Looks Like REO Speedwagon Won't Be Touring

[formulanone]

The younger crowd then asks "What is 'REO Speedwagon'?".

Mike

Meanwhile, the Greatest Generation was probably wondering if the body was by Fisher.

[SEWIGuy]

Those left from the Greatest Generation probably don't know much about what's going on any more. The youngest of them are in their mid-90s.

[wanderer2575]

And yet we have Chicago and other bands who are able to adapt with a mix of old and new members. Call me crazy, but I'm glad those bands are still going strong for more than 50 years after their founding.

Some phony bands like the current iteration of the Little River Band excepted, I agree.

That points out a unique standard.  The big bands in the '30s and '40s may have kept their bandleaders but the personnel changed.  Major symphony orchestras that are 100+ years old obviously have had complete turnovers of personnel.  Same with professional sports teams.  Nobody has a problem with it.

What is it about rock bands that the popular thought is the entity has to dissolve when the original members leave?

[roadman65]

The whole anti-vax thing hasn't been helpful to the "dinosaur" stage of his live concert career.

Neither has his racism:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-vaccine-lockdown-racist-comments-1239027/

I don't know. He had a lot of black friends including Robert Cray, the Late BB King, and many classic blues artists. Plus he tours often with Greg Philapaines and Nathan East who are black musicians.

[hbelkins]

Occasionally, something will float across my Facebook feed along the lines of "bands with no original members remaining."

I'm not sure if Molly Hatchet is still around, but all of their original members are dead.

Chicago has three original members -- Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow -- remaining. They fired Danny Seraphine years ago, Walter Parazaider has Alzheimer's and has retired, and Peter Cetera left for a solo career in the 80s. But in my estimation, that band went on life support when Terry Kath died and finally kicked the bucket when they fired his replacement, Donnie Dacus.

I'm not sure how the bands' legal statuses are determined. Look at Kiss, for example. It started out as four equal partners. Then Peter Criss left, followed by Ace Frehley. When Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons got control, every subsequent Kiss member -- including Frehley and Criss when they came back -- was an employee rather than a co-equal boss the way the original foursome was set up.

[roadman65]

I also heard rumors that Justin Hayward and John Lodge of the former Moody Blues don't get along. In fact Hayward said without Grame Edge, the late Moody Blues percussionist, he says he won't considering regrouping at all.

Justin says only business is discussed with Lodge as there is no personal relationship between the two former vocalists of the popular band.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I'm not sure how the bands' legal statuses are determined. Look at Kiss, for example. It started out as four equal partners. Then Peter Criss left, followed by Ace Frehley. When Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons got control, every subsequent Kiss member -- including Frehley and Criss when they came back -- was an employee rather than a co-equal boss the way the original foursome was set up.

Like many other businesses these things exist as shares and contracts between the members and management. In 1987 when David Gilmour and Nick Mason made the first Pink Floyd album after Roger Waters's departure, they wanted to bring back keyboardist Richard Wright whom Waters had dismissed from the band during The Wall's recording. However, Wright legally could not return to the band and played as a glorified side musician on that album until he could legally become a member again.

For Yes, the name is owned by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, and the estates of the late Chris Squire and Alan White. This is why there were two legal bands called Yes touring, until the short-lived Anderson group with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman disbanded and Howe continues to tour as Yes proper. It's probably why Anderson can call his latest project with the Band Geeks "Yes Epics And Classics" on tour.

[hobsini2]

At least the members of Genesis had got along reasonably well even after the departures of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. Up until Phil Collins' health issues started a few years ago, they would occasionally show up randomly and play "one night only" events. I was hoping on the last Farewell Tour (2018 i think) Gabriel and Hackett would have done the tour. Unfortunately, they did not. 

[Bobby5280]

In terms of rock bands from the 1970's thru 1990's I think it really does matter how many original members are left in the band. I'd be more likely to pay decent money to see a dinosaur band live in concert that still had most or all of its original members versus paying to see a version of that band with maybe one or two original members. I couldn't care less about a band that had no remaining original members. As far as I'm concerned that's a tribute band, not the real thing.

Real rock bands seem like they're turning into a thing of the past. So many current "groups" are really just a solo performer surrounded by session musicians in the studio and touring musicians on the road. The one lead guy makes all the creative decisions (and keeps most of the money made).

