Zak Starkey joins The Who live
The Unlikely Reunion: How The Who and Zak Starkey Found Harmony After the Storm
The personal saga of The Who—a story filled with dramatic personnel shifts and emotional highs—is entering a fascinating new chapter. More than a year after the band faced significant turmoil regarding its lineup, frontman Roger Daltrey has revealed that longtime drummer Zak Starkey has recently rehearsed with the group, hinting at a potential return to the stage in Europe.
Daltrey made this revelation during his recent solo performance, describing the session as highly successful. He noted that the rehearsal, which occurred in preparation for a potential European leg of their The Song Is Over farewell tour, “sounded great.”
The backdrop to this development is a complicated history of musical drama. Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr and a fixture behind the kit for The Who for nearly three decades, had experienced a tumultuous period with the band, including being fired, briefly reinstated, and then dismissed in May.
This period of instability was punctuated by significant events, such as the March 30, 2025, Teenage Cancer Trust benefit, which marked one of the turning points in the band’s history.
Despite the professional upheaval, the bond between Starkey and the band remained deeply affectionate. In a previous interview, Starkey spoke about their history with unmistakable warmth, still instinctively referring to the group as “we” even amidst the recent splits. He emphasized that their friendship endured: “We never stopped our relationship. Even for all that crazy shit that went down, we were still friends through it.”
Starkey expressed his enduring love for the music and the band, stating that they are the greatest rock and roll band in the world, noting that their performance relies entirely on improvisation and has no equal.
The rehearsal itself provided a moment of pure, unadulterated joy for Starkey. Sharing his confidence on social media, he reflected on the experience with great enthusiasm: “Nice one Rog. Lookin forward to tearin it up with the Who again. The rehearsal was great… I’m so happy to be back playing the music I love with people I love. It’s good to be home.”
This positive interaction offers a wonderfully upbeat spin on a period that many considered one of rock’s most bewildering personnel dramas of the last year. As The Who prepares for their farewell, the renewed connection suggests that the final curtain call might be filled with unforgettable harmonies.
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