Classic Rock Band Welcomes Back Longtime Drummer After Firing Him Twice: “It’s Good to Be Home”
Zak Starkey has rejoined The Who as drummer, ending a turbulent year in which he was dismissed from the band twice amid public disagreements with singer Roger Daltrey. The reunion, confirmed by Daltrey during a solo concert in Las Vegas, marks the return of a musician who had held the drum stool for around three decades, having stepped in for the band's original drummer, the late Keith Moon. The news matters to fans because Starkey has long been regarded as central to the band's live sound, and his exit last April had unsettled a fanbase that saw him as an integral part of The Who's identity.
Daltrey told the crowd that the band had been rehearsing and that Starkey "sounded great" behind the kit, having previously toured North America with replacement drummer Scott Devours. Starkey, who turns 61 this year, posted on Instagram thanking Daltrey and describing an intense rehearsal session, saying he was "so happy to be back playing the music I love with people I love" and that "it's good to be home." He did not address the details of the earlier fallout, instead focusing on the band's future, while fans online welcomed the news, with many calling him the rightful heir to Keith Moon's drumming legacy.
- Zak Starkey rejoins The Who after being fired twice in a year.
- Roger Daltrey confirmed the reunion during a Las Vegas solo show.
- Starkey says rehearsals went well and it's "good to be home."
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Zak Starkey is the drummer for The Who, one of Britain's best-known rock bands, formed in the 1960s. He has played with the group for around three decades, taking over the drum stool after the death of the band's original drummer, Keith Moon. Over the past year, Starkey's position in the band became uncertain after a public falling-out with lead singer Roger Daltrey led to him being let go twice.
The dispute unsettled fans, who see Starkey as closely tied to the band's live sound and to Moon's legacy, and it raised questions about the future of one of rock's most enduring acts. In his absence, the band toured with a different drummer, Scott Devours, while the disagreement between Starkey and Daltrey played out largely in public.
The story now centres on Starkey being welcomed back into the band, a development that matters to longtime fans because it resolves months of uncertainty about the line-up and the direction of a group with a history stretching back more than 60 years.