It's very difficult for real rock bands to stay together for a long time. The Police was famous for its creative feuding (particularly Sting vs Stewart Copeland). All three members were great musicians with their own distinct creative visions. Those visions would often clash. The situation is easier when one "boss" guy is calling all the shots and the "hired help" just follows orders.

[hobsini2]

In terms of rock bands from the 1970's thru 1990's I think it really does matter how many original members are left in the band. I'd be more likely to pay decent money to see a dinosaur band live in concert that still had most or all of its original members versus paying to see a version of that band with maybe one or two original members. I couldn't care less about a band that had no remaining original members. As far as I'm concerned that's a tribute band, not the real thing.

Real rock bands seem like they're turning into a thing of the past. So many current "groups" are really just a solo performer surrounded by session musicians in the studio and touring musicians on the road. The one lead guy makes all the creative decisions (and keeps most of the money made).

It's very difficult for real rock bands to stay together for a long time. The Police was famous for its creative feuding (particularly Sting vs Stewart Copeland). All three members were great musicians with their own distinct creative visions. Those visions would often clash. The situation is easier when one "boss" guy is calling all the shots and the "hired help" just follows orders.

Kind of like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. HE is the Boss!

[Life in Paradise]

In terms of rock bands from the 1970's thru 1990's I think it really does matter how many original members are left in the band. I'd be more likely to pay decent money to see a dinosaur band live in concert that still had most or all of its original members versus paying to see a version of that band with maybe one or two original members. I couldn't care less about a band that had no remaining original members. As far as I'm concerned that's a tribute band, not the real thing.

Real rock bands seem like they're turning into a thing of the past. So many current "groups" are really just a solo performer surrounded by session musicians in the studio and touring musicians on the road. The one lead guy makes all the creative decisions (and keeps most of the money made).

It's very difficult for real rock bands to stay together for a long time. The Police was famous for its creative feuding (particularly Sting vs Stewart Copeland). All three members were great musicians with their own distinct creative visions. Those visions would often clash. The situation is easier when one "boss" guy is calling all the shots and the "hired help" just follows orders.

For the most part, I agree with you, but I was/am a big fan of ELO, and sent to see them a few weeks ago in Indianapolis, which is billed as "Jeff Lynne's ELO". for the most part with the vocals, production, and songwriting, Jeff Lynne IS ELO and he handpicked exceptional talent to back him up that sounds like the originals.  That being said, I also had a chance to see a group called "The Orchestra"  which is comprised of many of the session and touring bands of ELO from the 70s, and watching them was quite an experience.  Apparently they still tour some even this year.

[Scott5114]

The Police was famous for its creative feuding (particularly Sting vs Stewart Copeland).

It's always weird seeing Stewart Copeland brought up as part of The Police; I primarily think of him as "the guy that did the Spyro the Dragon soundtrack" (which sounds nothing at all like The Police).

[1995hoo]

In terms of rock bands from the 1970's thru 1990's I think it really does matter how many original members are left in the band. I'd be more likely to pay decent money to see a dinosaur band live in concert that still had most or all of its original members versus paying to see a version of that band with maybe one or two original members. I couldn't care less about a band that had no remaining original members. As far as I'm concerned that's a tribute band, not the real thing.

Real rock bands seem like they're turning into a thing of the past. So many current "groups" are really just a solo performer surrounded by session musicians in the studio and touring musicians on the road. The one lead guy makes all the creative decisions (and keeps most of the money made).

It's very difficult for real rock bands to stay together for a long time. The Police was famous for its creative feuding (particularly Sting vs Stewart Copeland). All three members were great musicians with their own distinct creative visions. Those visions would often clash. The situation is easier when one "boss" guy is calling all the shots and the "hired help" just follows orders.

Kind of like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. HE is the Boss!

But unlike some other bands where one member dominates (Boston immediately comes to mind in that respect), most of the E Street Band's membership has remained relatively constant. Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici both died, but otherwise, the only significant change in the lineup came in the early 1980s when Steve Van Zandt left and was replaced by Nils Lofgren—but then, a few years later, the band went on hiatus for ten years and when they reunited, both Van Zandt and Lofgren returned.

When we saw Springsteen at Nationals Park earlier this month, he was talking about his first band when he was in high school in the 1960s and he noted that band stuck together for three years, which is a long time for a high school band. Then he laughed and said something like, "Now THESE motherfuckers and I have been together for FIFTY years!"

