Entertainment, Music - Army Times

Solo tour keeps Roger Daltrey’s voice ‘in shape’

Unwilling to let his pipes rust while hurdles for a Who tour are cleared, the band’s singer is striking out on his own.

The Use It or Lose It tour, Roger Daltrey’s first solo outing since 1985, starts in Vancouver Oct. 10 and hits 30 U.S. and Canadian cities before wrapping up Nov. 30 in Clearwater, Fla.

The rocker is targeting mostly theaters, with stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Baltimore and New York.

Daltrey, 65, has The Who’s vast catalog to draw from, in addition to his eight solo albums and countless collaborations and film projects.

“Being a solo singer does give me the freedom to do songs from my outside influences,” says Daltrey, who in the past has covered tunes by Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Queen. “I want to give people a good, fun night of music entertainment.”

“I’ve only ever toured solo to keep my voice in shape. Singers need to sing,” thus the tour’s name, he says. “I’m looking forward to revisiting (the solo songs). I’m not sure which ones will stand up live, but I’m confident that enough will.”

Daltrey has no qualms about tackling Who classics without guitarist Pete Townshend on board.

“I feel connected to all Who songs,” he says. “I am going to re-approach songs I haven’t sung for a while and hope they will be distinctively my own.”

Guitarist/singer Simon Townshend, a longtime collaborator and Pete’s younger brother, will join Daltrey on tour, along with guitarist and musical director Frank Simes, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button and drummer Scott Devours. Rehearsals will be rigorous, but Daltrey’s not going to fret over the set list, which he prefers to keep secret.

“What’s the point of worrying about it, right?”