Re: Reunion shows/tours

Reno's post about one-album wonders got me thinking of this one:

What terrific act from back in the day would you love to see do the reunion thing? (Yeah, I know, to some fans, the whole idea of a reunion is appalling. But some do it better than others.) Please confine your responses to groups who *could* conceivably reunite, i.e., those groups whose original/key members are all alive & well, as far as we know.

On the other side of the coin, what terrific, beloved group would you prefer not to risk their hallowed, hermetically sealed reputation by getting back together?

Every time I see Jonathan Richman I make a plea after the show for him to reunite the original Modern Lovers and tour with them. He usually just says "Yeah, okay."

Generation X would be interesting
The Pogues - prop Shane up on the stage, stick an IV of Jamesons in his arm, and that could definitely be interesting

Can't think of any I'd hate to see - used to be the Sex Pistols were in that category, but when I saw how indignant everyone got at the very idea of their reunion, I realized that reuniting and admitting they were only in it for the money was the single most punk thing they could do. So I kind of enjoyed the spectacle after that.

i def don't want to run into my first wife


would an eno'ed roxy show be cool?

Yeah, I wasn't too sure about the reunited Pistols, but my wife & I went to see them (at her urging). It turned out to be one of the more fun concerts we've seen. Jones, Cook and Matlock sounded great together, and Lydon wisely didn't try to come across as the same hungry, vicious young punk he once was. He traded in his youthful fury for a sort of clownishness, but somehow he made that work.

I never saw Roxy with Eno (or Michael Baker with his first wife), so I won't presume to say whether a reunion that includes him would be any good. But I'd go see a Roxy reunion gig in a second, with or without Eno. The *Live at the Hammersmith Apollo* DVD was great.

The reunited Specials had only four of the seven originals, but the two '90s shows I saw were both terrific! Same with the two '90s shows I saw by The Buzzcocks. And the Mission of Burma gig I saw last month was incredible. Peter Prescott told the audience, "We've been doing this for three-and-a-half years now, so I guess it doesn't qualify as a reunion anymore."

I understand that Television does the occasional show. (In fact, I think I saw a gig by Television mentioned recently on this board.) That's one band I'd dearly love to see.

I wish the Stones would get back together and tour. And whatever happened to U2 and REM?

[I'd make a list but, given the obscurity, who'd honestly care? Who'd honestly attend?]

U2 and R.E.M. are still touring and doing well. And the Stones are touring this fall. (Honestly, Paganizer, you should take a break between your 8-track tapes and catch up on the news! That's what we're here for!)

As for your list of obscure favorites, well, it's fairly clear that you'd care, and you'd attend, so perhaps someone else would. You just never know, with this board.

Uh, I think he was joking...

Reunions with all the original members...

Edgar Broughton Band
The Idle Race
Shadows of Knight
Bonzo Dog Band
Screamers
High Tide
Orchestra Luna
Deaf School

Want more? I got more...

>Every time I see Jonathan Richman I make a plea after
>the show for him to reunite the original Modern Lovers
>and tour with them.

But he's so much better now. A ML reunion would be fun, but his material and performances are so much better now than they were in the 70s.

Oh, and how could I forget XTC? Yeah, I know, I have about as much chance of seeing them live as my cocker spaniel has of winning the Triple Crown. But hey, all past and (purportedly) present members are still alive & well, and most of them are still active in the music world. And if they could muster a tenth of the musicianship evident on *Transistor Blast*, it'd be well a worth a ticket to me.

I haven't had a chance to see them live but the New York Dolls album and DVD from the reunion shows last year are pretty great.

Who ever saw that reunion coming (certainly not Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, RIP)?

Nope ... Not A.R. Kane either, I suppose.

wipers yes
husker du yes
EC and the attractions yes

Just got home from seeing EC and the Imposters, as a matter of fact. Which is basically EC, Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and some guy on bass. So the only Attraction missing is Bruce Thomas, who seems to be a surly type anyway so the other three probably don't miss him all that much. Geez, Pete Thomas is a hell of a drummer. Unfortunately, crappy sound in the venue swallowed up Nieve - he could've just sat down and read the paper for all anyone was able to hear his contributions. Other than that, great show. From a distance, Costello is turning into a dead ringer for Frank McPike from WISEGUY.

Hem opened, and they did a really gorgeous set, although I was surrounded by nitwits who didn't seem to realize that the stuff they felt compelled to shout their inane conversations over the top of was the stuff that people had paid to see. So I would really like to see that band sometime in a small space where they were the headliners and didn't have to contend with an auditorium full of chowderheads. Sally Ellyson has an amazing voice, even when she's fighting to be heard over some idiots who are discussing the fact that Kevin Smith has directed a couple of episodes of Degrassi Jr. High.



Post Edited (08-03-05 01:41)

Elvis Costello & the Partial Attractions?

I saw EC & the Imposters the year before. Great show! Davey Gallagher is an excellent bassist, so nothing is missing in terms of musicianship. And hearing them segue "Alison" into "Suspicious Minds" (by the other Elvis) was worth the ticket price by itself.