[Molandfreak]

Heh, with all of this talk about original lineups, it's worth noting that REO Speedwagon replaced their original lead singer three years after the group was founded.

[Henry]

Recently, I read about Journey's recent clunker of a show that prompted frontman Arnel Pineda to propose being replaced by the same guy he took over for all those years ago, Steve Perry. That would be the rock equivalent of when Ray Combs got replaced by Richard Dawson on Family Feud (which may have played a role in taking his own life two years after the fact), or when Jay Leno replaced Conan O'Brien on the Tonight Show after a failed primetime experiment.

[SEWIGuy]

Recently, I read about Journey's recent clunker of a show that prompted frontman Arnel Pineda to propose being replaced by the same guy he took over for all those years ago, Steve Perry. That would be the rock equivalent of when Ray Combs got replaced by Richard Dawson on Family Feud (which may have played a role in taking his own life two years after the fact), or when Jay Leno replaced Conan O'Brien on the Tonight Show after a failed primetime experiment.

I don't think Perry has any interest right? He didn't even sing with them during their HOF induction.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Recently, I read about Journey's recent clunker of a show that prompted frontman Arnel Pineda to propose being replaced by the same guy he took over for all those years ago, Steve Perry. That would be the rock equivalent of when Ray Combs got replaced by Richard Dawson on Family Feud (which may have played a role in taking his own life two years after the fact), or when Jay Leno replaced Conan O'Brien on the Tonight Show after a failed primetime experiment.

I don't think Perry has any interest right? He didn't even sing with them during their HOF induction.

Perry basically gave his blessing that it was Pineda's band now at that HOF induction as well.

Journey seems to have other more major problems lately anyway (see: the legal battle between Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain)

[roadman65]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkgEZa7lDHw
For those who think Clapton is a racist.

[Rothman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkgEZa7lDHw
For those who think Clapton is a racist.

Personal life/actions > for profit performance

[TheStranger]

(looks at this thread)

(suddenly remembers the constant drama on the Fleetwood Mac subreddit and ThePenguin.net between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks partisans)

(then also amused that they were essentially in the FOURTH different lineup of the band, albeit the most successful one)

For the record: Saw them two years in a row in San Jose, 2013 and 2014 (after Christine had rejoined).  I enjoyed both shows but weirdly felt the performance without Christine had a little more energy. 

[roadman65]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkgEZa7lDHw
For those who think Clapton is a racist.

Personal life/actions > for profit performance

Whatever.


I'm not going to stop listening to him because of politics.  I'm not like my cousin who refuses to listen to Linda Ronstadt because she is a liberal and he is not.



Actions speak louder than words. I look at what people do rather than say.  Words mean nothing. Actions say what words can't.

[mgk920]

There are only a beyond very select few artists who I won't listen to out of principal (very, VERY few), otherwise their off-stage personas just come with the territory.

 

Mike

[Rothman]

There are only a beyond very select few artists who I won't listen to out of principal (very, VERY few), otherwise their off-stage personas just come with the territory.

 

Mike

Good point.  I'm not going to not listen to Clapton.  I just know he's a jerk...and that there are a lot of terrible people that are good performers (Jerry Garcia also comes to mind).

That said, I can't watch anything with Bill Cosby in it anymore.  The disgust is too great.

I'm sure I'm contradictory somewhere along the line in terms of who I choose to listen to or watch and who I don't.

[Bobby5280]

This reminds me of the old phrase "never meet your heroes."

[hobsini2]

There are only a beyond very select few artists who I won't listen to out of principal (very, VERY few), otherwise their off-stage personas just come with the territory.

 

Mike

Good point.  I'm not going to not listen to Clapton.  I just know he's a jerk...and that there are a lot of terrible people that are good performers (Jerry Garcia also comes to mind).

That said, I can't watch anything with Bill Cosby in it anymore.  The disgust is too great.

I'm sure I'm contradictory somewhere along the line in terms of who I choose to listen to or watch and who I don't.

I'm with you about Bill Cosby. I loved his work but I just can't support him in anyway shape or form.
As for musical artists, there's very few I have blacklisted and will never listen to as long as I can. The only one that comes to mind quickly is Ted Nugent. Just a fucking hypocrite with his "patriotism" but when it came time for him to serve, he crapped his pants on stage. In fact, he is on my "bus list". The bus list is people who need to load up on a bus and be driven off a short pier into Lake Michigan. Yes I am that vindictive to certain people who deserve it.