The Who’s Roger Daltrey has instructed followers he is going “blind” whereas performing dwell at a charity live performance.
The 81-year-old lead singer was performing alongside his bandmate Pete Townshend on Thursday within the first of a sequence of gigs at London’s Royal Albert Corridor in support of the Teenage Most cancers Belief.
Daltrey instructed the 5,000-strong viewers: “The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind.
“Luckily, I nonetheless have my voice.”
He went on to say if he lost his voice too, he’d have a “full Tommy” – referring to the title character of The Who’s 1969 album. “Deaf, dumb and blind child” Tommy can be talked about in Pinball Wizard from the identical document.
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Pic: PA
Daltrey has lengthy worn purple-tinted glasses when out and about.
Throughout a later track at Thursday’s gig, Daltrey’s voice cracked, which he known as a “senior moment”, earlier than including: “No apologies, I f***** up.”
Guitarist Townshend, 79, additionally revealed an age-related ailment, saying: “Four and a half weeks ago, I had my left knee replaced.”
He stated he had accomplished it by dancing within the fashion of Sir Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, who is 2 years his senior.
Daltrey is stepping again from his function as curator of the Teenage Most cancers Belief’s Royal Albert Corridor live shows, having launched the sequence in 2000.
Nevertheless, he’ll stay an honorary patron of the charity.
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The belief will now work with a sequence of visitor curators, with The Remedy’s Robert Smith introduced as the primary musician to supervise duties subsequent yr.
Daltrey and Townshend have been performing collectively for six a long time, and are the one surviving unique members of The Who.
With hits together with I Cannot Clarify, My Era and Substitute, The Who’re broadly thought-about to be some of the influential rock bands of the twentieth century.
The Who will return to the Royal Albert Corridor for an additional gig in support of Teenage Most cancers Belief later as we speak.