The so-called confusion came after a performance at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, during which frontman Roger Daltrey blamed Starkey for a miscued key change, telling the crowd that all he could hear was “boom, boom, boom”. The situation bubbled up earlier this week when the drummer took to Instagram to tell followers that he was about to “get the Zak”, adding that he was facing “formal charges of overplaying.” The band then made an official statement on 15 April confirming the 59-year-old had left the band. The decision was met with confusion by the wider music community, especially considering the various ties between Starkey and the band’s original drummer, Keith Moon. 

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Just as the ordeal seemed to come to an end, The Who did a U-Turn, reversing their earlier decision. Pete Townshend took to social media on 19 April, sharing a post which read “News Flash! Who Backs Zak!”. Less than three hours later, a full statement was released, clarifying the situation and telling fans “Zak is not being asked to step down from The Who,” and blaming the misunderstanding on a “breakdown of communication”.  

“There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” the statement read. Penned by Townshend, he shared that the March shows had been “tricky” for him too, following a knee replacement surgery, and asked himself, “Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?”

Starkey’s contribution to the band was praised, and Townshend had confirmed that the drummer agreed to “tighten up his latest evolved drumming style” for shows that didn’t feature an orchestra alongside the band. Having worked together for three decades, the guitarist said, “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.”  

The full statement was shared on Zak Starkey’s own Instagram page, with the drummer adding his own message. “Very grateful to be part of The Who family. Thanks Roger and Pete xx”.

 

 

 

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Townshend also took the opportunity to address rumours that began to swirl regarding a replacement, with Roger Daltrey’s solo drummer, Scott Devours, being heavily linked with a seat behind the kit. He apologised to Devours for not rubbishing the rumours sooner, adding that the drummer “has been hurt by this” and was owed a long drink and a hug.

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 Despite the reconciliation, some fans on Reddit are sceptical about the reasons behind it. One user wrote “seems to me like Pete had to step in to resolve it after so much support for Zak.” Regardless, Starkey is set to pick up the sticks for The Who once again for their upcoming shows in Italy.

Insiders quoted by The Daily Mirror claim that the split hasn’t been as amicable as the statement suggests, and Starkey himself made reference to tensions in an Instagram post on 12 April. The drummer joked that he was set for the “Zak”, and that “formal charges of overplaying” were set to be brought against him. The post also seemed to place the blame squarely on frontman Roger Daltrey. In an earlier Instagram post, Starkey shared a photograph of himself and guitarist Pete Townshend saying “What a guy”. 

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Starkey had been playing with The Who since 1996, when he joined them as part of the touring band for a live concert version of their 1973 album, ‘Quadrophenia’. During his 29-year stint, Starkey contributed to two studio albums, ‘Endless Wire’ and ‘Who’, and was described as being the best fit for the band after Keith Moon’s passing by both Daltrey and Townshend. Moon was friends with Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr, and was also Zak Starkey’s godfather, so he felt like a natural fit when he joined the group.   

The split appears to have stemmed from an incident on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. During the show’s finale, Daltrey apparently stopped ‘The Song Is Over’ mid-performance, telling the band and the crowd “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that.” This account of events was backed up by an X user, who said “Daltrey missed the key change and blamed it on the drums. Now he’s fired Zak Starkey.”

The abrupt separation has caused confusion, particularly given Starkey’s prominence in the band. At nearly three decades, the 59-year-old had been part of The Who for twice as long as Moon, becoming part of the furniture. Not only was the quick dismissal surprising, but so were the accusations of “overplaying”. The Who had a reputation for being one of the 60’s loudest and most rebellious bands, almost proto-punk, and Keith Moon once set off an explosive charge in his kick drum while recording a TV show in 1967.  

No replacement has been named, and the rumour mill is relatively quiet. The band’s touring lineup has remained relatively stable, however they will need to find a replacement before their two shows in Italy this summer. Starkey will be kept busy with his group Mantra of the Cosmos, the supergroup featuring Shaun Ryder, Bez, and Andy Bell. The group played the Cavern Club earlier this year, and released a single co-written with Noel Gallagher. 

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 Starkey was also the drummer alongside Gallagher in Oasis, playing with the band between 2004 and 2009. With less than 100 days until their reunion tour kicks off, fans are already speculating about whether we could see Starkey reunite with the band this summer.

In announcing the tour the singer stated that he wishes to “Take the audience on a musical journey through my career as a singer, with a show of songs and sounds that explores and surprises” 

The singer started his musical career as part of the band and co-founder of The Who formed in 1964. The original lineup of the band included the singer (Singer/guitarist), Pete Townshend (Singer/ guitarist), Keith Moon (Drummer) and John Entwistle (Singer/bass guitarist).

