Classic REO Speedwagon Lineup Reunites For First Time Since 1988 During Halftime Show Of Illinois Homecoming Game

The four surviving members of REO Speedwagon‘s classic 1977–1988 lineup – singer Kevin Cronin, keyboardist Neal Doughty, bassist Bruce Hall, and drummer Alan Gratzer – reunited for the first time since 1988 to perform with the University of Illinois marching band during the Illini’s homecoming halftime show in Champaign on Saturday (September 27). Accompanied by the 400-piece Marching Illini, they played a medley of their hits, including “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” “Roll with the Changes,” and “157 Riverside Avenue.” The reunion was especially significant given prior tensions between Cronin and Hall that led to Cronin’s exclusion from a June reunion concert and the band’s planned touring hiatus after 2024, which forced Cronin to tour under his own name and not the REO moniker. The performance celebrated REO Speedwagon’s roots at the University of Illinois – Doughty and Gratzer were students there when they first started the band – and was part of a spirited weekend that also saw the band members serve as Grand Marshals for the homecoming parade. (Consequence of Sound)