Zak Starkey reinstated as The Who's drummer after miscommunication
Zak Starkey is not departing The Who after all.
Zak Starkey is back in The Who after "some communication issues".
The Who - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend - have reinstated the drummer and after they requested he "tighten up" his "evolved drumming style" to suit their "non-orchestral lineup" upon his return, Zak "agreed".
In a statement published on The Who's official website on April 19, guitarist Pete penned: "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.
"Roger 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."
Pete admits he takes some of the blame for the "confusion" caused and admitted his recovery from knee replacement surgery hampered their recent pair of Royal Albert Hall Shows for Teenage Cancer Trust, while Zak made "some mistakes".
He went on: "I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!
"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."
The trio have put the mix-up firmly in the past.
"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."
And Pete has extended an apology to Scott Devours, who plays with Roger's solo group, for not shutting down speculation he was to replace Zak.
He continued: "As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in The Who and has always been supportive of the band.
"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."
The 59-year-old drummer parted ways with The Who after almost three decades together following their two Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall last month.
Reacting to the shock news, Zak admitted it left him "surprised and saddened".
He told The Mirror: "I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith’ has been the biggest honour and I remain their biggest fan. They’ve been like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.
"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? I plan to take some much needed time off with my family, and focus on the release of Domino Bones by Mantra Of The Cosmos with Noel Gallagher in May and finishing my autobiography written solely by me. Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”
A spokesperson for the 'Pinball Wizard' group previously said: "The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future."
According to Metro, during The Who's London show on 30 March, Roger stopped the performance multiple times and complained he was unable to hear over the sound of Zak's drumming.
Stopping the concert during the final track, 'The Song Is Over', the 81-year-old rocker told the audience: "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. I’m sorry guys."
