April 20 (UPI) — The legendary British rock band The Who announced that it has worked out its differences with its longtime drummer Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr’s son.
Musicians Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend said earlier this week that they were parting ways with Starkey after nearly 30 years of performing together.
“News Flash! Who Backs Zak! 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 [Daltry] 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,” Townshend wrote on social media Saturday.
“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?)” Townshend continued. “Wrong! Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the center 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 apologized.”
Townshend admitted he was surprised by how much attention the story got this week.
“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,” he added.
Townshend also took a moment to promote Daltry’s upcoming solo shows with his drummer, Scott Devours, who was rumored to be replacing Starkey.
“I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumor before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug,” Townshend said.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Who (@officialthewho)
