Roger Daltrey of The Who

A tip of the hat to Detroit from The Who

Concert earnings will go to 2 area charities

By Martin Bandyke

Free Press Special Writer

Key British invasion quartet The Who has soldiered on since the deaths of drummer Keith Moon in 1978 and bassist John Entwistle in 2002. Guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey are carrying on as the two surviving founding members. After what was billed as a farewell tour in 1982, the band has continued to play sporadic live dates, but has released only one studio album in the last quarter-century: "Endless Wire," which came out two years ago.

Recently, the Free Press spoke to Daltrey about a special show The Who will do Tuesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, one of only a handful of concerts slated for North America this fall. The band's rhythm section may not be as formidable now as in the days of Moon and Entwistle, but it won't be chopped liver either. Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) will be featured on drums and veteran session player Pino Palladino will be on bass.

QUESTION: All of your earnings from the show at the Palace are being donated to Gleaners Food Bank and Focus: HOPE. How did this all come about?

ANSWER: The Detroit area was the first major U.S. city to latch on to our single "Can't Explain" back in '65. You know you gave us our first hit record, and since then, we've got this soft spot for Michigan. We know that Detroit is a bit on the blue-collar side, and that's where we come from. With the car industry going through a hard time, we want to pay back a bit to our fans there and help people get through winter. That's why.

The Who 7:30 p.m. Tue. The Palace I-75 at Exit 81, Auburn Hills 248-377-0100 $39.50-$79.50

Q: What are your memories of your greatest moments onstage here?

A: The first Who concert in the U.S., where we played a whole show as opposed to doing just a few songs, was in Ann Arbor (June 14, 1967, at the Fifth Dimension Club, according to The Who's official Web site). That was our first real appearance in the States.

See THE WHO, 3G