REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin recently sat down with KSHE 95 for an interview and broke his silence regarding the ongoing drama with his bandmate Bruce Hall.
During the conversation, Cronin discussed Hall’s surgery and the comments he had made about the band. “Bruce needed surgery bad, and back surgery is a tough thing and I feel for Bruce. He and I played in the band together for 47 years, he was part of every side musical experience that I did. Bruce and I were really tight and I’m sad about about how this has happened and how it’s played out online.”
Cronin also revealed that much of what was seen online wasn’t true. “There’s been a lot of inaccurate and hurtful statements that have come out I’ve chosen to kind of keep my mouth shut until this week really. So it’s sad in one sense and it’s extremely exciting in another sense because I’ve kind of never heard my songs or Gary Richrath’s songs played at this level and it just happened accidentally. Matt Bissonette was just going to sub in for Bruce for a while but Bruce’s surgery ended up being a major surgery. So it is what it is right now, and we’re moving forward.”
When asked if he disliked Hall, the rocker responded: “No I don’t dislike Bruce. I disagree with how he kind of put this out in the public forum. These were discussions that I would have preferred to just have in private.”
Earlier in November, Cronin addressed fans who were upset when Hall was missing from a photo he posted on Facebook. The post was meant to honor Quincy Jones, but fans quickly noticed Hall’s absence, causing backlash.
One fan commented, “I wish the band could stay together, but I can’t wait to see what is next!” Cronin responded, “The band you saw in Bloomington has every intention of staying together.”
Another fan asked, “Why can’t you honor your brother Bruce Hall?” Cronin replied, “Or maybe the question is, why can’t he honor me?” When another user asked about Hall’s absence, Cronin said, “Maybe you should ask Bruce…”
Cronin also shared some details about REO Speedwagon’s future following the band’s retirement announcement. He responded to a fan’s question about what they had heard regarding the band.
The guitarist replied, “You heard right. I believe the official announcement from Live Nation will be coming on December 6. I am not free to call it REO Speedwagon, but let’s just say that if you liked what you heard and saw in Corbin, you will not be disappointed! Stay tuned.”
On the date mentioned, Cronin announced that he will be touring with Styx next summer for 40 concerts. The tour, called Brotherhood of Rock, will start on May 28 in Greenville, South Carolina, and end on August 24 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Don Felder will also join as a special guest.
