REO Speedwagon hits the brakes: the rock band will stop touring due to the group's “irreconcilable differences.”
The “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep on Loving You” group announced Monday that it would pull out of the tour on Jan. 1 because of bassist Bruce Hall’s back problems and singer Kevin Cronin’s recent departure from the band following emergency surgery. When Hall stepped away to undergo back surgery in November, bassist and vocalist Matt Bissonette, who has played with the David Lee Roth Band, Ringo Starr and the Roundheads and Electric Light Orchestra, stepped in. Hall later said the tour was challenging because of issues with his posture.
“Bruce [Hall] “Bruce was intent on getting back on the road now. If it were up to him alone, he would be back on tour… but it’s not just up to him,” the band said in a statement posted on their social media. “The consensus view was that he had not recovered enough to be able to perform at the level fans have come to expect. Bruce respected that opinion and is grateful that Matt is back on tour.” [Bissonette] has been there to keep things moving during the summer tour. Bruce never intended to retire or walk away from the band, fans and crew he has loved for nearly 50 years.”
In addition to Hall, 71, and Cronin, 72, the Grammy-nominated group currently includes original member and keyboardist Neal Doughty, 78, guitarist Dave Amato, 71, and drummer Bryan Hitt, 70. The group, which formed in Illinois in the late 1960s, was co-founded by Doughty, who announced plans to retire in 2023, and drummer Alan Gratzer, who left the group in 1988.
They were initially joined by vocalist/guitarist Joe Matt and bassist Mike Blair, but the band has had a revolving door of members over the past five decades. Cronin joined the group in 1972 and Hall joined in 1977 prior to the release of the band's 1978 smash hit album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish and 1980's best-selling album Hi Infidelity.
REO Speedwagon’s statement also said Cronin “never had any intention of leaving the band” because “the fans and crew mean the world to him as well.” Last week, Cronin announced he had to undergo emergency surgery, but vowed to “be back up and rocking” as soon as his doctors cleared him. (“Until then, I’m 100% focused on recovering,” he wrote on the band’s website Saturday.)
But his promise seemed short-lived, given the group's opinion of their current situation, which included this explanation:
“Due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin. Therefore, it is with great sadness that we announce that REO Speedwagon will cease touring as of January 1, 2025,” the statement read. “Neal, Kevin and Bruce thank their fans for all of their years of loyal support and for giving the band back such wonderful memories that will remain with each of them forever.”
REO Speedwagon is scheduled to resume performances this fall, beginning with a show in Rancho Mirage on Sept. 27 and concluding with a Nov. 23 show in Lexington, Kentucky, according to the band's website. It's unclear if anyone else will replace Cronin.
REO Speedwagon wrapped up its Summer Road Trip tour alongside pop-rock band Train last week after being forced to cancel final shows in Chula Vista on Sept. 10 and Phoenix on Sept. 11 due to Cronin's illness. Cronin said Saturday that “2024 has been equal parts joyful and challenging, and while I didn't make it to the finish line, I loved the journey. The Summer Road Trip with Train and REO Speedwagon was a brave idea and an incredible success story.”
Train opened the final two shows of the tour with REO Speedwagon’s “Keep on Loving You”; Yacht Rock Revue, who performed on the final dates, covered REO’s “Roll With the Changes” in their set.
