REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, who decided to stop touring as REO Speedwagon in 2025, shared a detailed update on his recent travels and personal life in a post on Facebook.
The update covered highlights from his “Around the World and Back Again Tour,” including performances abroad and time spent with his wife, Lisa, who recently underwent hip replacement surgery.
“Hi Friends, so, with the jet-lag from my ‘Around the World and Back Again Tour’ finally behind me, I want to share some highlights of our travels, plus some video of me keeping the music of REO Speedwagon alive and well,” Cronin said. “I mentioned my gig at the American Embassy in Tokyo, but after the show, Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker), John Payne (Asia), and I were salivating over the 250 pound, $3,000,000.00 Blue Fin Tuna, which was about to be sliced up and served to the distinguished guests … (yes, a three million dollar fish!).”
Cronin went on to describe the rest of his travels through Asia and Scandinavia.
“Lisa and I then rode the Bullet Train to a wonderful day in the ancient city of Kyoto, followed by another fourteen-hour flight, this time over the Arctic Circle and into Stockholm, where we were greeted by a stunning full rainbow. I performed on a private cruise through Scandinavia, backed by a great Chicago based house band, and we toured Oslo, Helsinki, Visby (Gotland Island), and Gothenburg.”
He then shared details about the couple’s time in Copenhagen and the events surrounding his wife’s surgery.
“Lisa and I disembarked in the great city of Copenhagen, and spent the next four days sight-seeing, bike-riding, hat shopping, and enjoying the best ice cream cones ever at Tivoli Gardens, Walt Disney’s template for Disneyland! Sharing this adventure with my wife was a great bonding experience and a nice way to celebrate, as Lisa would have hip replacement surgery when we got home.”
“Lisa’s procedure was a complete success, she is safe at home, and now more hip than ever! I am looking into ‘hipness’ replacement surgery, as I am a bit weak in that area! So, I need to get back to help Lili, (our household helper of twenty-five years), and return to my nurse duties. Lisa has done so much for me over the past thirty-seven years … I love being able to help her now. She is up and walking, slowly … which is hard for my high-energy wife. But she is making amazing progress and will be back at full strength real soon.”
Cronin closed his post by thanking fans for their continued support.
“I hope you are well, wherever you are. You, the fans, are who give me these opportunities to share my music around the world and continue to make my rock ‘n roll dreams come true.”
Cronin’s post focused on his travels and personal life. It did not address the future of REO Speedwagon. Fans reacted in the comments, calling for a reunion with the band’s other members. “Can you please now get together with Neal, Alan, and Bruce? That is the best way to keep the music of REO Speedwagon alive and well. We fans are begging you, Kevin,” one fan wrote. Another added, “You know what else would be a great way to keep the music of REO Speedwagon alive?? Reunion.”
Cronin’s silence on a reunion comes against a backdrop that has already given fans a taste of what a full comeback could look like.
REO Speedwagon’s touring run came to an end on January 1, 2025. Internal disagreements among longtime members left the band unable to continue performing together under that banner. Years of mounting tension led to the split, ultimately reaching a breaking point that Cronin himself later called “heartbreaking.”
Despite that fallout, Cronin, bassist Bruce Hall, keyboardist Neal Doughty, and early drummer Alan Gratzer came together in September 2025 for the University of Illinois Homecoming. They served as grand marshals for the parade and took the field with the Fighting Illini marching band. It marked the first time the four had shared a stage in a musical setting since 1988.
The reunion left an impression on Cronin, who later reflected on the experience during an appearance on the “Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg” podcast. “It exceeded my expectations,” he said of reconnecting with his former bandmates in Champaign.
The goodwill continued into 2026. Cronin, Gratzer, Hall, and Doughty reunited once more for a private tribute concert honoring the band’s late guitarist, Gary Richrath, who died in 2015. Still, none of these reunions have translated into an official announcement about REO Speedwagon’s future. Fans continue to hope for a full-fledged comeback.
