see me now and run away! But not one of the bands has ever come off the stage without saying, ‘What a fantastic experience.'”
This year’s lineup included Robert Plant, Eddie Vedder, Paul Weller, and Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics. Daltrey sang the Who song ‘Baba O’Riley’ to end the show with Vedder, Plant, Jones, Glen Hansard, Simon Townshend, and some of the Who’s touring band members.
Daltrey is going on a short tour in June. During the tour, he’ll perform some classic songs by the Who and his own solo material.
Photo: Getty Images North America