The Who News: TCT Announces This Year's Lineup, The Who Touring New Version of Quadrophenia?

Teenage Cancer Trust has announced the line-up for its 11th annual week of music and comedy gigs at the Royal Albert Hall:

Monday 21 March: An evening of comedy with John Bishop, Kevin Bridges and Greg Davies
Tuesday 22 March: Squeeze and The Feeling
Wednesday 23 March: Biffy Clyro
Thursday 24 March: Roger Daltrey performs The Who’s Tommy
Friday 25 March: Beady Eye
Saturday 26 March: Editors
Sunday 27 March: Tinie Tempah

By the way, Beady Eye is Liam Gallagher's new band.

What jumps off the page is that Pete Townshend will not be performing. I have no idea who Roger Daltrey will use as his backing group. Will it be The Who's touring band of Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino and co. or will it be the band that Roger used when he toured in the fall of 2009, which featured Frank Simes and Pete's younger brother Simon, or will it be something entirely different?

I'm expecting some sort of combination with special guests. I would love to make the trip to London to see Roger sing Tommy, especially since it is for such a worthwhile cause. But does this mean without Pete Townshend someone else will play "Sparks?" Those are some big shoes to fill, it better be somebody good!

Daltrey said after the Killing Cancer show last month that The Who wouldn't be doing anything for a while. Pete Townshend's battle with tinnitus has been well-documented and reportedly has gotten worse. But then there is the report in the February 2011 issue of MOJO which says that The Who will be touring later this year with a new production of Quadrophenia and that the album is going to be re-released in expanded form this summer.

Some people on the message board of the band's website are saying that this might be the 5.1 version of Quadrophenia, but I recall reading in the last year or two that Pete had abandoned that project.

We'll see. I first saw The Who during their 1996 Quadrophenia tour. What great, great memories!