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The Who are back on the road, hitting 17 cities across North America in a tour with the band’s longtime frontman, Roger Daltrey. Pete Townshend, who turned 80 in May, admitted that touring can be lonely for him at this stage in his life, despite the band’s “phenomenal” fanbase and long history.

“You can be on the road and think, ‘This is my job, I’m happy to have the work, but I prefer to be doing something else,” Townshend said during a recent interview. “And then I think, ‘Well, I’m 80 years old. Why shouldn’t I revel in it? Why shouldn’t I celebrate? “

The Who guitarist recognized the gratitude he felt for being on stage while also understanding how tiring a long tour could be after the decades of music-making he’s done. Although The Who is not going away anytime soon, Townshend described the band as something larger than the band itself. “It’s a brand rather than a band,” he added. “Roger and I have a duty to the music and the history. The Who still sells records — The Moon and Entwistle families have become millionaires, bless them. There’s something more though: the art, the creative work, is when we perform it. We’re celebrating. We’re a Who tribute band.”

Moon was The Who’s late drummer, and Entwistle was the band’s bassist. For Townshend, there is an undeniable question when on stage at a time when he is also reflecting on the second act of his life. “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 concluded. “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.”

In other words, Townshend is no stranger to those songs being played while also looking forward to some surprises during a tour that he acknowledges may be the last for The Who.

Roger Daltrey Discusses ‘Grueling’ Tour, Retirement Plans

Last month, while on tour with Townshend, Roger Daltrey revealed an update about his health to the audience at the Teenage Cancer Trust charity event in London. “Fortunately, I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” he said at the event. Tommy is the title character in The Who’s 1969 rock opera by the same name. Continuing the song quote, Daltrey said, “Deaf, dumb, and blind kid.”

In a Times interview published earlier this month, Daltrey, who also turns 80 this year, was more open about what the future may hold for the band. His comments suggested that this could be the final tour for the group. “This is certainly the last time you will see us on tour,” he said. “It’s grueling.“

He also noted how much work he put into singing Who songs night after night during the band’s busiest period. “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 continued. “Eighty is the age where you can’t do that.”

Asked about the possibility of future solo concerts, Daltrey expressed doubt about a return to touring. “As to whether we’ll play [one-off] concerts again, I don’t know. The Who to me is very perplexing,” he said. Daltrey also commented on how he was still enjoying performing, though.

“My voice is still as good as ever,” he said. “We’ll be playing in smaller places in the future where we can still look after ourselves and enjoy doing it.“