"We may be older... but the music has more power and energy than ever," said Roger Daltrey at a press conference announcing the Who's plans for a summer tour, as well as a new live album. On June 25, the legendary British rock group will kick off a 20-date tour at Chicago's World Theater with a five-piece band, a departure from the near-big band that has backed them on recent tours.

''We're stripped back to the raw,'' said Daltrey of the new lineup, which includes Zak Starkey on drums and John ''Rabbit'' Bundrich on keyboards.

The Who [ tickets ]'s new disc, ''The Blues to the Bush,'' was recorded in several cities during their 1999 tour: ''We found this album under our fingernails,'' Daltrey said. Internet distribution will be exclusively through Musicmaker.com--which is sponsoring the summer tour--and available to fans by either downloading as many of the 20 songs they want or ordering a custom CD that will be mailed with liner notes and artwork.

Asked if the Who has plans to write and perform new songs, Daltry pointed out that, in concert, ''Bands say they're going to do a new song and half the audience goes to the bar or the toilet.'' But Townshend left that door open, saying that, while he wouldn't go into the studio to record new material, he would be open to working on songs that might come out of this tour, whether onstage or on the road. ''Roger and I have never written a song together,'' he pointed out. ''We're in our fifties and, if not now, when?''

While the Who will technically be touring with Jimmy Page [ tickets ] and the Black Crowes, they won't be on the same bill: the acts will be sharing a road crew and alternating nights at the same venues. ''It's a good way to get to know each other,'' Townshend said, adding that there will be some dates when the Who will be on the same bill as Page and the Crowes, including a stop at Madison Square Garden in October; these dates could not be confirmed. Tickets for the first leg of the tour will go on sale Saturday (4/15).