The Mirror is reporting that The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have axed their longtime drummer, Zak Starkey. The rock legends made the decision to part company after their two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in March.
He has been The Who’s full-time drummer since their Quadrophenia Tour in 1996. A spokesperson for The Who said: “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.”
Sources claim the decision has upset Zak. An insider said: “It’s a little acrimonious to say the least.” Sources claim there were question marks over Zak’s drumming at the March shows, which were in honour of Daltrey’s Teenage Cancer Trust charity.
The shows over two nights featured a star-studded audience including Bill Murray, Sadie Frost, Paul McKenna and Tracy-Ann Oberman. Hollywood star Murray was pictured catching up with Daltrey backstage after the gig.
While fans gave the band a standing ovation, insiders claim there were a “few issues with the drumming….and the standard wasn’t as high as everyone wanted.”
But others believe Zak has been hard done by, and disagree. A source said: “He is an extremely talented drummer and it doesn’t make any sense.”
Read the full report at mirror.co.uk.
Sky News recently reported that Roger Daltrey told fans he’s going “blind” while performing live at a charity concert.
The 81-year-old lead singer was performing alongside his bandmate Pete Townshend in the first of a series of gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Daltrey told the 5,000-strong audience: “The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind. Fortunately, I still have my voice.”
He went on to say if he lost his voice too, he’d have a “full Tommy” – referring to the title character of The Who’s 1969 album. “Deaf, dumb and blind kid” Tommy is also mentioned in Pinball Wizard from the same record.
Daltrey has long worn purple-tinted glasses when out and about.
During a later song at Thursday’s gig, Daltrey’s voice cracked, which he called a “senior moment”, before adding: “No apologies, I f***** up.”
Guitarist Townshend, 79, also revealed an age-related ailment, saying: “Four and a half weeks ago, I had my left knee replaced.”
Read more at Sky News.
Roger Daltrey’s upcoming tour dates are listed below. For tickets, visit thewho.com.
April
20 – Brighton, UK – Dome (Sold Out)
21 – London, UK – The Palladium (Sold Out)
23 – Southend-on-Sea, UK – The Cliffs Pavilion (Sold Out)
24 – Wolverhampton, UK – University of Wolverhampton at The Halls (Sold Out)
26 – Dundee, UK – Caird Hall (Sold Out)
28 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
30 – Edinburgh, UK – The Usher Hall
May
1 – Gateshead, UK – The Glasshouse – Sage 1 (Sold Out)
4 – Manchester, UK Bridgewater Hall (Sold Out)
5 – Cheltenham, UK – Cheltenham Jass Festival
July
30 – Halifax, UK – Live At The Piece Hall
August
1 – Saffron Walden, UK – Audley End Estate
8 – Margate, UK – Summer Series At Dreamland
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He has been The Who’s full-time drummer since their Quadrophenia Tour in 1996. A spokesperson for The Who said: “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.”
Sources claim the decision has upset Zak. An insider said: “It’s a little acrimonious to say the least.” Sources claim there were question marks over Zak’s drumming at the March shows, which were in honour of Daltrey’s Teenage Cancer Trust charity.
The shows over two nights featured a star-studded audience including Bill Murray, Sadie Frost, Paul McKenna and Tracy-Ann Oberman. Hollywood star Murray was pictured catching up with Daltrey backstage after the gig.
While fans gave the band a standing ovation, insiders claim there were a “few issues with the drumming….and the standard wasn’t as high as everyone wanted.”
But others believe Zak has been hard done by, and disagree. A source said: “He is an extremely talented drummer and it doesn’t make any sense.”
Read the full report at mirror.co.uk.
Sky News recently reported that Roger Daltrey told fans he’s going “blind” while performing live at a charity concert.
The 81-year-old lead singer was performing alongside his bandmate Pete Townshend in the first of a series of gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Daltrey told the 5,000-strong audience: “The joys of getting old mean you go deaf. I also now have got the joy of going blind. Fortunately, I still have my voice.”
He went on to say if he lost his voice too, he’d have a “full Tommy” – referring to the title character of The Who’s 1969 album. “Deaf, dumb and blind kid” Tommy is also mentioned in Pinball Wizard from the same record.
Daltrey has long worn purple-tinted glasses when out and about.
During a later song at Thursday’s gig, Daltrey’s voice cracked, which he called a “senior moment”, before adding: “No apologies, I f***** up.”
Guitarist Townshend, 79, also revealed an age-related ailment, saying: “Four and a half weeks ago, I had my left knee replaced.”
Read more at Sky News.
Roger Daltrey’s upcoming tour dates are listed below. For tickets, visit thewho.com.
April
20 – Brighton, UK – Dome (Sold Out)
21 – London, UK – The Palladium (Sold Out)
23 – Southend-on-Sea, UK – The Cliffs Pavilion (Sold Out)
24 – Wolverhampton, UK – University of Wolverhampton at The Halls (Sold Out)
26 – Dundee, UK – Caird Hall (Sold Out)
28 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
30 – Edinburgh, UK – The Usher Hall
May
1 – Gateshead, UK – The Glasshouse – Sage 1 (Sold Out)
4 – Manchester, UK Bridgewater Hall (Sold Out)
5 – Cheltenham, UK – Cheltenham Jass Festival
July
30 – Halifax, UK – Live At The Piece Hall
August
1 – Saffron Walden, UK – Audley End Estate
8 – Margate, UK – Summer Series At Dreamland
Follow BraveWords on social media… Facebook page, Facebook Group, X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and YouTube.
Visit https://linktr.ee/bravewords
The post THE WHO Reportedly Fire Longtime Drummer ZAK STARKEY appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...