Who May Be Forced To Retire
Pete Townshend\'s ear problems may force band to call it a day
The Who may be forced to retire due to Pete Townshend’s ongoing problems with tinnitus.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Townshend has revealed that the problem is so bad that the band’s show at the Royal Albert Hall on 30 March will be their last ever gig unless an experimental treatment that he is to undergo manages to solve the tinnitus.
He tells Rolling Stone Magazine "If my hearing is going to be a problem, we’re not delaying shows. We’re finished. I can’t really see any way around the issue.”
Townshend revealed that Neil Young had put him in contact with an audiologist who has recommended an in-ear monitor to help rectify the problem. However, if it doesn’t work then the band will be calling it a day following their London show next month.
The guitarist revealed that the problem had returned when he was working on the Who’s new album/musical Floss and that planned tours for 2010 as well as appearances at Coachella and New Orleans Jazz Festivals were scrapped as a result.