The Who’s Summer tour got off to a great start on June 14 with a smoking hot show at the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona, Spain!
This was the first European show the band have played since The Who Hits 50 tour way back in 2016. The European tour is short but sweet this time around, with more shows scheduled in June for Florence, Italy on the 17th, Berlin, Germany on the 20th, and Paris, France on the 23rd. A tour of the UK follows in July, with a series of prestigious venues including shows at Edinburgh Castle, Badminton Estate, Eden Project, and the Royal Sandringham Estate. It should be a really fun season of shows for everyone who can attend!
The Who Hits Back tour with orchestra picks up where it left off in North America in November 2022. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have their usual backing band with Simon Townshend on guitar, Zak Starkey on drums, Jon Button on bass, Billy Nicholls on backing vocals, Loren Gold on keyboards, and Emily Marshall on second keyboards. The band is performing with a full orchestra of local musicians, conducted by Keith Levenson, and featuring Katie Jacoby on violin and Audrey Snyder on cello. The format of the show hasn’t changed since 2022, and features the orchestra for two sets with a band only section in the middle.
In Barcelona they opened with a stunning orchestral medley from Tommy, followed by Who Are You, Eminence Front, and Ball and Chain. The orchestra then left the stage and the band performed You Better You Bet, The Seeker, I Can See For Miles, Substitute, Another Tricky Day, Won’t Get Fooled Again, and Behind Blue Eyes. The orchestra returned for a lovely set of Quadrophenia songs, closing the show with Baba O’Riley.
Opening the Barcelona show for The Who was Pete's brother Simon Townshend, who will also be the supporting act at the Edinburgh Castle and Eden Project shows in July.
As always, we will be covering all of the shows with photos, setlists, reviews, and videos on The Who Hits Back tour pages.
Many thanks to Phil for sharing a few of his lovely photos from Barcelona!
Here is the current 2023 schedule for The Who Hits Back tour.
14 June Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
17 June Florence, Italy - Firenze Rocks, Visarno Arena
20 June Berlin, Germany - Waldbühne
23 June Paris, France - La Défense Arena
06 July Hull - Sewell Group Craven Park
08 July Edinburgh - Edinburgh Castle
09 July Edinburgh - Edinburgh Castle
12 July London - The O2
14 July Derby - The Incora County Ground
16 July Bristol - Badminton Estate
19 July Durham - Seat Unique Riverside
21 July St Helens - Totally Wicked Stadium
23 July Brighton - The 1st Central County Ground
25 July Cornwall - Eden Project
28 Aug Sandringham - Royal Sandringham Estate
