Rock legends The Who hitting Phoenix’s Ak-Chin Pavilion in October
Aug 29, 2022, 2:00 PM | Updated: 3:06 pm
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Another generation of Valley classic rock fans will have a chance to experience The Who in person when the iconic British band hits Phoenix this fall.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have added an Oct. 30 stop at Ak-Chin Pavilion to the fall leg of their Hits Back! North American tour.
Tickets for the concert go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday. Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, fronted by the former lead guitarist for Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, will open the show.
The Who came out of the British Invasion of the 1960s to stake a place alongside the Beatles and Rolling Stones among the most popular and important acts in rock history.
The band earned a reputation as a live powerhouse, including a legendary performance at Woodstock in 1969 and a crowd-pleasing Super Bowl halftime show in 2010.
Nearly 60 years after The Who formed, the group’s two surviving members, guitarist Pete Townsend and vocalist Roger Daltrey, and their touring band are still electrifying audiences with their deep catalog of hits and beloved album tracks.
The setlist for the completed first leg of the Hits Back! tour earlier this year regularly leaned heavily on cuts from the landmark rock operas “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia,” along with classic rock staples such as “Who Are You,” “Eminence Front,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Riley.”
According to concert database setlist.fm, The Who last played in the Valley in October 2013 at what is currently known as Gila River Arena. (The Glendale venue will be renamed Desert Diamond Arena later this year.)
The final months of 2022 are shaping up to be a busy stretch for classic rock concerts in the Valley, with The Who joining Sammy Hagar, Roger Waters, Stevie Nicks and Elton John.