Bruce Hall says he and Kevin Cronin have agreed to put aside their recent feud and perform together as REO Speedwagon for a special occasion later this month.
“REO Speedwagon is coming back to campus, the place where it all began, to lead this year’s Illinois Homecoming Parade as our grand marshals on Friday, Sept. 26,” Hall wrote on the Facebook post embedded below. “The band members will also participate in game day as the pregame Siren Sounders and will take the field with Barry Houser and the Marching Illini to collaborate on a one-of-a-kind REO-themed halftime show that will feature a medley of the band’s hit songs.”
Hall later confirmed that in addition to Cronin, keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer – both founding members of the group – will appear at the show. The latter duo met while attending the University of Illinois in the mid-’60s, making the upcoming event an important homecoming for the group.
Cronin has not confirmed or commented on Hall’s announcement as of press time.
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In September of 2025, REO Speedwagon announced that they would cease touring, as Hall and Cronin were unable to agree on plans for Hall to return to the road following a leave of absence for back surgery.
“The consensus feeling is that I don’t have good enough posture to perform at a level expected by our fans,” Hall said at the time.
“I saw the X-ray [of Hall’s back] and I’m like, dude, ‘I don’t see how you’re going to be ready by March 1st, June 1st,’” Cronin later explained. “I said, ‘If I were you, man, I would just sit out the year.’ And he didn’t take very kindly to that.”
Why the Kevin Cronin Band’s Touring Days Were Short-Lived
After the breakup, Cronin began touring under his own name, using the exact same lineup that had been performing as REO Speedwagon during Hall’s absence. The Kevin Cronin Band opened for Styx on the Brotherhood of Rock tour this summer, but last month the singer revealed that he would be forced to dismantle the group’s longtime touring crew.
“It’s not easy going out as the Kevin Cronin Band, I will tell you,” he told UCR. “You can’t overestimate the power of the name REO Speedwagon and that ubiquitous, winged logo. They mean a lot to people. I can sit here and say that the Kevin Cronin band is doing the same thing until I’m blue in the face, but when people see the Kevin Cronin Band, there’s a question — ‘I wonder what this is gonna be?’ — whereas if you see REO Speedwagon and the winged logo on the bill, it’s ‘I know what that is.'”
REO Speedwagon Albums Ranked
REO Speedwagon’s catalog and career have been marked by dizzying highs and big setbacks. Here’s a ranked look back.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
