Paul McCartney and Nile Rodgers have thanked The Who‘s Roger Daltrey for his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust – watch their message below.
This year’s edition of the TCT series kicked off at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where the charity brought a week’s worth of gigs courtesy of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Chemical Brothers and more.
The Who frontman rounded off the series this year last night (March 24) with his final gig for TCT after confirming that he would be stepping down as the curator for the Teenager Cancer Trust concert series this year. He has curated the charity gigs for 24 years.
To mark the occasion, Paul McCartney and Nile Rodgers sent a video message thanking Daltrey for his work with the non-profit organisation. McCartney introduced himself as “Paul here, your friend of a million years,” before going on to include a song in his speech.
“Thank you for your 24 years of incredible service to Teenage Cancer. You’ve made so many kids happy and healthier and all of us connected with it want to thank you, so much,” he began. “So what we say is… [sings] thank you Roger, thank you so, you’re a hero and you better know… That’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
Watch McCartney and Rodgers’ speech below:
#SirPaulMcCartney and #NileRogers thank #RogerDaltrey for his work with Teenage Cancer Trust over the past 24 years 🎉@TeenageCancer ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6uWGWhvdLB
— C a i t l i n (@CaitlinBuller) March 25, 2024
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Rodgers also thanked Daltrey, saying: “It’s Roger’s last year curating these amazing gigs for Teenage Cancer Trust, and what an incredible 24 years it’s been, showcasing the biggest names in music and comedy for a brilliant cause – 600 hours of live music, reunions, supergroups, and of course rock n roll.
“All inspired by Roger, supported by his friends in the music industry, artists and of course the fans … we’ve seen tonight the impact that support can make to ensure no young person faces cancer alone. Roger, on behalf of everyone who has been a part of these shows over the years … a heartfelt thanks to you.”
The Who opened the TCT’s series this year with a huge orchestral show, with revised arrangements of tracks such as ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘Overture’ and ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ from 1969 rock opera ‘Tommy’.
Eddie Vedder also joined them to perform ‘The Punk And The Godfather’ from their 1973 album ‘Quadrophenia’. Vedder would go on to invite his daughter Olivia and Glen Hansard as special guests for his show on March 24.
During last night’s ‘Ovation’ gig, Paul Weller also invited the band on stage to play a live rendition of ‘So Sad About Us’.
NME spoke to Daltrey in March 2023 about his work for the TCT, where he said the money raised had funded 29 age-specific specialist units in NHS hospitals across the UK. “We’ve done remarkably well, but it’s not to say we can’t do better,” he explained.
Daltrey will still be an Honorary Patron of the charity, despite stepping down as curator of its annual concert series.