The Who Will Rock Detroit for Charity

The Who played their first U.S. concert in Detroit, and have held that part of the country close to their hearts ever since. Singer Roger Daltrey said, “Pete Townshend and I are very aware of the problems people are having in Michigan and fell we should give something back for all the support we have had over the last 40 years.”

Give something back is putting it mildly — the classic rockers will be donating all proceeds from their October 21 concert in Michigan’s The Palace of Auburn Hills to benefit Detroit charities Gleaners Community Food Bank and Focus: Hope.

Charity is nothing new for The Who. Back in 1976, they founded a charity called Double O to help with drug and alcohol damage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, music education, emergency relief for international disasters, and young people’s prison reform. More recently, they’ve been highly involved in raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), a charity that works to build specialist cancer units.

Daltrey explained that, “Seventy percent of young people with cancer still don’t have access to a TCT Unit… These units are a right, not a privilege. We all know that without teenagers, without their energy and their passion for music, we wouldn’t have rock and roll as we know it. It is out duty to fight for this group and give them a voice within the National Health Service.”

Who knew these aging rockers were so altruistic?

Photo courtesy of curiosidademusical.com