The four surviving members of REO Speedwagon‘s classic 1977-1988 lineup reunited for a halftime show performance alongside the University of Illinois marching band during the Illini’s homecoming football game on Saturday in Champaign.
It marked the first time singer Kevin Cronin, keyboardist Neal Doughty, bassist Bruce Hall, and drummer Alan Gratzer have performed together since Gratzer’s retirement in 1988. Together the lineup produced some of REO’s best-selling albums, such as 1980’s Hi Infidelity, and biggest hits.
“Hi, everybody. I’m Kevin,” Cronin told the crowd. “On behalf of Alan, Neil, Bruce, and the entire REO Speedwagon family, I want to thank the people of Illinois, the city of Champaign-Urbana, and this great university for providing a springboard for our music that launched us on a mind-blowing musical experience. Thanks, you guys.”
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REO Speedwagon’s origins date back to the University of Illinois, where Doughty and Gratzer were students when they first started the band.
Accompanied by the 400-piece Marching Illini band, Cronin and company ran through a medley of three songs, including “Ridin’ the Storm Out” — written by the fifth member of the classic lineup, late guitarist Gary Richrath — plus “Roll with the Changes” and “157 Riverside Avenue.”
Cronin, Doughty, Hall, and Gratzer also served as Grand Marshals during the Illini’s homecoming parade the day prior, sparking a successful weekend as the 22nd-ranked Illinois football team went on to beat the USC Trojans 34-32 in a contested Big 10 conference matchup.
Cronin and Hall performing together is also a positive sign after Cronin was left out of REO’s “retrospective” reunion concert on June 14th in Champaign, Illinois. This came after the band’s announcement that it would cease touring after 2024 due to “irreconcilable differences” between Cronin and Bruce Hall, a rift that seemingly led to the former’s exclusion from the Champaign reunion in June.
Cronin instead toured this past year under his own name, but with basically the same touring members of the most recent incarnation of REO Speedwagon. However, the singer has admitted that it’s been harder to sell tickets as a solo act, despite it being essentially the same band.
Below you can watch footage from REO Speedwagon’s halftime show with the Illinois marching band.