A veteran rock band with deep ties to central Illinois says it will stop touring. REO Speedwagon announced the group will stop live performances after Jan. 1, 2025.
Formed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1967, the band went on to sell more than 40 million records.
A social media post referenced longtime bassist Bruce Hall and his health.
“Bruce has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now. If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it's not up to just him. The consensus opinion was that he had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect,” the post read.
The band has continued playing with Matt Bissonnette filling in. Hall has stepped away for back surgery.
“Bruce….is grateful that Matt has been around to keep the Wagon rolling through the summer tour. Bruce never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans, and crew he has loved for almost 50 years.”
The announcement indicated some dissension within the band, involving Hall and singer Kevin Cronin.
“For Kevin’s part, he too has never had any intention of leaving the band, and the fans and crew mean the world to him, as well. Due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin.” it said.
REO Speedwagon has seen lineup changes throughout the years. The sole remaining original member Neil Doughty retired in 2023. He and Alan Gratzer formed the group when they were college students.
The band’s name comes from a vehicle and it was chosen after Doughty saw it written on a blackboard when he walked into his History of Transportation class.
“Rather than pronouncing REO as a single word as the motor company did ("REE-oh"), they chose to spell the word out, pronouncing each letter individually ("R-E-O"), said a Wikipedia entry.
Peoria-based guitarist Gary Richrath joined in 1970, Cronin in 1972 (he left, then rejoined) and Hall in 1977.
The band toured regularly, but was most popular in the Midwest, with anthems like Roll with the Changes, Ridin' the Storm Out and the socially conscious Golden Country.
The 1980’s finally brought chart success with the album Hi Infidelity. The radio-friendly sound on hits like the #1 smash Keep On Loving You and Take It On The Run brought them a new audience.
REO followed up with other releases that sold well. But by the end of the decade, their new material got less airplay.
Since then, they have been a classic rock staple but also a strong touring act with high energy and a catalog that spans more than half a century.
The Illinois State Fair said REO Speedwagon has played the event six times -- 2023, 2005, 2000, 1990, 1988, and 1987.
Fans still have opportunities to catch them in Illinois with two stops remaining on the tour this year, one in Bloomington on Nov. 9 and the other in Rockford Nov. 22. There is no indication if the band will record music in the future.
