The Who and drummer Zak Starkey have made up.
News the band had parted ways with their longtime touring drummer, son of Ringo Starr, came out on Wednesday, but now they’ve announced he’s back in the band.
“News Flash! Who Backs Zak!” Pete Townshend shared on social media. “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,” Townshend continued. “Roger [Daltrey] and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed. I take responsibility for some of the confusion.”
Problems between the trio seemed to come to a head at The Who’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows in London in March, with Townshend sharing the shows were “a little tricky for me,” due to his knee replacement surgery recovery.
“Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage,” he added, noting, “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.”
He then noted, “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.”
Starkey later shared The Who’s post on Instagram, adding, “V grateful to be a part of the who family Thanks Roger and Pete xx.”
The Who have two more shows on the schedule for 2025, both in Italy: July 20 in Padua and July 21 in Milan. Daltrey also has several solo U.K. shows on the schedule. A complete schedule can be found at TheWho.com.
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