Starkey was fired abruptly a month ago and then reinstated publicly
The Who has fired longtime drummer Zak Starkey for the second time within a month. The band’s founding guitarist and vocalist Pete Townshend shared the news on his social media on Sunday (May 18th).
“After many years of great work on drums from Zak, the time has come for a change,” he writes. “A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours, who has worked with [frontman] Roger’s [Daltrey] solo band, will join The Who for our final shows. Please welcome him.”
“The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success . We both wish him all the luck in the world,” the band shares in a joint statement. “Scott Devours – Who fans will know him from Roger’s solo shows – will be replacing Zak. We hope all our fans will welcome him.”
Starkey, who is less than pleased about the situation, shared his own message.
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endeavors this would be a lie,” he states on Instagram. “I love The Who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox.'”
In mid April, Starkey was apparently dismissed from the band after some tension rose on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London in March. However, Townshend stated the firing was a misunderstanding and the band had reinstated him on the skins. It’s unclear what led to the band’s decision to replace Starkey.
On May 8th, Townshend and Daltrey announced that The Who would play its farewell tour of North America this fall. Aptly titled, The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour (named after the Who’s 1971 classic song), the run kicks off on August 16th in Florida.
The Who continued to thrill US fans throughout the 1970s before undertaking their first “farewell” tour in 1982, which featured two shows at the legendary Shea Stadium in New York. When the band returned to the road in the late 1990s and early 2000s perhaps one of their greatest performances was at The Concert For New York City at Madison Square Garden shortly after the terror attack of 9/11, their three-song set in front of emergency workers and first responders was met with a primal roar from an audience. When Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were given the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2008 for their contributions to American culture, a tribute performance of “Baba O’Riley” was delivered with a full choir of New York firefighters in gratitude for The Who’s performance at the show.
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