One legendary rock band from the 1970s appears to call it quits

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As a die-hard fan of classic rock bands that have soundtracked my life for decades, it’s always bittersweet to see another iconic group call it quits. REO Speedwagon, a band I first heard when my dad was playing their cassette tapes in our old Ford Pinto, is now hanging up its guitar straps after nearly half a century. The news hit me like a brick, but then again, I’ve been used to these blows since Aerosmith and Journey took a break.

Initially, Aerosmith chose to cease touring due to health concerns with lead singer Steven Tyler, who seems unable to sing as powerfully as before. Subsequently, Journey had to scrap their tour because internal legal disputes kept arising among the band members. Now, it appears that yet another iconic rock band from the 1970s has called it quits as well.

As a devoted fan, I’m sad to share that REO Speedwagon, a band I’ve long admired, announced in September that they would discontinue touring effective from January 1, 2025, due to unresolvable disagreements within the group. For accuracy, it’s important to note that their tours actually came to an end after the September 8 concert in Inglewood, California. Unfortunately, lead singer Kevin Cronin had fallen ill prior to the scheduled ending of their summer tour on September 11.

The problem with the band, it seems, isn’t Cronin’s illness, but rather the apparent dispute between Cronin and long-time bassist Bruce Hall. Hall hasn’t been joining the group for tours lately because he underwent back surgery in November 2023. It appears that Hall didn’t want to quit playing with REO Speedwagon, so it leaves one questioning what the real situation is.

REO Speedwagon appears to post on social media that it will cease to be

Hall and Cronin have been members of the band since its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although the group had produced albums prior to 1978, it was in that year they released their groundbreaking album titled “You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish.” This album featured popular tracks like “Time for Me to Fly” and “Roll with the Changes.

Although many of the bandmates from REO Speedwagon have continued their musical journey since the 1980s, the group itself hasn’t placed a song on the Billboard charts since 1991, and even that track didn’t make it very high up on the chart.

Through their social media accounts, REO Speedwagon shared the following statement: “Regrettably, disagreements have arisen between Bruce and Kevin that cannot be resolved. Consequently, with heavy hearts, we are sad to announce that our touring activities will come to an end as of January 1, 2025.

It wasn’t explicitly stated that REO Speedwagon stopped producing new music, but their last full-fledged studio album came out in 2007. They did put out a Christmas album in 2009, but if fans are waiting for a new regular album from the group, they might be just holding on to hope.

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2024-09-17 16:00