REO Speedwagon’s classic line-up reunited to perform with the University Of Illinois marching band last weekend. Watch the footage below.
The US band announced their break-up in September 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences” between frontman Kevin Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall. They then played their final live shows together last December.
Last Saturday (September 27), both Cronin and Hall were back together at the Champaign Memorial Stadium. REO Speedwagon had formed in the Illinois city back in 1966, though Cronin and Hall were not original members.
The pair played the halftime show for the University Of Illinois’ homecoming game against USC, as Stereogum reports. They were joined at the event by two founding members, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer.
Doughty retired from touring commitments with REO Speedwagon in 2023, and Gratzer departed the line-up in 1988.
Last weekend’s show marked the first time that all four members had performed together since Gratzer’s exit. Joining hundreds of members of the Marching Illini band, they treated the crowd to ‘Ridin’ The Storm Out’, ‘Roll With The Changes’ and ‘157 Riverside Avenue’.
The reunited bandmates donned personalised Illinois football jerseys, too. You can watch the brief set in full here:
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The members also gave an interview to WCIA News about their short “homecoming” gig. They said they were “a little out of our comfort zone” playing with “400 people, extra, in the band” – referring to the Marching Illini.
Gratzer said that being back with his former bandmates was “special, and it makes me happy”. When pressed on whether this would be their final appearance together, the band teased: “You never know.”
Watch the video interview in full above.
In December 2024, Cronin revealed that he “didn’t want to end REO Speedwagon”, explaining: “I just got outvoted and… have to stop calling it REO Speedwagon at the end of this year.”
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