Rock music titans The Who came together on Friday night (April 15th 2022) to perform a special orchestral performance of their song “Behind Blue Eyes”, recorded last month at the Royal Albert Hall and broadcast on The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert.
The largely acoustic rendition of the classic song comes in support of the Teen Cancer America organisation. For whom the band play an annual benefit gig from the Royal Albert Hall spanning over 7 days. This year the band were joined by other such stars as Yungblud, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, Wild Things, Madness, Paul Weller and more. Watch The Who roll back the years down below:
The specialist charity (founded by the frontman Roger Daltrey) also operates here in the UK, providing care and engagement with young people affected by cancer, as well as driving their message through Westminster via vital policy work. Spread across Great Britain, their cancer units give help to teenagers in need of treatment in the right environment. Described here as; “places where young people can be themselves, have the comforts of home while going through treatment, and meet others their age facing cancer so they feel less alone. It’s hospital that doesn’t feel like hospital.”
Aside from their generous charitable work, The Who are lining up a two-part American tour next week titled; ‘The Who Hits Back’. Roger Daltrey shared his excitement for their return to the stage, saying; “Pete and I said we’d be back, but we didn’t think we’d have to wait for two years for the privilege. This is making the chance to perform feel even more special this time around. So many livelihoods have been impacted due to COVID, so we are thrilled to get everyone back together – the band, the crew and the fans. We’re gearing up for a great show that hits back in the only way The Who know how. By giving it everything we got.”
Announcements for the tour have followed the band’s guitarist Pete Townshend and Daltrey seeming to agree that another album may not be on the cards. The former explained; “As far as a new record, it does take quite a lot of time to put together the 20 or 30 songs that are needed for both Roger [Daltrey] and I and any producer that we might be working with to cherry-pick the ones that fit the times. But our process is the old-fashioned way, and it does take a lot of time. So I don’t know, but I am optimistic. And I’m certainly full of ideas.”
If you would like to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust in support of their cause, you can do so here.
