Type O Negative’s Kenny Hickey talked about whether it’s still possible that he could team up with the other surviving members of Type O Negative to stage a Peter Steele tribute concert with various guest musicians, and addressed how the band’s popularity has grown in recent years.
Kenny Hickey: “Logistically right now, no, it’s not — it’s not possible. But never say never. The offers are out there. But not right now.”
“The band’s bigger than ever. It’s bigger than ever. My youngest [daughter], she’s 24 now. I went to [her] college. She was surrounded by Type O fans. So we’ve reached a whole another gen[eration]… Our original generation isn’t dead yet, for the most part, and now we’ve just added another two generations on top of it. So, [we’re] doing better than ever, man.”
“We just got a gold single for streams. You know how many streams you need for that? 250 million. That’s 250 million streams for [the single] ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Me’. [It] went viral on TikTok, and it just blew the band up, and then just now all the rest of the music has been exposed to these kids. So that’s what’s happening. God bless TikTok. God bless TikTok.”
“Look at what TikTok did to Crowbar. I mean, a super-doom heavy band that has no commercial value at all now have 1.9 million listeners on Spotify. They’re exploding everywhere, and it’s because… It could only happen on TikTok. It was discovered by these kids.”
That renewed attention comes more than fifteen years after Steele’s death and after the band’s long silence as an active touring unit. The current wave of interest has also pushed older Type O Negative material back into circulation, while Hickey pointed to a similar social-media boost for Crowbar.
Peter Steele died in April 2010 at the age of 48, and Type O Negative effectively split after his passing, having not played live shows since then.
Drummer Johnny Kelly said the band never seriously considered continuing without Steele, adding that Peter’s work “deserves some kind of celebration.” Hickey has said he is open to tribute shows with a revolving lineup of guest singers, noting that the band “seems to transcend into a whole new generation.”
Axl Rose was suggested as a possible guest vocalist for a Peter Steele tribute concert and called the idea “cool,” which shows how long the tribute plans have circulated without reaching the stage.
“I Don’t Wanna Be Me” went viral on TikTok and reached 250 million streams, which helped Type O Negative earn its first gold single. The track was certified gold by the RIAA in the United States, a certification that represents 500,000 units.
Hickey also credited TikTok with Crowbar’s surge, noting the band has reached 1.9 million Spotify listeners and that this kind of discovery “could only happen on TikTok.”
