The Who has welcomed its drummer, Zak Starkey, back into the band after it was reported Wednesday that they had amicably parted ways over Starkey’s performance. Yet, according to The Who’s guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend, it was all a misunderstanding. “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,” Townshend said in a social media post, posting a full statement to the band’s website. “Roger [Daltrey] 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. I take responsibility for some of the confusion.” Townshend claimed that he underestimated the band’s performance at Royal Albert Hall last month as he recovered from knee surgery. During the show, Townshend reportedly verbally admonished Starkey for his playing style on stage. “I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. Wrong!” he added. Starkey, son of The Beatles legend Ringo Starr, seemed to have no hard feelings over the miscommunication, writing on social media, “V grateful to be a part of The Who family Thanks Roger and Pete xx.”
