Former REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin has taken to social media to bemoan his absence from an upcoming, one-off hometown show celebrating the band's legacy in Champaign, IL.
The show, which is scheduled to take place at the State Farm Center in Champaign on June 14, will raise funds for the REO Speedwagon Foundation for rare GU cancer research at Moffitt Cancer Center, a nonprofit cancer treatment and research center located in Tampa, Florida.
In addition, tribute will be paid to late REO Speedwagon members Gary Richrath (guitar) and Gregg Philbin (bass), who both joined the band while they were resident in Champaign. The musicians lined up for the event include former members Neal Doughty, Alan Gratzer, Bruce Hall, Terry Luttrell, Mike Murphy and Steve Scorfina, but not Cronin.
"The organisers of the Champaign event could have picked a date when all of the former members of REO were available to participate," Cronin wrote on Facebook, in response to a fan questioning his absence. "Instead they chose June 14, 2025, a date where it was public knowledge that I was previously committed to perform with Styx and Kevin Cronin Band in Bend, Oregon.
"Bottom line, I am being asked to participate in an event on a date when I can’t possibly be there in person. And then being falsely accused of turning down the invitation. I am deeply disturbed and hurt by all of this.
"After all I have done to help build the legacy of REO Speedwagon, I feel I have earned and deserve to be included in any event honoring that legacy. Instead, I have been knowingly excluded."
Cronin also claims that REO veterans Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt have not been "shown the respect" of being invited to the Champaign show. It should be pointed out that neither musician was involved in the band's early years, both having joined after they relocated to Los Angeles in 1977.
Last year, REO Speedwagon played their final show against a backdrop of acrimony, as "irreconcilable differences" between Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall forced the latter to sit out the band's schedule.
Hall, who joined REO Speedwagon in 1977 in time to play on the band's breakthrough album You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish, had hoped to return to the stage after recuperating from back surgery, but was replaced on the final tour by Matt Bissonette.
Tickets for the show on June 14 are on sale now.
Croinin will hit the road with Styx and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder in May on the Brotherhood Of Rock tour. Full dates below.
Styx, Kevin Cronin and Don Felder: Brotherhood Of Rock tour 2025
May 28: Greenville Bon Secours Wellness Arena, SC
May 31: Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, FL
Jun 02: Jacksonville Daily's Place, FL
Jun 04: Austin Germania Insurance Amphitheater, TX
Jun 06: The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Jun 07: Ridgedale Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, MO
Jun 09: Denver Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, CO
Jun 11: Salt Lake City Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, UT
Jun 13: Concord Toyota Pavilion at Concord, CA
Jun 14: Bend Hayden Homes Amphitheater, OR
Jun 15: Ridgefield Inn Style Resort Amphitheater, WA
Jun 28: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Jun 30: Colorado Springs Ford Amphitheatre, CO
Jul 02: Kansas City Starlight Theatre, MO
Jul 05: Birmingham Coca-Cola Amphitheatre, AL
Jul 06: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA
Jul 08: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC
Jul 09: Raleigh Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, NC
Jul 11: Virginia Beach Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, VA
Jul 12: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Jul 14: Syracuse Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater, NY
Jul 15: Bridgeport Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, CT
Jul 18: Gilford BankNH Pavilion, NH
Jul 19: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Jul 20: Holmdel Bank Arts Center, NJ
Aug 01: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
Aug 02: Brandon Brandon Amphitheater, MS
Aug 04: Franklin FirstBank Amphitheater, TX
Aug 06: Richmond Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, VA
Aug 08: Camden Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, NJ
Aug 10: Burgettstown The Pavilion at Star Lake, PA
Aug 12: Saratoga Springs Broadview Stage at SPAC, NY
Aug 13: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON
Aug 15: Noblesville Ruoff Music Center, IN
Aug 16: Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI
Aug 19: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Aug 20: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 22: Maryland Heights Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 23: Tinley Park Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, IL
Aug 24: Milwaukee American Family Insurance Amphitheater, WI
