Tag: REO Speedwagon

There are concerts you never forget. For me, it was earlier this summer at Pine Knob. Kevin Cronin came out with his band, still giving everything he’s got, still singing the songs that defined so many of our lives. The show itself was amazing — Kevin sounded strong, the crowd sang every word, and you could feel the love in the air. But walking into the venue and seeing the marquee that read Kevin Cronin Band instead of REO Speedwagon was a gut punch.

It reminded me that my favorite band — the band that taught us how to ride the storm out and roll with the changes — wasn’t whole anymore. Bruce Hall was missing. Neal Doughty wasn’t there. Alan Gratzer wasn’t behind the kit. For a fan, that hurts. And it made me wonder if I’d ever see them truly together again.

Fast-forward to last Saturday, and suddenly there’s a flicker of hope. At halftime of the Illinois-USC game in Champaign, four members of REO’s classic lineup reunited. Kevin Cronin, Neal Doughty, Alan Gratzer, and Bruce Hall — back together for the first time since 1988.

Back on the very campus where REO Speedwagon first came together in 1967, they performed with the Marching Illini, ripping through “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” “Roll With the Changes,” and “157 Riverside Avenue.” Kevin introduced the songs while Bruce, Neal, and Alan played with the kind of spark that reminded everyone why these guys matter.

To hear Kevin explain it in his TV interview made it even clearer:

That’s the part that got me. Overcome whatever you got to overcome.

Because let’s be real: Kevin tried to carry on as The Kevin Cronin Band, even touring with Styx and Don Felder this summer. He gave fans his all. But without Bruce, Neal, and Alan, it felt incomplete. And for their part, Bruce and Neal made it clear they didn’t want the REO name used without all of them. The result was silence, separation, and a sense of finality when they “hung up their wings” last year.

But Saturday wasn’t silence. Saturday was music. It was laughter. It was REO Speedwagon, four-fifths of the band we grew up with, playing together again.

Neal was cautious, saying only, “You never know.” Alan added, “We can’t read the future, the magic ball.” But for a fan like me, those aren’t closed doors — they’re cracks in the window, letting hope sneak in.

And here’s the truth: our time on earth is limited. If there are fences to mend, mend them. If there are bridges to rebuild, build them. Gary Richrath is gone, and nothing can change that, but the rest of the guys are still here. They still have the power to bring joy to millions by being together again.

So let this halftime show be the spark. Pine Knob this summer was a reminder of Kevin’s passion, but Champaign this fall was something more: proof that reconciliation is possible.

I can only hope Kevin and Bruce patch things up, that Neal and Alan feel the pull again, and that somewhere down the road, the marquee doesn’t just say Kevin Cronin Band but REO Speedwagon.

Because the music deserves it. The fans deserve it. And honestly — after all these years — so do they.

Don’t let the wheels stop turning now.