In 1971, the Who included a grand, majestic rocker called "The Song Is Over" on their classic album Who's Next; it's the last track on side one. Then they went 54 years without playing it live. On Sunday night, the Who did the second of their two Teenage Cancer Trust benefits at London's Royal Albert Hall, and they finally played "The Song Is Over" for the first time.
It took them a couple of attempts. As Rolling Stone reports, Roger Daltrey elected not to wear in-ear monitors for the Royal Albert Hall show, so he couldn't get through it on the first try. He told the crowd, "I can sing it in any fuckin’ key you want, but I need to be able to hear myself. It’s not your fault, guys. I just can’t hear." But then they tried it again, and the second attempt worked out fine.
Drummer Zak Starkey livestreamed the Who's rehearsals, so people presumably knew that "The Song Is Over" was coming. But the band didn't treat it like a big deal. It's kind of funny to see them starting it out with Pete Townshend playing while sitting down and with Daltrey holding what appears to be a mug of tea. Rolling Stone further points out that there's still one Who's Next song, Goin' Mobile, that the Who have never played live. Watch fan footage of "The Song Is Over" below.
