On Saturday (December 21), REO Speedwagon performed their final concert at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some video from the show can be viewed below.
Back in September, REO Speedwagon announced that they "will cease touring effective January 1, 2025." The band shared the following message via social media on September 16:
"To our fans: [Bassist] Bruce [Hall] has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now [he underwent back surgery last November]. 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 [Bissonette] 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."
Kevin Cronin then opened up on the end of REO Speedwagon, and according to Billboard, he wants to make it perfectly clear that ending the band was not his idea, or desire. But he’s also “really excited” to still be riding the storm out, but under his own name.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see this coming,” Cronin - who will make his solo debut on January 25 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and will be part of next summer’s Brotherhood of Rock tour with Styx and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder - tells Billboard in his first interview about the situation. “I didn’t want to end REO Speedwagon. This is sad, and I would do anything in my power to continue (as) REO Speedwagon. I never quit the band; I never will quit the band. I just got outvoted and…have to stop calling it REO Speedwagon at the end of this year.”
Read more at Billboard.com.
REO Speedwagon performed the following setlist at their final show:
"Don't Let Him Go"
"Keep On Loving You"
"Follow My Heart"
"In Your Letter"
"Take It On The Run"
"Tough Guys"
"Out Of Season"
"Shakin' It Loose"
"Someone Tonight"
"I Wish You Were There"
"Music Man" (acoustic)
"In My Dreams" (acoustic)
"Time For Me To Fly"
"Keep Pushin'"
"Live Every Moment"
"Golden Country"
"Ridin' The Storm Out"
"Can't Fight This Feeling"
"Roll With The Changes"
Styx and Kevin Cronin, the iconic voice and writer behind REO Speedwagon's greatest hits, have one of the strongest brotherly bonds spanning 25 years, especially since they’ve crossed paths on the North American concert trail along with the occasional joint festival concert. Fittingly, next summer they’ll join forces for the sixth time for their "Brotherhood Of Rock" tour, along with special guest Don Felder (a former lead guitarist for the Eagles), that will kick off May 28, 2025 in Greenville, SC at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
It wouldn’t be summer without a live celebration of some of the greatest Rock anthems of all time, including “Renegade,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Come Sail Away,” “Can't Fight This Feeling,” and “Hotel California.”
The official trailer for the "Brotherhood Of Rock" tour can be seen below.
Styx and Kevin Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, they came together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which still collects donations for local charities at every stop on Styx’s on-going tour.
General tickets for the trek, produced by Live Nation, are on sale now at LiveNation.com.
“The winter of 1975 I had returned home to Montgomery, Alabama after accepting the fact that there was very little, if any interest from club owners for seven-piece rock bands who played their original songs, (some of which were 10 minutes long) and we’d finally accepted the reality that people wanted disco music hits to dance to,” says Styx singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw. “A musician friend from home called me about a steady gig he and two other local musician friends had in the lounge of the local bowling alley. There was no dance floor, only tables and chairs, and they were playing music from bands like the Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, etc. and singing three-part harmony to locals who were loving it and not wanting to dance. And a steady weekly paycheck! I joined them and spent the rest of that year playing whatever we liked, bought a modest house, bought a used car, and was relieved to be off the road after two years of night club managers who wanted us to play disco. Thinking I’d found a secure life in my hometown, I got a call from a guy named Jim Vosecek, who’d introduced himself to me and the band at a club in Chicago. He explained that he was tour manager of the rock band Styx, that they had just released a new album called Equinox, and they were scheduled to embark on their first national tour when a member suddenly quit and left the band. He said to get on the plane they’d booked and come audition. Arriving at O’Hare airport, I met Kevin Cronin who was returning to rejoin his band, REO Speedwagon. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that finds us back on the road together, this time under much different circumstances! The BROTHERHOOD of ROCK is stronger than ever!”
“I remember seeing Tommy’s seven-piece funk/rock band at the Rush Up club in Chicago, during my mid-‘70s REO hiatus, and then bumping into him at O’Hare Airport a few weeks later,” remembers Kevin Cronin. “In no time I was back in REO Speedwagon and Tommy had become the newest member of Styx. REO and Styx dominated the Billboard charts in 1981 with Hi Infidelity and Paradise Theatre, but for reasons unknown we had never toured together. So in the year 2000, Tommy and I decided to give it a shot. The ‘Arch Allies’ tour was a smashing success, and a life-long friendship was formed. Now, here we are 25 years later, having always had each other’s back, and psyched for our bands to join forces once again for the ‘Brotherhood of Rock’ tour. A lot has changed since that chance encounter at the airport in 1975, but our brotherhood has only become stronger through the years, as the songs of Styx and REO Speedwagon have found a place in the hearts and souls of people all across America.”
“I’m so excited to be hitting the road this summer with my friends Styx and Kevin Cronin,” declares Don Felder. “It’s such a great line up full of hit songs and lots of ROCK AND ROLL!!! We have so much fun together both on stage and off stage that it’s hard to find a more wonderful combination of great music and great friends. This is one show you won’t want to miss. See you soon.”
Check out the "Brotherhood Of Rock" tour at any of stops listed below.
Tour dates:
May
28 - Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Wellness Arena
31 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
June
2 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily's Place
4 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
6 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
7 - Ridgedale, MO - Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
9 - Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre *
11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
13 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord
14 - Bend, OR - Hayden Homes Amphitheater
15 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
28 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
30 - Colorado Springs, CO - Ford Amphitheatre *
July
2 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
5 - Birmingham, AL - Coca-Cola Amphitheater
6 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
8 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
9 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
11 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
12 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
14 - Syracuse, NY - Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
15 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
18 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
19 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
20 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
August
1 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
2 - Brandon, MS - Brandon Amphitheater
4 - Franklin, TN - FirstBank Amphitheater
6 - Richmond, VA - Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
8 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
10 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
12 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC
13 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
15 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
16 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
19 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
20 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
22 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
23 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
24 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
* Promoted by AEG Presents
