Pete Townshend has announced that he will not be able to play at Eric Clapton's seventh Crossroads Festival in Austin, Texas on September 26-27, due to an injury to his foot following his knee replacement that has caused balance problems.
He was set to perform with Derek Trucks and Susie Tedeschi as his backing band, and appear with his old friend Eric Clapton, which would have been amazing to see.
To make up for his absence, Pete has made a generous donation of $50,000 to Clapton’s Crossroads Centre Antigua, a drug treatment facility founded in 1998 that the festival raises funds for.
Pete posted the following statement on his social media channels:
"I’m so sorry to say that due to damage to my left foot, and subsequent issues with my balance, I cannot commit to travel to appear at the upcoming Crossroads Festival in Austin. I so desperately wanted to appear, and have battled to get in shape, and I am improving, but the long flights from London, and the jetlag on my return, would cause backtracking I really can’t afford.
I am making a $50,000 donation to the Festival cause from my charity Double O, and one day I hope I can accept Eric’s invitation to appear with him. He has now asked me several times. There has always been some issue, in this case it is my recovery from my knee replacement in February of 2025, and some complications.
I want to especially thank Derek Trucks and Susie Tedeschi for their offer to support me as my backing band. Wow! That is something I can only dream about, and maybe one day it will happen.
Meanwhile I will keep working on getting well so I can work with Roger and The Who in future."
For more information on the 2026 Crossroads Guitar Festival, please visit crossroadsguitarfestival.com.
Pete Townshend and The Who in Toronto, September 2025. Photo credit: Ann Pearce
