Cronin will continue to tour to perform REO Speedwagon songs as the Kevin Cronin Band with the same musicians
Kevin Cronin has spoken in depth for the first time about a disagreement that forced REO Speedwagon to discontinue as a touring entity at the end of last year. In a lengthy statement with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation today (Tues, Feb 11th) on Faction Talk, Cronin cited bassist Bruce Hall’s decision not to tour in 2024 and one “irresponsible” and another “impossible” demand “for me to go along with” to return in 2025.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The transcript has been edited for clarity.
“You know how it is… Shit happens in bands, especially bands that have been together as long as we have…” he says. “There had been a little trouble brewing internally… And then well, Bruce needed to get surgery on his back, which we all supported and we figured that he would be out for a few months. But there were shows that we had to do. So we called our buddy Matt Bissonette to sub in [on bass]. We were lucky that Matt just had gotten off the road with Elton John… Bruce was supposed to come back on March 1st [2024] and that didn’t happen… And then he was supposed to come back on June 1st [2024]. And then I understood through an attorney that Bruce had chosen to sit out the 2024 tour as long as he got paid in full as if he was touring… And that’s what we did. And that’s what he accepted.
He continues, “2024 was an amazing year. I mean, we toured with Train and with Loverboy and with Rick Springfield. It was probably the most successful — Well, it was the most successful year we’ve had in 30 years. And a chemistry just kind of erupted among the band, which Dave Amato has been with us for 35 years. Same thing with Brian Hitt on drums, Derek Hilland, who had played in Whitesnake for a minute, and Rick Springfield took over on keyboards when Neil retired. And the five of us, it just felt really good.
“I was working out a set list where it would be a six-piece band. So that Bruce could have come back, Matt would have stayed just to be sure that the touring wasn’t… that Bruce was up for it… I was working on a — I had Bruce and Matt switching off between bass and acoustic guitars… But then I got, then I heard that Bruce was going to sit out the whole tour and I never heard anything different. But… what I’ve heard has been circulated online and whatever is that I somehow prevented Bruce from touring and coming out of the road last year. And that’s just — it’s just inaccurate. It’s just not the truth. So I had no right to do that. So, so anyway, so that’s where we stand right now.”
“There’s been so much, so much just nasty stuff that I don’t look at. But my kids have got to see it, my friends see this stuff and they’re like, ‘Man, I feel bad for you. All this, all this negativity.’ Eddie, I just decided that I was going to kind of take the high road and I got nothing to hide. Bruce and I spoke several times man to man about things. He knows where I stand. I know where he stands. And we just couldn’t come to an agreement on how to move forward as REO Speedwagon. And it’s devastating to me, honestly because I’ve worked so hard for so long to build up this name that has become… that people have related to for 50 years. Like I say, shit happens. [This] year, we’re going to be out with Styx as the Kevin Cronin Band. It’s going to be playing the REO hits. We’re going to be doing the entire Hi Infidelity album in sequence.. And so if you want the REO Speedwagon experience, the only way to get it is at a Kevin Cronin Band concert at this point.
Cronin clarifies that he didn’t prevent or block Hall from returning to the band.
“I had no right to prevent Bruce from coming back. Bruce had as much right to be there as I did. We’re both heritage members of the band. All I understood is that he agreed to sit out the 2024 tour. Honestly, from the very beginning, when I saw that the level of surgery that he had on his back, he’d been having a hard time with his back for a long time. And when I saw the X-ray and I’m like, ‘Dude, I don’t see how you’re going to be ready by March 1st, June 1st.’ I said, ‘If I were you, man, I would just, I just sit out the year.’ And he didn’t take very kindly to that. But at the time, this was early on in the year, but then eventually that’s what he decided to do.”
He continues, “He had some demands that he put in place for his, for his return in 2025… I didn’t campaign for this spot, but I’m kind of the leader of the band, and so some of the demands that Bruce had were demands that I couldn’t — they were just… it would have been irresponsible for me as, as the leader of the band, it would have been irresponsible for our management, for our agency, for Live Nation, for anyone to go along with, with these demands, because there was no guarantee… Bruce, he just feels that if he’s not on tour as the sole bass player in, in the band, then it’s, it’s not REO Speedwagon…
“The only thing is that that was kind of, it contradicted what was happening on the ground last year. We were kicking ass. I mean, we were co-headlining with Train, which is a great young band. I mean Pat Monahan’s an amazing singer and, and we had Rick Springfield with us for, for a month. We had Night Ranger with us for a couple of weeks. We had Loverboy with us for a couple of weeks. These are all great bands. And, and we were just out there, it was called REO Speedwagon last year. No one complained… We didn’t get any, we didn’t get any refund requests, but, I can understand from Bruce’s perspective that he wants to be the sole bass player in the band, but he never called me and said, ‘Hey man, I’ve been, I’ve done this, I’ve done that. I’ve been working on this, working on that.’ None of the things that were, that had become issues. I’m not saying he wasn’t doing those things, but I’m saying that as far as I know, I would like to hear things from just band member to band member, but that didn’t happen. And so… and then with all this, this craziness that’s gone on online.
