Even for a one-time event these reunions seem very unlikely to impossible.
These three examples come from episodes of “Behind the Music”.
First, one on Chicago. Peter Cetera refused to be interviewed and did not allow any of the songs that he wrote while with the band to be used. Sounds like a lot of hard feelings to me.
Second, Styx. Dennis DeYoung became a huge egomaniac and wanted total control over everything Styx did. After he got light sensitivity and wanted to put off touring in 90’s the band finally went on without him. It seems like if any sort of reunion were to try and happen he would want full control and the other members wouldn’t stand for it.
And finally, Steve Perry. Pretty much became the leader of the band and yet while being interviewed said that he never really felt like he was a part of it :rolleyes:. Just for fun a year ago or so I read his Website, and when fans asked about a reunion he said he couldn’t do it for legal reasons. What a bunch of B.S. I think he just doesn’t want to and hopes saying he legally can’t will get the fans off of his back.
Anyway, what other bands had famous lineups (and everybody is still alive) that due to hard feelings or other reasons will even have a hard time with a one-off, let alone a full reunion?
Ian Anderson (“of Jethro Tull”) is currently touring a 40th anniversary stage show of the Thick as a Brick album performed in its entirety, back to back with the recently released sequel. Unfortunately, none of the other musicians from the classic Tull lineup that performed Thick as a Brick is along for the tour. John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond both quit the music business long ago; Barrie Barlow left the band under a cloud in a badly handled lineup change in 1980 and never worked with Anderson again (ditto John Evan), and more recently there has even been an apparent rift between Anderson and his long-standing right-hand man Martin Barre, although I’d be surprised if those two don’t get back together at some point.
Evanescence. Amy Lee seems to have alienated and/or just plain kicked everybody out of the band, then resurrected it with a whole new set of musicians. The original musicians were gathered up by the first person to leave the group, who also happens to be the guy who wrote all the songs that made them world-famous, and they formed the band, We Are the Fallen. I doubt Amy Lee & the guys will be performing together any time soon.
Genesis. During a press conference a few years ago promoting a reunion tour, Phil said that Peter was close to agreeing to come together to do the Lamb Lies Down… in it’s entirety, but he backed out. I’m quite sure that’s as close as it’ll ever get.
It’s doubtful anyone is still on speaking terms with the notoriously hard-to-work-with Ritchie Blackmore: they reformed the classic Deep Purple Mark II line up in the mid 80s, only to discover that yup, he was still a prick. At least his bandmates get songs about how much they hate him out of it.
The four members of the Talking Heads did reunite in 2002 to perform three songs when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But they pretty much said that was the last time they’ll play together (they hadn’t performed together since 1991).
Guns n’ Roses won’t even make it that far. Axl Rose made a big issue out of saying that he wouldn’t be performing with the rest of the band’s best-known line-up even for their Hall of Fame induction.
And since that brief appearance, Tina Weymouth has said some pretty unflattering things about David Byrne, making any possible future reunions even more unlikely…
(I would bet a full scale Talking Heads reunion tour would gross tens of millions of dollars, but unlike every other band on the planet, I think that $$$ is actually less important than legacy to these 4 proto-hipster geek chic legends)
At some point, say when the lead singer is over 50, it’s just not worth it. The playing is usually good enough or even better, but vocals always suffer. The current Beach Boys tour is atrocious and wouldn’t work at all if they didn’t have Jeffery Foskett singing all of the high notes. Roger Daltrey sounded like crap on the Super Bowl a few years ago. Mick Jagger lasted a very long time but recently he sounded like he couldn’t get it done. At this point, I wouldn’t even want to see The Beatles together. Although there would still be so much screaming that nobody would notice how they sounded.
The advantage goes to newer artists like Britney Spears. I’d be surprised if anyone has heard her sing a note live since her first tour. And probably all of her music is pre-recorded. Her audience doesn’t expect live music and would be comfortable with a comeback tour where she just sashayed around the stage while her hits played in the background.
Morrissey, a rabid vegan, has fairly recently said that he would sooner eat meat than play on the same stage as Johnny Marr for a Smiths reunion.
Also, Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar have no interest in any kind of Uncle Tupelo reunion, and they’re both doing quite well on their own now (Wilco and Sun Volt, respectively). A lot of bad blood between them.
John Fogerty still has a strong voice and still tours (he’s touring this summer) but a Creedence Clearwater Revival reunion seems as unlikely as ever. Fogerty can really hold a grudge, and refused to perform with his former bandmates when CCR was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
What cracks me up is hearing a radio commercial for an upcoming “Creedence Clearwater Revisted” concert, and the music playing in the commercial is quite obviously original CCRevival with John Fogerty singing lead.
Pink Floyd and ABBA are the first I though of. For the Floyd, Gilmour and Waters still hate each other and sell out arenas worldwide as solo artists. They did play Live Earth together, but outside of a single other guest appearance that’s been it.
ABBA’s a little fuzzier. A lot of insiders say that Agnetha hates flying or for that matter leaving her native Sweden, and it’s hard to imagine a ABBA tour/album without her.
Oh, that reminds me, Christine Mcvie left Fleetwood Mac and seems perfectly happy on her own. From interviews and what I’ve read she goes to some Fleetwood Mac shows so there seems to be no bad blood or hard feelings; She just simply doesn’t want to play with them anymore.
Not just “meat.” He once said he’d rather eat his own testicles than be part of a Smiths reunion. But I don’t think Marr is the primary stumbling block–it’s drummer Mike Joyce, who a particularly acrimonious suit against Morissey and Marr for songwriting royalties.
My first thought was this, but Marr has repeatedly said “never say never.” There’s the Joyce thing, but Marr and Rourke were mates well before The Smiths and have patched up (Marr, notoriously a “good guy,” seems to get along with all his former bandmates). There doesn’t seem to be any real issues between Marr and Joyce, either.
But Morrissey… as he once wrote, “I bear more grudges/Than lonely high court judges.” First, he felt jilted by Marr, who unilaterally split The Smiths. I don’t think he’s ever gotten over that -Viva Hate was a reference to his feelings about the split. And the court case got nasty. Marr came across as the less tight fisted of the two principals, but Morrissey was famously called “trunculent and unreliable” by the presiding judge. I remember an interview when Morrissey went on a rant about how they froze his assets, including his mum’s allowance. Seething does not appear to capture the amount of animosity toward Joyce from Morrissey.
Personally I figure the best hope is a Morrissey/Marr collaboration. They meet regularly for business purposes and get on decently, I hear.
I doubt the Supremes will reunite. Leaving aside the fact that Florence Ballard is dead (you could get Cindy Birdsong), Miss Ross and Mary Wilson don’t like each other much. Miss Ross refused to show up when they were inducted in Jann Wenner’s Hall of Fame and when they did play at the “Motown 25 year” TV show IN 1983, they were never called “The Supremes”, just introduced by their names. Apparently Mary Wilson got real uppity on stage and actually called for Berry Gordy to come on down instead of letting Miss Ross do it, although a lot of it was edited for TV broadcast.
It's a mute point because Frank Zappa is dead but for years he would openly denigrate the original members of the Mothers of Invention, saying anyone who thought that band was better than what he was currently making was stupid. In turn, they accused him of not paying royalties.