The big news about The Who is that the band has resumed it’s The Who Hits 50 50th anniversary tour, picking up the dates that were postponed when front man and legendary rocker Roger Daltrey was diagnosed with viral meningitis in September. The tour relaunched at the end of last month in Detroit to rave reviews, which have continued to follow the band along the tour circuit. There’s a lesser known side to the tour, though, and one that highlights the humanity some of rock’s biggest giants.
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The Who Speak to a New Generation of Music Lovers
Since the very beginning, Daltrey, Townshend and their bandmates connected with young folks – and that hasn’t changed as they’ve aged into grizzled seniors who can still rock with the best. Rock anthems like “Baba O’Reilly,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Who Are You?” and, most especially, “Teenage Wasteland” continue to resonate as strongly with Gen Z teens as they did with the teens of the ‘70s. Daltrey has a deft way of defining the combination of alienation and rebelliousness that doesn’t seem to change from one generation to the next.
But he also obviously has a strong connection to teens who are struggling with harder challenges, and that connection was evident during a recent show stop in Philadelphia, where the band announced that part of the proceeds from the March 14th show at the Wells Fargo Center would be going to support one of Daltrey’s pet projects – Who Cares Teen Cancer America. The Who lead singer, with the full support of guitarist Pete Townshend, has been donating to and working with the Teen Cancer Trust in the UK for more than a decade. Now, he’s expanded his philanthropy to the U.S. as well. In addition to making a contribution to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Daltrey and Townshend announced today (March 18) that they’ve made a $1 million donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to fund “The Lounge,” a space designed for teenagers and young adults undergoing cancer treatment. The Who Cares Teen Cancer America has also collaborated on about a dozen similar spaces in cities across the U.S.
Why Teens?
“Without the support of teenagers way back when,” he told local news in New York, “we wouldn’t be here. That was all founded on the support of teenagers. This is our way of saying thank you.”
The group, originally founded in the UK, aims to make sure that teenagers and young adults aren’t overlooked in cancer treatment centers, where the focus tends to be on adults and children. Their most visible effort is to provide recreational spaces for teens and young adults who are being treated for cancer. The rooms are comfortably outfitted and include video screens, game consoles, DVRs and computers, as well as art supplies, books, dry erase graffiti walls and a snack bar. Hospitals often host movie nights and game nights in them for their young patients.
“It’s about observing the patient and making the hospital experience as positive as possible,” Daltrey said at the Sloan Kettering Lounge opening.
In other words, it’s about listening to the kids – and that’s something The Who has always excelled at doing.
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