Would you like nothing more than to pay loads of money to watch a man three years shy of retirement age earnestly singing "I hope I die before I get old"? Well, good if you do, because The Who are going on a big world tour.

The Who, or at least what's left of The Who, have announced their first world tour in 25 years. Fans at their concerts can expect to hear all of The Who's hits from yesteryear, although changed around slightly to sound a bit less ridiculous now they're getting on a bit. We're certainly looking forward to hearing the songs Behind Blue Cataracts, Who Are You (Come To Think Of It, Who Am I? Nurse!) and My Generation (Loses Bladder Control Quite Easily These Days).

For a couple of old bastards, The Who seem to have been newly invigorated by something or other lately. As well as headlining T In The Park last weekend, The Who have revisited the location where they recorded their seminal Live At Leeds album and will soon release a new single to whet appetites for WHO 2, their first new album in 23 years. And on top of that, The Who have just announced details of a rare world tour.

Of course, the original line-up of The Who won't be touring – it'd be a big crap if it was, since the rhythm section has been dead for a while now. So instead, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend will be joined by Pino Palladino on bass and Ringo Starr's son on drums for their jaunt, which starts with 17 dates across America. Pete Townsend stopped complaining about iPods long enough to put out this statement:

"For the first time in 25 years we are returning to the U.S.A. with great live music – the entire catalogue of our old stuff – and new music. We have a great new video show, a new mini-opera and plans to do some special shows with special themes."

What a sweet way to try and get The Who some new fans. We're sure the prospect of a video show will easily change the minds of those people who wouldn't otherwise want to pay hand over fist to watch a couple of elderly men play some songs from 30 years ago. And are we the only ones who find the phrase "mini opera" a little disconcerting these days?

Read more:

The Who Going Global - E! Online

[story by Stuart Heritage]