Zak Starkey Returns to The Who Days After Being Let Go: “We Move Forward Now”
The beat goes on. Just days after being dismissed, Zak Starkey is once again the drummer for The Who, ending one of the shortest and strangest shakeups in rock history.
Earlier this week, headlines flared with the news that Starkey — a mainstay behind the kit for 29 years and son of Beatles legend Ringo Starr — had been “let go” after a tense moment at the Royal Albert Hall. During the March 30 performance, Roger Daltrey stopped mid-song to complain he couldn’t hear the key over the “boom, boom, boom” of the drums.
That moment, combined with Starkey’s recent health issues — he revealed in January that he had suffered a blood clot in his right calf — appeared to culminate in his exit. His Instagram post sarcastically noted that Daltrey was “bringing formal charges of overplaying.”
But now, just days later, Pete Townshend has issued a full reversal, writing: “News Flash! Who Backs Zak!” The guitarist admitted that communication breakdowns and performance woes — exacerbated by his knee replacement recovery — had been blown out of proportion.
“We are a family,” Townshend declared. “This blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over.”
He praised Starkey’s willingness to tighten up his style for the band’s stripped-down lineup and took personal responsibility for failing to manage the narrative, including rumors that drummer Scott Devours was replacing Zak. “I owe Scott an apology… I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug,” Townshend added.
Starkey, for his part, kept things short and sweet, writing, “V grateful to be a part of the Who family. Thanks Roger and Pete xx.”
While Daltrey will still be performing his upcoming solo shows with Devours, The Who has put this particular rock ‘n’ roll soap opera to bed — proving once again that even in their 70s, they still know how to keep us on the edge of our seats.
