The Who is moving on … to the streets of New York City, that is.
The band has tacked its name onto double-decker buses that’ll be cruising around the city through Feb. 10 to promote the recently announced 2019 “Moving On!” tour.
The psychedelic pop-up bus, operated by Starline Tours, comes complete with a flower-power wrap-around exterior channeling the British band’s 1968 hit, “Magic Bus.”
The buses will be traveling across the city, making circular trips with stops through Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn, according to a release. Tickets for the hop-on, hop-off bus can be purchased at starlinetours.com, or in person.
But even if you don’t feel like shelling out cash to play tourist and hop on The Who’s bus, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for it. Those who spot the decorated ride and share their photos on Instagram or Twitter (and tag #MagicBusEntry) will have the chance to win two tickets to The Who’s tour, which stops at Madison Square Garden on May 13.
A full map of the buses’ routes and stops is available online, for those who want an extra edge in the competition. In addition to New York, the pop-up buses will be operating in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Along with the tour, The Who will be releasing a new album this year — the first packed with all-new material since the release of “Endless Wire” in 2006. A release date has not yet been announced.
The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have hinted this year’s tour may be the last. "I’m just being realistic about going through the 75th year of my life,” Daltrey told Rolling Stone earlier this month. “I have to be realistic that this is the age I am and voices start to go after a while. I don’t want to be not as good as I was two years ago.”
The Who is the second band this month to take over a New York City bus in a marketing ploy, mimicking previously successful transit takeovers featuring “Roseanne” and David Bowie, among others. On Friday, a Queen-themed karaoke bus picked up New Yorkers to celebrate the DVD release of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” flick starring Rami Malek as the band’s late lead singer, Freddie Mercury.
