Pete Townshend Pulls Out of Crossroads Festival Due to Health: "Working on Getting Well" for The Who

Pete Townshend is “working on getting well” so he can play with The Who “in the future”, after pulling out of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival due to ongoing health issues.

Pete Townshend © Public Domain

The 81-year-old guitar legend has injured his left foot and is having trouble with his balance. He has been working hard to recover in time for the event, which is scheduled for 26 and 27 September at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. However, he says that flying from the UK would not be a good idea given his current health.

In a statement shared on Clapton’s X page, he said: “I’m so sorry to say that due to damage to my left foot, and subsequent issues with my balance, I cannot commit to travel to appear at the upcoming Crossroads Festival in Austin. I so desperately wanted to appear, and have battled to get in shape, and I am improving, but the long flights from London, and the jetlag on my return, would cause backtracking I really can’t afford.”

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Instead, Townshend has donated $50,000 to Clapton’s Crossroads Centre, a drug treatment clinic near St Philip’s, Antigua. He made the donation through his own charity, Double O, which supports addiction recovery groups.

He continued:

“I am making a $50,000 donation to the festival cause from my charity Double O, and one day I hope I can accept Eric’s invitation to appear with him. He has now asked me several times. There has always been some issue, in this case it is my recovery from my knee replacement in February of 2025, and some complications...I want to especially thank Derek Trucks and Susie Tedeschi for their offer to support me as my backing band. Wow! That is something I can only dream about, and maybe one day it will happen... Meanwhile I will keep working on getting well so I can work with Roger and The Who in future.”

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Ellis Douglas
Editor, BritRock Heaven