Zak Starkey Thinks He Can Come Back To The Who

Zak Starkey, longtime drummer for The Who and son of Ringo Starr, is finally sharing his side of the story after being fired, rehired, and then fired again by the band last month. In an interview with The Telegraph, Starkey says the whole drama started with a performance mishap—but it wasn’t his fault.

According to Starkey, things went sideways during The Who’s performance of the rarely-played The Song Is Over at the second Teenage Cancer Trust benefit show in London. “What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong,” he explained. “Roger [came] in a bar early.”

Taking the Fall for a Mistake He Didn’t Make

A week later, Starkey says he got a call from the band’s longtime manager, Bill Curbishley, telling him he was out. “Roger says you dropped some beats,” the manager reportedly said. But Starkey disagreed:

“I watched the show and I can’t find any dropped beats.”

He claims that Pete Townshend didn’t back him up, adding, “Pete’s had 60 years of arguing with Roger.” Starkey says he was brought back into the band only after admitting to a mistake he didn’t believe he made—but that didn’t last long. “I don’t blame anyone,” Starkey said. “I blame The Who because they’re unpredictable, aggressive and fucking insane.”

Maybe Not the Final Goodbye?

Oddly enough, Starkey says there may still be a path back. “I spoke to Roger last week and he said, ‘Don’t take your drums out of [The Who’s] warehouse yet in case we need you,’” Starkey recalled. “I said, ‘Best let me know.’”

For now, drummer Scott Devours—who plays in Daltrey’s solo band—has taken over the spot. The Who’s final U.S. tour kicks off August 16 in Sunrise, Florida.

Meanwhile, Roger Daltrey has just been knighted in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List.

The Who Tour Schedule

Check out The Who’s The Song Is Over Tour schedules below:

August 2025
Aug 16: Sunrise Amerant Bank Arena, FL (with Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters)
Aug 19: Newark Prudential Center, NJ (with Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters)
Aug 21: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA (with ZZ Ward)
Aug 23: Atlantic City Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, NJ (with Booker T. Jones)
Aug 26: Boston Fenway Park, MA (with The Joe Perry Project)
Aug 28: Wantagh Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, NY (with Feist)
Aug 30: New York Madison Square Garden, NY (with Feist)

September 2025
Sep 02: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON (with Tom Cochrane)
Sep 04: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON (with Tom Cochrane)
Sep 07: Chicago United Center, IL (with Joe Bonamassa)
Sep 09: Chicago United Center, IL (with Joe Bonamassa)
Sep 17: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA (with The Joe Perry Project)
Sep 19: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA (with The Joe Perry Project)
Sep 21: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA (with Candlebox)
Sep 23: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC (with Candlebox)
Sep 25: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA (with Candlebox)
Sep 28: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV (with Billy Idol)