The Who announced a reunion with drummer Zak Starkey after resolving prior communication issues that led to his dismissal following charity shows in March. Band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey expressed their admiration for Starkey, who had faced health challenges earlier this year. Starkey was taken aback by the decision, especially since he believed he performed well despite personal difficulties. Townshend later suggested that logistical issues during performances may have contributed to the misunderstanding, emphasizing that no individual member was at fault.
"News Flash! Who Backs Zak!" the group's guitarist and co-founder, Pete Townshend, wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday. "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, who joined the band in 1996, spoke out about his blindsided departure, revealing that he "suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf" in January. "This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running..."
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.
In a social media post announcing their reunion, Townshend shared more details about their performance issues from those nights. "Maybe we didn't put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage..."
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