The Who perform at Royal Sandringham Estate

The Who played their last scheduled show of 2023 with a performance at the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on Monday, August 28. They were the final act of a series of Heritage Live outdoor concerts that took place over the UK’s bank holiday weekend, following shows by Sir Van Morrison on Friday and Robbie Williams on Saturday and Sunday.

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey performed with their usual fabulous band of touring musicians, backed by the Heart of England Orchestra that were with them throughout the Who Hits Back UK tour in July.

The supporting acts for The Who in Sandringham were Richard Ashcroft (lead singer and guitarist from the 90's Brit Pop band The Verve) and the Lightning Seeds (English rock band from Liverpool).

These were the first major concerts held at the private country retreat of King Charles III, who has partnered with Heritage Live to host a series of environmentally sustainable summer events on the grounds of Sandringham over the next 5 years.

Earlier in the year, Pete commented about the event, “Very pleased and excited for The Who to be one of the first artists to perform at the Country Home of the British Royal family on the Sandringham Estate. Opening up the Estate to large scale concerts is a fantastic way of keeping us uplifted and enjoying congregation at what I’m sure will be a fabulous summer celebration. We can’t wait!”

As part of Heritage Live’s green initiative, Pete and Roger marked the occasion by planting trees in the Royal Gardens before the concert.

Pete stated, "Planting this tree is a great way of acknowledging Heritage Live’s sustainability initiative. I hope this Tilia ‘Winter Orange’ has a happy life in Sandringham Gardens."

Roger said, "I was very pleased to be asked by Heritage Live to plant this tree at Sandringham. I am thrilled that the Laurel Oak has been planted adjacent to the oldest tree in Sandringham Gardens, a 700 year old Veteran Oak.”

This special festival performance at Sandringham followed The Who’s successful UK summer Who Hits Back tour that wrapped up at the end of July, which featured a series of interesting outdoor venues, including castles, estates, rugby and cricket grounds, and the Eden Project. It’s been an exciting year for all those lucky enough to attend the shows.

To view photos, videos, setlists and reviews of all The Who's 2023 summer shows, please visit The Who Hits Back concert pages.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed photos and videos of the Sandringham concert!

The Who in Sandringham Photo credit: Emma Skittle Shaw