Kevin Cronin said he is “disturbed and hurt” by being “knowingly excluded” from the REO Speedwagon hometown reunion concert taking place in June.
Six former members of the band — Neal Doughty, Alan Gratzer, Bruce Hall, Terry Luttrell, Mike Murphy and Steve Scorfina — will join forces on June 14 for a one-off “retrospective” concert in their hometown of Champaign, Illinois. The event will also feature special guests and an in-memoriam segment for the late Gary Richrath and Gregg Philbin. Proceeds will benefit the REO Speedwagon Foundation for genitourinary cancer research at Moffitt Cancer Center.
When the event was announced, Cronin’s name was notably absent — and the band’s former frontman said he’s tired of being treated like the bad guy over it.
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Kevin Cronin’s Statement on Missing REO Speedwagon Reunion Show
Cronin addressed his absence from the reunion show in the comments of a recent Facebook post announcing his participation in the 2026 Rock Legends Cruise, which you can see below.
“The organizers of the Champaign event could have picked a date when all of the former members of REO were available to participate,” Cronin wrote. “Instead they chose June 14, 2025, a date where it was public knowledge that I was previously committed to perform with Styx and Kevin Cronin Band in Bend, Oregon. Bottom line, I am being asked to participate in an event on a date when I can’t possibly be there in-person. And then being falsely accused of turning down the invitation. I am deeply disturbed and hurt by all of this.”
Cronin continued: “After all I have done to help build the legacy of REO Speedwagon, I feel I have earned and deserve to be included in any event honoring that legacy. Instead, I have been knowingly excluded.” He also expressed disappointment that “35-year REO veterans Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt were not even shown the respect of being invited to the Champaign event.”
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Kevin Cronin’s Post-REO Speedwagon Career
REO Speedwagon announced an abrupt halt to touring in late 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences” stemming from Hall’s delayed return to the stage.
Cronin is keeping the band’s catalog alive on the road now, touring with the same lineup that performed at the final REO show in December. The frontman played his first post-REO show last month, telling UCR it was an “exciting, if bittersweet” experience.
Cronin will be on the road throughout the spring and summer with Styx and Don Felder, playing REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity in full.
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Gallery Credit: UCR Staff