It might not be the full reunion show fans want, but warring REO Speedwagon members Kevin Cronin and Bruce Hall are scheduled to appear together next week as the pair – alongside founding band members Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer – act as grand marshals at this year's University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Homecoming parade.
Sharing the news on Facebook, Hall said, "Can't wait!".
In addition to their parade responsibilities on September 26, the musicians will be a part of the following day's football matchup between the Fighting Illini and the University of Southern California Trojans, taking the field with Barry Houser and the Marching Illini band for an REO-themed halftime show featuring a medley of the band’s greatest hits.
"I’m honoured to be invited to Illinois Homecoming weekend," Gratzer tells the University's News Bureau. "Champaign will always be a special place for me after going to school there, founding REO and meeting my wife, Nancy, on campus.
"I’m still not sure why she left the doctoral program to move to California with a rock drummer. I have so many great memories from my college days at the U. of I. and can’t wait to hear the Marching Illini playing REO songs."
"Returning to campus for this event is really special for me because I was a proud member of the Belleville High School marching band and loved that experience," adds Doughty. "I was a pretty decent trumpet player, but never would have reached the level of the Marching Illini. I have nothing but respect for what they do, and I know how hard they work. It will be a thrill to play alongside them."
Cronin, who announced last year that he'd no longer be touring under the REO Speedwagon banner due to "irreconcilable differences" with longtime bassist Hall, has admitted that going out under his own name has not been as successful as he'd hoped.
Perhaps next weekend's activities will mark the first public step towards a full reconciliation.
