Sights And Sounds From REO Speedwagon Tour

By Shirley Allen


While there are a number of rock and roll concerts which occur in America each year, some are better than others. When it comes to a REO Speedwagon tour, the shows are often some of the most well attended, especially for classic rock bands. Most likely, this is because of the different types of rock which include pop, rock and roll, American Contemporary and Blues the group includes on various albums and live shows.

The band, originally from Champaign, Illinois, first began playing together in 1967. After which, the group first became popular in the 1970s, then achieved major success during the 80s big hair, pop music days. One album by the group Infidelity featured 4 Top 40 hits and remains the best selling album by the group, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Named for a character in JoJo's Bizarre Adventures, REO definitely takes live audiences on a musical journey. For, the light shows, lyrics and sound are often some of the best in the industry. In addition, with bands like Styx, . 38 Special and Foreigner co-headlining, tours are never boring.

In earlier days, the band would haul equipment to show dates in a friend's station wagon. In most cases, these shows were at local dive bars and clubs around the Midwestern United States. Then, the group released the album, R. E. O. Speedwagon on Epic Records in the early 1970s. After which, the most often and well played track on the self-titled album quickly became 157 Riverside Avenue.

While the band has mostly remained stable over the years, the most notable change is that the vocalist changed three times during the first three recording sessions. Whereas, in the mid 1970s, REO convinced Epic to allow the band to record a live show to be released at a later date. Epic responded in kind, and the first live show You Get What You Play For was recorded during a live performance.

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.

In April of 2007, the band released the self-financed recording Find Your Own Way Home. While the LP did not make the charts, there were two singles which appeared on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. Whether a long-time fan or just discovering the music of REO Speedwagon, it appears there are now fans of all ages attending live shows and purchasing CDs and watching videos by the group on YouTube and other video sharing websites.

The band continues to tour on a regular basis, playing most of the classic hits from the 1970s and 80s. The group recently teamed up with the well known rock group Styx to record a single called Can't Stop Rockin which was released in 2009. REO Speedwagon is currently on a 2019 Winter tour which includes dates from California and the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast.




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