I don't know if it was Davey Gallagher the other night. Of course, though, considering the acoustics in the place, Costello could've said Davey Gallagher and it would've sounded like he'd said Nancy Fussbudget. But it sounded to me like he said the bassist was John Fghsshlxxdlnnfg. So I think the sound was tripping me up but who knows? Maybe the guy was Welsh.

Oh well - the really sad part is the sound in this place is massively better now than when it first opened. Back then you had a better concert experience if you just looked at a picture of a band in a magazine while running a blender.

Wasn't Nancy Fussbudget the cellist in the Brodsky Quartet?

Or was Nancy the bassist on EC's "Fussy Like a Rose" tour?

I hope they are good, I'm going to see the Dolls on October 28!
I saw Television 4 years ago and they were fantatstic.
I saw the Pixies, but it was like listening to the cds.
The last time I saw JR I ran into Jerry Harrison and he just laughed when I asked about a ML reunion.
I saw Gang of Four. (I bow and add praises)..
I saw Flock of Seagulls on that "One Hit Wonder" TV show, but the only original member left was the Owlman who played one finger synthesizer backed by some speed metal dewds.
Sky Saxon and the Seeds are coming too!

Holy mackerel, Sky Saxon & the Seeds? I'd bet that's either gonna be the show of the year, or a total train wreck on stage!

The Pixies were kind of dull on stage, I thought.

Both Go4 and Bauhaus appeared at Coachella this year; any word about on-going reunion activities from either band?

Gang of Four has more dates booked in New England so apparently their tour is ongoing. They were great great great when I saw them in the spring.

Go4 are currently playing UK in September (they are going to perform "Entertainment" in it's entirety) They have 2 east coast and NO and Anaheim dates in October (sponsored by VH1)
Sky and the Seeds are playing OR and WA and the Knitting Factory in LA next week.
Bauhaus have New York and Seattle booked in November.
Hopefully these tour dates will expand!

It turns out that Gang of Four is playing more US shows this fall, including a Denver show in October. YES!!!

On the Go4 tour, from today's Pitchfork:

Gang of Four Announce Fall Tour

Kavitha Chekuru reports:
So far, it's been a really good year for Gang of Four. And since everyone should (and does) worship the ground Gang of Four walk on, it has therefore been a good year for everyone. Having influenced every band around today with side bangs and angular guitar riffs, the political post-punks decided that they should just come back in the flesh and take a second stab at their history themselves. So after pumping through the first half of this year with a spring tour, a Coachella appearance, new recordings, and a reissue of their classic debut album, Entertainment!, they have announced a fall tour for us lucky folk in the States. It will last a mere month, but include a stopover at the Across the Narrows Festival in NYC, as well as a variety of other dates from sea to shining sea.

The tour will start just after the release of Whitey's Gift, a collection of re-recorded and remixed old Gang of Four songs, on September 20. We're still waiting to see whether that record is an untouchable and perfect artifact or a complete travesty, by the way. In any case, flock to these cities, comrades:

09-24 London, England - The Barbican
09-29 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
09-30 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
10-01 Brooklyn, NY - Across the Pond Festival, Keyspan Park
10-03 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
10-04 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
10-05 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
10-06 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-08 Atlanta, GA - Earthlink Live
10-10 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10-11 Houston, TX - Meridian
10-12 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
10-13 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
10-15 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
10-16 Magna, UT - Great Salt Air
10-18 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
10-20 Hollywood, CA - Avalon
10-21 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues

* Pitchfork Review: Gang of Four: Entertainment
* Pitchfork News: Gang of Four to Re-Record Band's Classics for New Album
* Gang of Four: [www.gangoffour.us]

Have The Undertones done a reunion tour? I saw them at The Bayou in Washington, D.C. in 1980, when they were promoting "Hypnotized." They were really gret live, with energretic performances and showing a great sense of humor between songs. Is anybody going to see the Stones this Fall, another tour with only three original members? I still wonder whatever got into Bill Wyman to make him leave the band.

Wyman left the Stones because:

1) He made more money than he would ever be able to spend after the Steel Wheels tour in '89-'90 (they all did)

2) He is older than the other Stones

3) Mick and Keith never really liked him and he never really liked them. Charlie and Ronnie are pretty affable and probably got along with him but most likely weren't getting together for family BBQ's with Bill and his then child bride

4) He is kind of a freak, read his Stone Alone autobiography for confirmation

I know the Undertones did a reunion tour (and maybe even released an album?) a couple of years ago. A friend of mine saw them in DC and said they were great. I don't think Feargal was the singer though.

The Undertones have indeed reformed w/o Feargal Sharkey, and apparently are still great.

Ira gives the reformed band the thumbs up here:

[www.trouserpress.com]

And I think Jack Rabid was pretty pleased with the new line-up, too, over in the Big Takeover. So if they pass muster with those two, they must be doing it right.

""Bruce Thomas, who seems to be a surly type anyway...""

....Surly...a surly musician....a surly attraction!
"The Surly Attractions".
Opening for the New York Dolls.



Post Edited (04-09-07 16:24)

Don't get me wrong - I love Jonathan Richman's solo shows. He's pretty much the only performer who I would never consider missing when he comes to town. Wanting to see a Modern Lovers reunion in no way means I want him to stop what he's already doing. I just think it would be great to see the original Lovers live, too.