The End of REO Speedwagon's Road

I devoted the summer of 2019 to listening to and writing about Champaign, Illinois' own REO Speedwagon. It was an eye-opening journey through a complex and inspiring history, and one that ended with me seeing them in concert for the first time.

They've played nearby a couple of times since then, but I haven't ventured out for various reasons. Then I saw that they were playing right here in my hometown in early November. I looked into tickets right away, but I didn't end up buying one, partly because they were quite expensive, but mostly because Ticketmaster wouldn't let me buy a ticket for just one seat! I figured I'd wait until the day of and see what offers were out there.

Then, in mid-September, came the news. The band released a statement revealing that they would cease touring - and though it wasn't stated, cease to be a band - effective January 1, 2025.

In digging further into this announcement, I learned that founding member Neal Doughty retired in January 2023 and was replaced by Derek Hilland, a touring member of Iron Butterfly, Whitesnake, Foreigner, and a longtime member of Rick Springfield's band. This broke an impressive 33-year streak in which REO Speedwagon had no line-up changes. 

Then, in November 2023, bassist Bruce Hall (a member of the band since 1978), announced he was taking a leave of absence in order to have back surgery. He was replaced by Matt Bissonette, a musician who has played with David Lee Roth, Rick Springfield (again!), and Elton John. Hall hoped to be back for the band's summer 2024 dates, but when those shows came around, Bissonette was still on bass.

Then came the statement.

To our fans: Bruce has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now. If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it’s not up to just him. The consensus opinion was that he had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect. Bruce respected that opinion and is grateful that Matt has been around to keep the Wagon rolling through the summer tour. Bruce never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans, and crew he has loved for almost 50 years.

For Kevin’s part, he too has never had any intention of leaving the band, and the fans and crew mean the world to him, as well.

Due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin. So, it is with great sadness that we announce REO Speedwagon will cease touring effective January 1, 2025. Neal, Kevin, and Bruce thank their fans for all their years of loyal support and for giving back to the band such wonderful memories that will remain with each of them forever.

There's a lot to unpack in these few sentences, but two things stand out to me. One is that Cronin and Hall couldn't reconcile this situation after 46 years being bandmates. The other is that the statement doesn't mention drummer Brian Hitt or guitarist Dave Amato, who have both been with REO for over 30 years. To add insult to injury, the statement was accompanied by a picture of the classic Gratzer-Hall-Cronin-Richrath-Doughty line-up circa Hi Infidelity.

I can't say I'm sad. It was clear the band never planned to record new music again, and the prospect of Kevin Cronin continuing to tour under the REO name with a bunch of replacement players was a grim one.*** That's why I definitely won't be attending the concert here in November, and why I'm glad they recognized that it really was time for them to fly. 

*

Before you fly, check out the full complement of 3 Minutes, 49 Seconds REO Speedwagon write-ups:

The Summer of Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon (1971)

R.E.O. / T.W.O. (1972)

Ridin' the Storm Out (1973)

Lost In a Dream (1974)

This Time We Mean It (1975)

R.E.O. (1976)

Live - You Get What You Play For (1977)

You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish (1978)

Nine Lives (1979)

Hi Infidelity (1980)

Good Trouble (1982)

Wheels Are Turning (1984)

Life As We Know It (1987)

The Hits (1988)

The Earth, a Small Man, His Dog, and a Chicken (1990)

Building the Bridge (1996)

Find Your Own Way Home (2007)

The Summer of Speedwagon: A Final Reflection

***ADDENDUM, December 2024:

The plot thickens. Kevin Cronin will be going "solo" and touring with all of the REO replacement players.

In an interview with Billboard Cronin revealed that it was not his choice to end REO Speedwagon as an ongoing concern. "The simple answer is that REO Speedwagon at this point is a three-person partnership…and I have one vote." He went on to explain that Bruce Hall and Neal Doughty both preferred that Kevin not continue to tour under the REO Speedwagon name. 

As I made clear above, I totally agree with that. When you have less than half of your original members, it doesn't seem fair to keep using the original name.

The good news for those who want to continue to hear REO Speedwagon songs performed live, my guess is that the setlists for next summer's Kevin Cronin tour won't be any different from this winter's "REO Speedwagon" shows.