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The Who aren’t just coming to America, they’re returning. This 17-date tour across North America finds Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend back on the road together. The legendary guitarist reflected on the loneliness of life on the road at 80 in a new interview. Daltrey is also thinking about the future, but is still very much in the present when it comes to the joy of being on stage with Townshend.

“It can be lonely,” Townshend told the Associated Press. “I’ve thought, ‘Well, this is my job. I’m happy to have the work, but I prefer to be doing something else.’ Then, I think, ‘Well, I’m 80 years old. Why shouldn’t I revel in it? Why shouldn’t I celebrate?”

Townshend is always eager to think of life on stage as anything other than a grind. He’s been there, done that for decades, but also knows there is more to it than that. Touring doesn’t just allow the band to connect with audiences as much it is also something that pays homage to The Who’s history. “It’s a brand rather than a band,” he continued. “Roger and I have a duty to the music and the history. The Who [still] sells records, and the Moon and Entwistle families have become millionaires. There’s also something more, really: the art, the creative work, is when we perform it. We’re celebrating. We’re a Who tribute band.”

As Townshend explains it, the Who “brand” carries a heavy legacy. Moon and Entwistle both died tragically young, meaning a lot of pressure has been on Daltrey and Townshend to preserve the music while also being creative in their stage work. Touring has the added effect of making Townshend think more deeply about life at this stage in his career. “It does whet an appetite to think about how we should bow out in our personal lives, what we do with our families and our friends and everything else at this age,” he added. “We’re lucky to be alive. I’m looking forward to playing. Roger likes to throw wild cards out sometimes in the set, and we have learned and rehearsed a few songs that we don’t always play.”

Townshend’s affection for the band is still present, even if he does find moments to himself. As one of the longest-running rock ‘n’ roll touring acts in the world, Townshend and Daltrey know more or less what to expect from the audiences they will play for over the next two months. He has admitted in the past that there can be a loneliness to touring, and no matter how routine the music is, it is still an opportunity to engage with the music.

Roger Daltrey: ‘The Who Are Not Going to Tour Again’

Daltrey has been on tour with The Who almost constantly since the mid-1960s, so it isn’t as though he doesn’t understand the appeal of the road. At the same time, it can also be taxing on a man in his 80s. Daltrey was at a Teenage Cancer Trust charity event in London at the start of the year when he reflected on the state of his health and the demands of touring to this day.

“Fortunately, I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” he said of the title character from the band’s 1969 rock opera, as reported by the Guardian. “I’ll be deaf, dumb, and blind, kid.” Not even a fan of “woo-hoo” was spared from the legendary singer.

Daltrey opened up more about his health and the future of the band with The Times earlier this month. It is always disheartening when a beloved band hits a point in their careers where they think that what is going on may be the last time audiences will get to see them in person. “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour,” Daltrey told The Times. “It’s grueling.”

Touring The Who’s music as an octogenarian is difficult. “In the days when I was singing Who songs for three hours a night, six nights a week, I was working harder than most footballers,” he told the paper. In other words, Daltrey was younger and better able to take the kind of abuse that playing this many shows a year will do to your voice.

Daltrey still isn’t sure when or if the band will play a one-off performance in the future. “As to whether we’ll play [one-off] concerts again, I don’t know. The Who to me is very perplexing,” he said. The idea of a Who reunion tour was not on the table when Daltrey and Townshend spoke about the future. “I don’t think Pete would be into it,” he said. “And if Pete isn’t into it, then I’m not into it. It’s as simple as that.”

Fans have been slow to buy up tickets for the current 17-date tour across North America. One can only imagine if Daltrey made it known that this would be the last chance to see him and Townshend as The Who together, then those seats would quickly be filled. At least for now, the concerts are still very much on. Daltrey also points out that he has nothing to worry about when it comes to his voice.

“My voice is still as good as ever,” he said. Daltrey may not know what the future holds but he can feel the band heading towards a point where they will retire from touring.

In the meantime, Townshend and Daltrey are as grateful as ever to still be alive. The Who will tour through April across North America and into the UK. As Daltrey and Townshend push on, there will come a time for the first time when fans will know the current tour is the last one. When that time comes, it won’t matter how many times fans have seen The Who or any other band. The shows will always be a reminder of what life is like for the musicians while being grateful to still be part of the live music world.