Pete Townshend's Tinnitus May Mean End of the Who
- Posted on Feb 19th 2010 12:00PM by John D. Luerssen
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Could Super Bowl XLIV have been part of the Who's last hurrah? Guitarist Pete Townshend is suggesting the end of the legendary rock band's 46-year run may be in sight because of his ongoing tinnitus troubles."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 told Rolling Stone in advance of plans to test a new in-ear monitoring system during the group's next gig, slated for London's Albert Hall on March 30. That show, a benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust, is the only event currently on the Who's calendar for 2010.
The painful ringing and buzzing in Townshend's ears has come and gone through the years and is blamed on the excessive volume he has endured during thousands of gigs. At Neil Young's suggestion, Townshend consulted an audiologist, who recommended an in-ear monitor that could prevent further damage. Townshend has plans to try the product out during the March gig, when he and Who vocalist Roger Daltrey will play 'Quadrophenia' in its entirety with their touring band.
"It's a good test of Pete's hearing," Daltrey told the magazine. "We won't know until we try."
- Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Holy Hell
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