Moon sadly passed away on September 7th 1978 and the 43rd anniversary of his death was yesterday. Entwistle also sadly passed away on June 27th 2002. Following the sad deaths of both Moon and Entwistle, the singer and Townshend have vowed to carry on the band and have both managed to pursue solo projects whilst remaining in the band. 

The Who are famed for their debut single “I Can’t Explain” (1965), as well as singles “My Generation” (1965), “Pinball Wizard” (1979) and “Who Are You” (1978). The song is also the theme tune for the main US Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) series.

The singer’s solo career began in 1973 and he has since recorded 10 solo studio albums with his last album being As Long As I Have You released in 2018. The singers hit singles include “Giving It All Away” (1973), “Written On The Wind” (1977), “Free Me” (1980) and “Without Your Love” (1980).

The singer expressed that he missed touring during the Covid 19 Pandemic and said “This pandemic has brought home to me what an important part of me singing is and it’s made me determined to get back onstage asap. See you soon!”

The singer has promised to involve his audiences during the tour. The singer expressed that he wishes to have closer contact with his audience and also said “I look forward to having closer contact with my audience than festivals and arenas allow. Leaving time to chat.”

The singer’s tour kicks off in Birmingham on November 7th and will see him performing throughout the UK. Tickets go on sale on September 10th at 09.00 am.

Tickets on sale 9.00am BST Friday 10 September. Details athttps://t.co/PnJNuspeYC pic.twitter.com/maaj3IpLVK

— The Who (@TheWho) September 8, 2021

See Roger Daltrey’s Tour dates below. Tickets are available here

07/11/21 Symphony Hall- Birmingham
09/11 O2 Apollo- Manchester
11/11 Royal Concert Hall- Nottingham
15/11 London Palladium- London
17/11 Brighton Centre- Brighton
19/11 Cliffs Pavilion- Southend-on-Sea
21/11 New Theatre- Oxford
24/11 SEC Armadillo- Glasgow
26/11 O2 City Hall- Newcastle
29/11 Empire Theatre- Liverpool
01/12 Portsmouth Guildhall- Portsmouth
02/12 Bournemouth International Centre- Bournemouth

Tickets will go on sale Friday July 6^th for what has been dubbed ‘Who Hit’s 50’ as the godfathers of Rock ‘N’ Roll kick off their golden anniversary tour in November this year. Amongst other legendary rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, The Who have grown into antiquity after five decades of deserved fame with relentless hits pulling their music forward from generation to generation. Now their legacy is now believed to be heading towards its climactic end with the two remaining members talking about retirement.

“We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we’re lucky to be alive and still touring, if I had enough hairs to split I would say that for 13 years since 1964 the Who didn’t really exist, so we are really only 37.” Said Townshend when reminiscing about his history with the band.

Since they grabbed the attention of the teenage youths back in the swinging sixties, The Who have always been iconic and had it not been for the tragic death of Keith Moon in 1978 and the more recent death of bassist John Entwistle in 2002 the four original lads could have rocked their fiftieth together. Now only Daltrey and Townshend to play together with an entourage of touring musicians.

The last album that The Who produced with all original members was their famous ‘Who Are You’ which was released the same year as Moon’s death. After which three more albums were recorded, but the most recent entitled ‘Endless Wire’ being released in 2006,  twenty-four years after ‘It’s Hard’ in 1982.

This pause in music history had a bleak beginning markedly due to the ‘Cincinnati Tragedy’ which occurred on December 3^rd 1979 where 11 fans were crushed during the sound check at the Riverfront Coleseum.  Daltrey took a break from the band to work on his acting career and after the release of ‘It’s Hard’ Townshend fallen into depression whilst dealing with the reality that maybe his legacy was coming to an end, leading to a brief heroin addiction.

After finally playing at the Live Aid concert in 1985 – considered to be their reunion – Kenny Jones had dropped from the band, leaving only Daltrey and Townshend to carry their torch to the finish line.

It is with much sadness that The Who have begun to comment on retirement, but all good things must come to an end. Their legacy will always remain and in no doubt inspire the ears and minds of aspiring musicians to come, but perhaps for the last time ever fans of the world-wide critically acclaimed godfathers of Rock can see them play, as the veterans of a bygone age play their 50^th anniversary tour this winter.

You can buy tickets for the gigs here.

Tour Venues:

Nov 30^th Glasgow SSE Hydro
Dec 2^nd Leeds First Direct Arena
Dec 5^th Nottingham Capital FM Arena
Dec 7^th Birmingham NIA
Dec 9^th Newcastle Metro Arena
Dec 11^th Liverpool Echo Arena
Dec 13^th Manchester Phones 4u Arena
Dec 15^th Cardiff Motorpoint
Dec 17^th London O2