The Who to webcast concert for charity

Rock legends The Who , who are gearing up for a world tour behind their first full-length album of new material in 24 years, will make their entire Sunday (7/2) performance in London available via the Internet.

The show will be available as a digital download from TheWhoLive.tv at a cost of 99 cents, and all of the profits will benefit various charities supported by Who guitarist Pete Townshend's Double O charity, including the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (Parkinson's Research), the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (for underprivileged children) and the Robin Hood Foundation (which funds and supports innovative poverty-fighting organizations in New York City), according to a press release.

"No band has ever committed to webcasting live music from their entire show," Townshend said in a statement. "No band has promised that all profits from webcasting will be passed to charity. ... It is hoped that this world Who tour will generate an extraordinary seven- or even eight-figure sum for charitable organizations, and that Who fans everywhere can feel rightly proud that they are the principle benefactors in this circle of good will."

In addition to its availability on the Internet, Sunday's show--which is part of London's Hyde Park Calling Festival--will also air live at "select Hard Rock Cafes around the world," according to event sponsor Hard Rock International.

Throughout the tour, The Who also plans to make available via TheWhoLive.tv a filmed portion of every performance, as well as CDs and DVDs of every show, the profits from which will also be directed to Double O.

Last month, The Who launched a summer tour of Europe, which largely comprises festival appearances. Townshend, in an announcement posted at his website earlier this year, said that the tour's American leg would take place from September through December, and that a new album--the group's first since 1982's "It's Hard"--would surface "in the early summer." No release date has been announced, and the band's North American itinerary hasn't been released.

The Who last toured in 2004, shortly after the death of bassist John Entwistle.

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