REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin shared a hopeful update about the band’s future in a new Facebook post.
“Hi Friends, Just a quick message to let you know that I appreciate your positive energy and support. I am right on schedule, healing up according to plan, and will be ready to rock Eugene, Oregon, with very special guest Rick Springfield on October 23. Check the REO website for all of the upcoming dates,” the rocker wrote.
“I will always hold out hope that REO Speedwagon can be rescued,” he admitted. “This band is my life’s work, and I would never do anything except what I feel is in REO’s best interests. But in any case, I am going to make the most of the rest of our 2024 tour dates. I love this band and I love our loyal fans, and I will be giving my 100% effort to the upcoming shows. Meanwhile, I am on a nice little nature walk near my home in Southern California. The weather is ideal, it is quiet and peaceful, nothing but the sound of birds and the rustling of palm fronds. Walking is my zen place… healthy for body and soul. Onward and upward… KC.”
This update came shortly after Cronin announced his release from the hospital and his commitment to keeping the band going.
“You might have heard that as of January 1, 2025, REO Speedwagon’s touring career will come to an end. This band has been my life’s work, and anyone who knows me, knows that I would do everything in my power to keep it rolling,” Cronin wrote in a separate social media post. “As I said last week… I have had plenty of time to appreciate the love in the eyes of my wife and kids. I promise to continue giving you my best and appreciating the gift of music which has allowed me this life. Your unwavering support means the world to me.”
The decision to stop touring came from a disagreement about bassist Bruce Hall’s return after his back surgery in November. Matt Bissonette has been filling in during 2024.
Hall’s wife, Kimmie Sue, compared the band’s bond to a family ‘just like Disney,’ saying the brotherhood was real. But some people think Cronin has a ‘God complex.’
“It could have ended in a way that they all could have been really proud of,” Gary Richrath’s son Eric wrote on social media. “Instead… it is going to end like this. A lead singer with a God complex has decreed that his opinion is the ‘consensus opinion’…and that’s it. He’s gonna take his ball and go home…”
Fans also commented on replacing Cronin. “Replace Kevin then. [The] rest [of the] band is more important than him. Never thought I would need [to] say that,” the fan wrote under a post of the bassist, Bruce Hall. “I would never do that to him. He’s our lead singer just as I am the bassist. Together we are REO. I can’t stop him from leaving though,” Hall replied.
REO Speedwagon has around 20 concerts left in 2024, wrapping up on November 23 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, with Loverboy.
