The Who's Roger Daltrey tells fans he's 'going blind' at Royal Albert Hall concert

Roger Daltrey told fans he’s “going blind” at The Who’s Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall concert on Thursday night (27th March).

At one point during the anthem-packed 22-song set, 81-year-old rock legend Roger Daltrey adjusted his in-ear monitors and said to the London Royal Albert Hall crowd: “The problem with this job is that you go deaf, and now I’ve been told I am going blind.”

Referencing the deaf and blind fictional character, Tommy Walker, from The Who’s 1969 album ‘Tommy’, Daltrey added: “Thank God I've still got my voice. If I lose that I'll go full Tommy."

Roger Daltrey revealed back in 2018 that he’s “very deaf” due to decades of exposure to loud music, and he relies on in-ear monitors and lip-reading at live shows.

“The trouble with these ear things that I wear is that I am very, very deaf. And I advise you all – all you rock-and-roll fans – take your f---ing ear plugs to the gigs,” Daltrey told fans in Las Vegas at the time.

“If only we had known when we were young... we are lip-reading. I am (still) lucky to be doing what I do - so thank you.”

The Who play a second Teenage Concert at the Royal Albert Hall concert on Sunday night (30th July) with special guests Level 42.

Thursday’s concert saw The Who roll out a plethora of classics, and kicked off with the quadruple whammy of ‘I Can’t Explain,’ ‘Subsitute,’ ‘Who Are You,’ and ‘The Kids Are Alright.’

Daltrey, who founded the Teenage Cancer Trust concert series in 2000 and has helped raise £34 million for the charity, also dedicated ‘I Can See For Miles’ to a 19-year-old woman diagnosed late with stage 4 Ewing sarcoma.

“To meet that woman, and the energy in her, knowing what she had, knowing she was having chemo over Christmas - what a wonderful way to spend it - but she was fantastic,” Daltrey said.

“She didn’t feel sorry for herself, she was determined that this charity has got to exist and the GPs that see teenagers all the time have got to recognise that early diagnosis in that age group is everything to them. It’s nothing to do with money - just do your job and recognise it.”

Guitarist ete Townshend also told the audience: “Great to be back at the Royal Albert Hall doing this Teenage Cancer Trust thing again. We couldn’t do this without you.

“We could try but it wouldn’t raise much money. As Roger was saying, it’s a really tough time for charities so it’s really great that you have come out.”

Other anthems performed by The Who included ‘My Generation,’ ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ ‘Baba O’Riley,’ and ‘The Seeker,’ and the night ended with a surprise acoustic rendition of 2006 track ‘Tea & Theatre.’

See photos of The Who’s first Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall concert:

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