Kevin Cronin Instagram – Hi friends, I am very fortunate that my years with REO Speedwagon have allowed me to be a guest vocalist w/ some amazing “house bands” at various charity events during REO down time. Most recently I joined my friends in the @thejimirsaycollection for another night of good fun & great music at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
The mood was a combination of somber & joyful. Somber due to the illness of our leader & benefactor, a man as generous of spirit as with his riches, humble, respectful, and loyal, and a lover of music and everyone involved in creating it, a man I am proud to call a friend, the inimitable Jim Irsay. I wish Jimmy the best as he faces this terribly tough challenge, and I have faith that he will come through it stronger than ever.
Jim wanted the concert to go on, with or without him, and we all dedicated every note we played and sang to his recovery. I was honored to be among the guest singers that night, all giants in their own right: Ann Wilson of Heart, Peter Wolfe of the J. Geils Band, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. I think you can feel my joy in these photos from my performance, as this amazing band lifted me up and put their masterful imprint on my songs.
As I write this, the REO boys & I are on a flight from LA to Orlando, for a co-headline show with @styxtheband on Thurs. night. It will be great to see Tommy, JY & the boys, and the great audience our bands attract when we join forces. We will be playing a new & exciting setlist this year, & the band is raring to go.
The 2024 tour begins on 3/20 in Reading, PA w/ @rickspringfield & lands in Estero, FL w/ @cheaptrick on 4/6. I will be writing about our adventures as our tour winds its way through Charleston, Knoxville, Columbia, Montgomery, St Augustine, & many points in between. You can check reospeedwagon.com for a list of tour dates. We will be announcing a very special summer tour later this month, & are stoked to be sharing the stage w/ an awesome band w/ an amazing lead singer that we have never played with before. So stay tuned! … kc
Pictured above at the Shrine Auditorium: kc with @kennywayneshepherd, with @bbranch103, and with Tom Vukovich, and doing his “lead singer thing”. | Posted on 20/Jan/2024 04:27:04
