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Legendary rock band fires longtime member after ‘huge fallout’ (reports)
@Source: syracuse.com
A legendary rock band has fired a longtime member after a “huge fallout,” according to multiple reports.
The Who, featuring singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, cut ties with drummer Zak Starkey, a band spokesperson told The Sun on Tuesday.
“The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall,” the spokesperson said. “They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”
According to Metro UK, Daltrey and Townshend were “upset” with Starkey, the 59-year-old son of The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, over his performance at two charity shows last month. The Who performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London to raise money for Daltrey’s Teenage Cancer Trust and were apparently disappointed with Starkey’s drumming.
“The standard wasn’t as high as everyone wanted,” a source told the Mirror. “He is an extremely talented drummer and it doesn’t make any sense.”
According to NME, Daltrey got particularly frustrated during a March 30 performance where he accused Starkey of “overplaying.”
“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys,” Daltrey reportedly said on stage.
Starkey had been The Who’s full-time drummer since 1996, when he joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group on their Quadrophenia Tour. Starkey contributed to The Who’s most recent albums, including 2006’s “Endless Wire” and 2019’s “Who,” plus multiple live recordings. He also performed with The Who at major events like the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2010 Super Bowl.
Starkey, 59, had taken a break from his other band Mantra of the Cosmos after suffering a blood clot in his leg in January, according to The Mirror. He’s previously performed with Oasis and other artists like Johnny Marr, the Icicle Works and the Lightning Seeds.
Starkey appeared to vent his frustration in a social media post accusing the group of wanting to “zak the drummer.”
“Heart today from inside source within whose horses nose that [Roger Daltrey] lead singer and principal songwriter of the group unhappy With Zak the drummer’s performance at the Albert hall a few weeks ago is bringing formal charges of overplaying and is literally going to zak the drummer,” Starkey wrote on Instagram.
A replacement for Starkey has not been named. Daltrey has more than a dozen concerts scheduled this year, including two tour dates with Townshend as The Who in Italy.
Daltrey, 81, and Townshend, 79, are best known for their work on The Who with hits like “My Generation,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” They performed at the original Woodstock festival and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
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