NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 30: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform onstage during the The Who – The Song Is Over – North American Farewell Tour at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
For the very final song of the Who’s two-hour concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden Saturday night, the band’s surviving members, singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, remained on the stage as their supporting musicians left. Together, the two gave an unplugged performance of “Tea and Theatre,” a deep cut from the Who’s 2009 album Endless Wire. With such lines as “We did it all/Didn’t we?”, “This story is done/It’s getting colder now,” and “All of us free/Before we walk from this stage/Two of us,” one can’t help but think they were referencing the Who’s storied career. It was a touching moment for both the band and the numerous fans of various generations inside the building.
This sense of finality comes as the Who are currently in the midst of what has been billed as their North American farewell tour, appropriately dubbed The Song Is Over, which is named after the track from 1971’s Who’s Next album. The Who are no strangers to goodbyes, as their 1982 tour of America was previously touted to be their last. Of course, that changed, and they continued playing in the States throughout the next four decades. But judging from the final two songs performed at the Garden show — the aforementioned “Tea and Theatre” and “The Song Is Over” — as well as Daltrey and Townshend reminiscing through their banter, this was pretty much goodbye.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 30: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform onstage during the The Who – The Song Is Over – North American Farewell Tour at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
At this stage of their lives, after more than 60 years together, Daltrey and Townshend still sounded sharp and feisty during the sold-out show that consisted of their best songs and more: from their mid-’60s Mod period (“My Generation” and “I Can’t Explain”) through the band’s concept works Tommy and Quadrophenia (“Pinball Wizard,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “5:15” and “The Real Me”). Sprinkled into the setlist were some of the most beloved songs from the band’s catalog that have since become staples of classic rock: “Who Are You,” “You Better You Bet,” “Substitute,” “Eminence Front” and the showstopping epics “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Reily.”
Backed by a strong cast of musicians, including Townshend’s younger brother Simon on guitar (who took a lead vocal turn on “Going Mobile”), Daltrey and Townshend were in fine form, showing flashes of their trademark stage moves — with the former swinging around the microphone and the latter doing his classic windmills. Particularly on “Love, Reign o’er Me” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Daltrey showed that he can still hit the dramatic and gritty high notes, while Townshend delivered with his jagged and angular guitar riffs.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 30: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform onstage during the The Who – The Song Is Over – North American Farewell Tour at Madison Square Garden on August 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Throughout the set, a large video screen behind the musicians presented clips and images of the classic original Who lineup that included the late John Entwistle and Keith Moon, further adding to the show’s sense of nostalgia and poignancy. The concert was a moment for the band’s New York fans to witness their heroes give it their all, as they’ve always done, for one final time.
The Who’s The Song Is Over: North American Farewell Tour continues through Sept. 28.
Setlist:
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Who Are You
The Seeker
Long Live Rock
Pinball Wizard–>See Me, Feel Me
Love Ain’t for Keepin’
Behind Blue Eyes
Eminence Front
My Generation–>Cry If You Want
You Better You Bet
Going Mobile
The Real Me
I’m One
5:15
Love, Reign O’er Me
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Baba O’Riley
The Song Is Over
Tea & Theatre
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidchiu/2025/08/31/the-who-bid-adieu-to-new-york-city-on-the-song-is-over-tour/
