Kevin Cronin, the longtime frontman of REO Speedwagon, has offered a revealing look at what ultimately led to the band’s end as a touring unit, describing the internal rift as an “impossible situation” that couldn’t be resolved. In a recent interview on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Cronin walked through the mounting tensions inside the band that erupted in the years following the pandemic and the band’s attempt at a Las Vegas residency.
Cronin said that the seeds of division were sown when the band regrouped after the COVID-19 pandemic, a moment he saw as a chance to revitalize their creative energy. He began working hard on his vocal craft and pushing for a bold new project: a Hi Infidelity residency in Las Vegas that would include a full-album performance with a “massive audiovisual presentation.”
However, complications emerged just before the residency was set to launch when bassist Bruce Hall suffered a back injury. With tickets sold from around the world and Cronin invested in a year’s worth of planning, he made the difficult call to postpone Hall’s involvement and salvage the shows with Elton John bassist Matt Bissonette filling in. That decision injected a new energy into the performances but also strained Cronin’s relationship with Hall, which never fully healed.
“I love Bruce,” Cronin said, admitting that some fans felt he was “out to get him,” though he insisted those feelings were rooted in misunderstanding. He added that he holds no ill will toward his longtime bandmate.
While Cronin’s goal was to “keep REO Speedwagon moving forward,” the fallout from the residency decision ultimately drove a wedge between members. What began as a split in vision — whether to chase new creative ideas or preserve established roles — grew into a chasm that Cronin described plainly: “It just became an impossible situation.”
REO Speedwagon officially stopped touring on January 1, 2025, with Cronin continuing to perform the band’s repertoire through his solo efforts. The classic lineup also reunited for a special appearance in September 2025 with the University of Illinois Marching Illini, but there are no plans for a formal reformation of the band.
Cronin reflected on his original hope that the band would “ride into the barn together,” with members and crew retiring as a single unit. Instead, he conceded that reality didn’t match that vision, concluding that sometimes long-standing bonds are simply overtaken by differing priorities and the pressures of long careers.
