The biggest promoters and management companies know that if the bag of money on the table is big enough, there’s a 99 per cent chance they can convince a band to reunite.
This formula resulted in the resurrection of dead-forever bands like Rage Against the Machine, My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain. What’s in store for 2010?
Soundgarden: Given the alleged money issues involving their old manager (who, for added drama, is singer Chris Cornell’s ex-wife; it was a nasty divorce) and the fact that drummer Matt Cameron is the happiest guy to ever play drums for Pearl Jam, I would have bet the mortgage against this ever happening. Details are still being worked out, but watch for a summer tour and some kind of box set in time for Christmas.
Hole: Waiting for Courtney Love to release her Nobody’s Daughter album has been like expecting Godot to return with those promised double-doubles from Tim Hortons. We still don’t have a release date for the CD, but Hole — with Courtney as the only original member — will play a short tour starting in London on Feb. 17.
The Plastic Ono Band: That same night in New York, Yoko will caterwaul for one last night. On Feb. 17, she’ll be joined by son Sean, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, members of the Scissor Sisters and whomever else she can round up.
Suede: Excitement amongst Britpop fans has been muted since this reunion seems to be just a one-off thing for charity and it won’t feature original guitarist, Bernard Butler.
Pavement: We were advised a year in advance that the California lo-fi boffins would be reuniting for a multi-night run in New York’s Central Park this September. Since then, though, plans have expanded considerably. Rehearsals start next month with the first gig set for Auckland, New Zealand March 1 followed by Australia, Japan, the U.K. and Europe before they land in Toronto on June 19.
The Pointed Sticks: This Vancouver power pop band released their first album in 1980, broke up in 1981 and then reformed in 2006 for the occasional gig. Twenty-nine years after the first record, they’ve released a second, Three Lefts Make a Right. No rush, then.
