Zak Starkey Is Back In The Who – Here’s Why

In one of the shortest band breakups ever, drummer Zak Starkey is officially back in The Who just days after news broke of his surprising dismissal. The drama unfolded quickly—and just as quickly, it seems to be over.

“News Flash! Who Backs Zak!” Pete Townshend announced in a new statement.

“He’s not being asked to step down from The Who. There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”

Starkey responded with a short and sweet post of his own on Instagram, writing:

“V grateful to be a part of the Who family. Thanks Roger and Pete xx.”

Wait, Wasn’t He Just Let Go?

Earlier this week, the band had reportedly parted ways with Starkey after nearly 30 years behind the kit. It followed their March 30 performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, where singer Roger Daltrey stopped mid-song to voice his frustration.

“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” Daltrey told the audience. “All I’ve got is drum sound: boom, boom, boom. And I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry, guys.”

Starkey later said in a statement that his bandmates had brought “formal charges of overplaying” against him after that performance. He also revealed he’d recently recovered from blood clots in his right calf but insisted it didn’t affect his drumming.

“After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do? Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”

Townshend Admits There Were Missteps

In his statement, Townshend owned up to part of the problem. He’d recently undergone full knee replacement surgery and admitted it affected his own playing during the show.

“I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely… Wrong!”

He also pointed out other technical challenges:

“Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with. Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.”

Moving Forward—with a Little Humor and a Lot of Heart

While Starkey is back with The Who, Daltrey’s upcoming solo gigs will feature drummer Scott Devours, who many believed was stepping in permanently. Townshend addressed that rumor too:

“I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”

Despite the whirlwind, Townshend wrapped things up on a positive note:

“We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.”

So after one of rock’s most unexpected shakeups, The Who—and their drummer—are back on the same page. For now, it’s full steam ahead.