Agitated waters in the WHO house

On the eve of the farewell tour controversy between Roger and Pete and the bad mess of the drummer

ROger Daltrey does not want to be on tour with a Pete Townshend “halved” and not very enthusiastic. Apparently the relationship between the two members of Whoho He taught himself before their last tour.

The authors of “Pinball Wizard” have just announced their last tour in North America. The tour, entitled “The Song is over North America Farewell Tour“, He will start on August 16 at the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida and will end on September 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Now the farewell has been anticipated to the European League (which will start right from Italy with the Padua concert of 20 July, followed by that of Milan of 22).

A few months after the tour, the Frontman Roger Daltrey said he was bewitted from the recent declarations of the guitarist Pete Townshend who declared at the Sunday People: “The Who went on a little too long with the death of two of us. Sometimes you feel as if you were hunting to a dead horse”.

Roger, as reported by the Eden Confidential column of the Daily Mail, for his part he said: “If Pete does not want to go on tour, I don’t want, at 81 years old, to return with the Who on tour with someone who does not want to be there – if this is what he is saying. I will not do it with someone who does not want to do it. But, you know, everything has his day and was a wonderful journey”.

The other question concerns relations with the drummer. It was thought that Zak Starkey He had been fired from the group after almost 30 years following a disagreement on his performance in a show at the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity association in March.

However Starkey was reinstated within a few days and Pete said in a press release: “There were some communication problems, personal and private by everyone, that they had to be addressed and who were happily addressed”.

But again suddenly a few days later (May 18), Pete confirmed that Zak will not join the couple for their last tour in North America.

He wrote on Instagram: “After many years of great work on the battery from Zak the time has come to change. A touching moment. Zak has many new projects in progress and I wish him the best”.

Already announcing Zak’s replacement directly: “Scott Devourswho worked with Roger’s solo band, will join the WHOs for our latest concerts. Welcome to him “.

With his great surprise and disappointment, the drummer then said he was fired two weeks after being “reinstated”, and that he would have been told to invent that he would leave the band (now a duo) because of other work commitments.

In a post, he wrote: “I was fired two weeks after the reinstatement and I was asked to issue a statement in which I said I left the WHOs to devote myself to other musical commitments”. “It would be a lie” said Zak – who is the son of the drummer of the Beatles Sir Ringo Starr – who confirms that he would never “leave” the Who.

He continued: “I love the Who and I would never have abandoned. So I did not make the declaration ….. Leaving the WHOs would also have disappointed the countless fantastic people who supported me (thanks to all a million times and more) during the weeks of chaos in which I entered and released and released like a fucking accordion”.

On his other projects, Zak said: “To clarify ‘other projects’, yes, I have other projects and I have always had them. (Sic)”. He then listed the groups he worked with, including Johnny Marr, Oasis, The Lightning Seeds, Mike Scott and his supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos. Zak insisted that Roger and Pete have never had “problems” to make him work with other bands.

“None of this has ever interfered with the Who – he evidently said furious – and it was never a problem for them. The lie is or would have been that I left the Who: I did not do it. I love the Who and all those who are part of it”.

The “Craft” has always continued via social media with the Who who reacted by posting and insisting on the concept: “The WHOs are retiring, while Zak is younger than 20 years and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to dedicate all his energies to make his work a success. Both we wish him all the luck of the world. (Sic)”

For now the question stops here. We will see if other developments arrive.