“Eddie, I don’t know about you, but I think that the specifics and the details of what goes on in rock bands, it’s meant to stay within the band. No one outside the band can understand the intricacies and the delicacies and the relationships between musicians that have been making music together for almost 50 years. You’re kind of the first person I’m talking about some of this stuff, too, just because I feel like people were starting to say, ‘Well, if you don’t tell another side of the story, then we’re just going to have to believe what we’re hearing.’ And so I just felt like maybe now was the time to at least speak to some of these things. Because I think Bruce could have made a simple statement and been forthright about the fact that he decided to stay home in 2024, that he got paid in full for 2024… And those two facts would have really kind of, I think, lowered the temperature on the whole thing.
“And if Bruce wasn’t ready to, to come back full time, he could have picked to come out to this city come out to this city, it could have been a smooth kind of transition, but it just the people around Bruce, the people that he’s obviously listening to, brought it out in front of the fans online, it’s just how it is online… So a lot of people claim that they know all the answers, but they don’t. And, it just got kind of ugly.”
“Bruce and I made music together for almost 50 years. I was instrumental in getting him in the band. And we were friends for a long time, but what are you going to do? This is where we’re at. And, and I wish Bruce nothing but the best… It’s just that the way this thing has evolved, we’re just not going to be able to play in a band together… But here’s the thing, Eddie, if we’re not able to play in a band together and, and only one of us can, can take REO Speedwagon and continue the legacy and, and take it into the future… boy, oh boy, it just seems to me like that’s a no-brainer, you know? But that’s not how it’s, how it’s panning out here. And so I’m going to continue the REO legacy. I just can’t call it REO and I just have to, just spread the word that I’m playing ‘Keep on Loving You,’ “Can’t Fight This Feeling,’ ‘Roll With the Changes,’ Riding’ the Storm Out’, the whole Hi Infidelity record. It’s going to be an REO Speedwagon experience. It’s going to be called the Kevin Cronin Band, same guys, same songs, same positive vibe, same energy…
“But it’s going to be a rebuilding process. And it’s not exactly what I had in mind at this point in my career. There’s a lot of people, Eddie, out there who have been loyal to REO Speedwagons through the years, and who are connected to those songs. They had their first dance to ‘Keep on Lovin’ You,’ they got ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ with their wedding song, whatever, and, or ‘Roll With The Changes,’ helped them through a rough period, ‘Ridin’ The Storm Out,’ helped them through a rough period, whatever. I feel like it’s my job to take care of [original songwriter/guitarist] Gary [Richrath]’s songs… take care of my songs, and continue playing this music for people, as long as people are wanting to come and see it.”
Cronin says that certain things are personal and can’t be discussed in public, but states, “I found the two main demands that one of them would’ve been irresponsible for me to go along with and the other one was just impossible for me to go along with.”
Last year, the band stated the decision was prompted by a disagreement on when bassist Bruce Hall would return after having back surgery last fall.
“To our fans: 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. Bruce respected that opinion and 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 statement reads.
It continues, “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. So, it is with great sadness that we announce REO Speedwagon will cease touring effective January 1, 2025. Neal, Kevin, and Bruce thank their fans for all their years of loyal support and for giving back to the band such wonderful memories that will remain with each of them forever.”
Online, Hall contradicted part of the band’s public statement, stating he ready to return, but the band couldn’t come to terms with an agreement.
“Kevin is absolutely the voice. They will have toured a year without me. I’m healed, cleared by my dr and ready to rock. People go on medical leave all the time and return to their jobs. It has nothing to do with money. It would be easy to ‘sell out,’ but I have to respect the wishes of the two founding members (as well as Gary’s family) and protect the brand and legacy. Bottom line is, l’d love nothing more than for REO to continue on…but if Kevin wants to leave, I can’t keep him from doing so,” Hall says.
Hall had also stated independently, “Never ever thought it would end like this and I’m heartbroken. Please know Neal and I did everything in our power to try and keep the Wagon rolling. I am so appreciative of ALL the amazing love & support. You guys have been very vocal and clear in your wishes for me to return to the stage. Trust me…that’s all I wanted too. We all deserved a farewell tour. For the record, I wanted REO Speedwagon to continue to tour with the lineup of Kevin, myself, Dave, Bryan and Derek. Just as it was prior to my necessary, planned and successful back surgery.”
Formed in 1967, signed in 1971, and fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, REO Speedwagon’s unrelenting drive, and non-stop touring and recording jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest. Platinum albums and radio staples soon followed, setting the stage for the band’s explosive Hi Infidelity in 1980, which contained the massive hit singles “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run.” That landmark album spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 slot and has since earned the RIAA’s coveted Diamond Award for surpassing sales of ten million units in the United States..
From 1977 to 1989, REO Speedwagon released nine consecutive albums all certified platinum or higher. To date, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million albums around the globe.
Last year, the group wrapped the co-headlining Summer Road Trip with Train earlier than expected after Cronin had an emergency surgery that forced the band to cancel two shows. This year, Cronin teams with Styx to celebrate 25 years of friendship with the Brotherhood of Rock Tour, featuring special guest Don Felder. The trek kicks off on May 28th in Greenville, South Carolina.
