There are four reasons for your band to reunite: (1) The post-break-up projects aren’t working out; (2) a lack of portable skills has left you with a job at the drive-thru; (3) you discover that rock ’n’ roll doesn’t come with a pension plan; and (4) promoters are offering to throw boatloads of money at you. If you can stand being together with the old crew for just a few more months, maybe you can enjoy that spotlight one more time.
With that in mind, here’s an update on the reunions we’ve seen this year.
Blink 182: Hugely successful but marred by the death of DJ AM, the only other person to survive last fall’s plan crash with drummer Travis Barker. The last show was last weekend. Now what?
Blur: All over, apparently. After playing a series of ultra high-profile gigs, they’ve all gone their separate ways to count their money.
Don’t expect any more shows or any new music. Bass player Alex James is making royal cheese for Prince Charles. No, really, he is.
Cranberries: The day singer Dolores O’Riordan released her second solo album, it was announced that the original line-up was coming back together for a tour and possibly an album. Things start in Baltimore on Nov. 12.
Creed: Singer Scott Stapp told me that he needed to right some wrongs dating back to 2002-04, including a show in Chicago that was so bad fans actually filed a class-action lawsuit.
A new album called Full Circle will be in stores on the Oct. 27. The first single, Overcome, actually did much better than most might have expected.
Faith No More: Only Europe has had a chance to see FNM since they got back together in February and the reviews have been rapturous. Why won’t they play North America?
Jane’s Addiction: Before they embarked on a very successful roadtrip with NIN, we were promised a new album featuring the original line-up. So where is this album?
Public Image Ltd: Okay, so it’s only Johnny Lydon (né Rotten). Only a handful of British shows have been announced.
Stone Temple Pilots: They’ve held it together more than 18 months now. Can they survive the Canadian tour that starts in Victoria on Nov. 7?
Suede: Not officially announced yet, but singer Bret Anderson has said publicly that he’s open to it.
