Pete Townshend tired of The Who being a circus act

Pete Townshend says that in order for the Who to record their new album and hit the road, some things needed to change. Townshend explained to The Ottawa Citizen that he and band co-founder Roger Daltrey needed to reinvent themselves for 2006, saying that, "I no longer want to do the circus act, mikes swinging, arms swinging, fools not being fooled, young men not dying before they got old etc. I love the old music, and I'm proud of who we used to be -- and part of us is still the same -- but I needed new music, new ways of saying the same old, same old."

Townshend says that the Who's concert audience respects the band's need to tackle their new music alongside their classic material on stage: "Most people want to see us happy, and to see how we've grown; we are to some extent their mirror. We do respect our audience, though, and will play a properly balanced mix of new and old music. If we feel that we have the balance wrong, we will fix it."

On October 31st, the Who will release Endless Wire, their first new album since 1982. In the current shows, the band are performing their new 15-minute "mini-opera" Wire And Glass. An edited version of Wire And Glass was released last month.

In addition to the new material, the Who are playing classic hits such as "I Can't Explain," "Baba O'Reilly," "Pinball Wizard," "Behind Blue Eyes," "You Better You Bet," "Who Are You," and many more.

The Who perform on Friday, September 15th, in Ottawa, Ontario at the Scotiabank Place. Tomorrow night, they'll be in Boston at the Banknorth Garden Fleet Center.
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