The Who’s relationship with Zak Starkey appears to be entering yet another unlikely chapter. More than a year after the band fired, briefly reinstated and then fired its longtime drummer again, frontman Roger Daltrey says Starkey has rehearsed with the group for a possible return to the stage in Europe.
Daltrey revealed the development during his Aug. 26 solo show at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas, saying the Who recently played with Starkey in preparation for a potential European leg of its The Song Is Over farewell tour. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Daltrey said the rehearsal “sounded great.”
Starkey subsequently shared the review on Instagram, adding his own vote of confidence: “Nice one Rog. Lookin forward to tearin it up with the Who again. The rehearsal was great.. I don’t think we’ve ever rehearsed as tough as that. Usually we drink tea and talk about what time we’re going home!” He elaborated in a statement to Rolling Stone, “We rehearsed for an afternoon and were absolutely on fire. I’m so happy to be back playing the music I love with people I love. It’s good to be home.”
That would seem to put a remarkably upbeat spin on a saga that became one of rock’s stranger personnel dramas of the past year. Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr who had spent nearly 30 years behind the kit for the Who, was initially dismissed following the band’s March 30, 2025, Teenage Cancer Trust benefit at London’s Royal Albert Hall. He was then reinstated days later, only to be let go again in May, with Daltrey solo band drummer Scott Devours stepping in for the band’s North American farewell tour.
In an interview earlier this year with SPIN, Starkey spoke about the Who with unmistakable affection, still instinctively referring to the band as “we” despite the recent split. “I talked to Roger on Friday, and I texted Pete last night,” he said. “We never stopped our relationship. Even for all that crazy shit that went down, we were still friends through it.”
He also made clear just how much he missed the gig. “They’re the greatest rock and roll band in the world,” Starkey said. “They never play anything twice. It’s all improvisation. There’s just no other band like that.”
The Who has not performed since October 2025. Daltrey has nevertheless made clear that the band’s goodbye isn’t necessarily finished: he recently told the Arizona Republic that they had rehearsed because they still wanted to say goodbye to audiences in Europe and other countries where the Who had enjoyed success.
