Kevin Cronin recently addressed his band’s recent challenges on Facebook.
He began by discussing the struggles the band faced while performing in extreme weather conditions in New Orleans. A snowstorm had caused the city to shut down and flights were canceled. Crew members had to drive long distances to reach the venue, and the band had to switch airlines and take a private plane at the last minute to make it.
In the rest of his post, Cronin mentioned, “Lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt (who have been with me in REO Speedwagon for thirty-five years), Matt Bissonette (twelve years on bass with Elton John), the newly-coiffed Derek Hilland (former keyboardist Foreigner, Rick Springfield, Whitesnake), and I have toured together non-stop since November of 2023.”
“We played eighty-five shows last year, sharing our music with over 500k people. Moving forward, Kevin Cronin Band will carry on the REO tradition of high-energy performance, Eighties-style positive party vibes, and a setlist filled with the hit songs that the late great Gary Richrath and I wrote and produced, and which REO fans have taken into their hearts and souls,” he continued.
He also shared, “We look forward to seeing you this summer, as we emphasize the songs of Hi Infidelity, all the other REO hits, plus a new song I wrote with my pal Richard Marx called ‘All Because of You.’ The Kevin Cronin Band will join our long-time friends and tour mates, Styx, for a major amphitheater tour beginning in Spring 2025. Come out and join the party! … kc.”
The last REO Speedwagon show took place on December 22, where they played 15 songs, including some of their 1980s hits like ‘Keep On Loving You.’ They finished the set with ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ and ‘Roll With the Changes.’
After the band’s retirement, fans requested that the band members talk things over and give them a proper closure. One fan commented on Cronin’s post, “Wish you would meet with Bruce Hall of REO Speedwagon and talk things out. This isn’t the right way to retire REO. The fans deserve better.”
Cronin responded, “I agree that the fans deserve the nothing but the best effort from any artist they buy a ticket to see. That is what I have always striven for with REO Speedwagon. As to a farewell tour … I am simply not ready to say farewell, and I can’t control the retirement schedules of others. I have spoken to this question several times, so I would respectfully ask that you take these sentiments elsewhere.”
The final shows were marked by tension, as ‘irreconcilable differences’ between Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall led to Hall’s absence from the performances.
