Friday, January 11, 2019

Sights And Sounds From REO Speedwagon Tour

By Shirley Allen


When it comes to rock and roll, there are a number of different types of rock. When it comes to attending a REO Speedwagon tour, fans can often hear influences of pop, rock, hard rock, adult contemporary and blues in the music. It should be noted that while the group includes traditional blues rifts in some songs, the bluesy rock stylings of REO is far different than that of Delta or Deep Southern Blues.

Originally forming in Champaign Illinois in 1967, it has been a hard though successful journey for the band. While first becoming popular in the early 1970s and having achieved major commercial success, popularity waned in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although, one album titled Infidelity which features four top rated hits has remained the best selling album by the group after selling over 10 million copies.

Named for a character in the E. O. Speedwagon story JoJo's Big Adventure, the band definitely takes fans on a musical adventure whether listening at home, in the car or attending a live show. For, the band puts on some of the best light shows which align with lyrics and sound throughout each concert. In addition, as the band tends to tour with groups such as . 38 Special, Styx and Foreigner, the sound is often top quality as well.

In the beginning, the members of the band would have to haul equipment to shows in a station wagon which belonged to a long-time friend. In most cases, shows were at local venues in and around the greater Champaign and Chicago area. Then, after releasing the first self-titled album in 1972, fans found favor with the track 157 Riverside Avenue which became the most often played track by the group on the radio and by fans around the world.

While most of the band remained stable over the years, there were three switches to the vocal line-up three times while recording the first three albums. Then, in 1977, REO convinced Epic Records that the strength of the band was in playing live shows. As a result, the group released a live album You Get What You Play For which later achieved platinum status. Having received such acclaim and success, the band moved to Los Angeles later that year.

Since forming in 1967, the band has sold over 40 million recordings while having had over 13 Top 40 hits. The most well known and popular of which is most likely Can't Fight This Feeling. For, the song can still be heard on a number of classic rock stations and during live shows.

More recently, in April of 2007, the band self-financed and released Find You Own Way Home. While the album did not make the charts, two singles appeared on the Adult Contemporary Chart produced by Billboard. As such, the group appears to have a fan base of young and old alike.

Currently, the band is on a Winter tour traveling from the West Coast throughout the Midwest and up and down the East Coast. The group often plays a number of classics as well as new material in each and every concert. Most often, music from Can't Stop Rockin, an album released in 2009, as well as music from the 80s and 90s are on the set list at each show.




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