On March 13, REO Speedwagon will be bringing 50 years of hits to the Mystic Showroom in Mystic Lake. With 22 million albums sold in the U.S. and 40 million worldwide, REO Speedwagon has produced a chain of gold and platinum records. Their popular 1981 album HI Infidelity skyrocketed the band to the top of the charts, cementing their status as a seminal rock influence while paving the way for other Midwestern rock bands. Not a year has gone by where REO Speedwagon hasn’t performed live, thrilling millions all over the world with their hit-filled set list. Fans of all ages will have a blast rocking out to songs like “Keep On Loving You,” “Take It On the Run,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling and many more!
Formed in 1967, signed in 1971, and fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, REO Speedwagon is a band where the main constant over the decades is a never-ending desire to give their all to their fans, year in and year out.
Formed loosely in the late ‘60s at college in Champaign, IL, REO (named after the precursor to the light truck) rode to gigs in station wagons, hopping from small gigs to even tinier gigs, just to get their name out. It worked, as fans quickly realized there was much more going on here than your average college party band.
By the early ‘70s, the band’s unrelenting drive, as well as non-stop touring and recording, jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest. It carved a path that was eventually followed by STYX, Kansas, Cheap Trick and more. Platinum albums and freeform FM radio staples such as “Ridin’ The Storm Out” followed, setting the stage for 1980’s explosive Hi Infidelity. REO rode the top of the charts with a RIAA-certified 22 million albums sold in the U.S. and 40 million around the globe, with a string of gold and platinum records and international hit singles.
Even now, fully established with songs on the radio in every city and town they ever set foot in, REO Speedwagon still has that Midwest work ethic. The band has gone on stage and in the studio to work– dozens of albums, thousands of concerts, and countless radio spins. Their eyes have always been on the future and on the road – not a year has gone by where REO Speedwagon didn’t perform live, thrilling fans with hit filled sets.
The band’s younger fans might not realize the sheer impact REO has had on music and the culture of rock ‘n’ roll. Hi Infidelity’s millions in sales were fueled by massive hit singles such as “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run.” Thirty–plus years later, the nine-times certified platinum Hi Infidelity still remains a high-water mark for rock bands; the album spent 15 weeks in the #1 slot, a feat simply unattainable in music today.
At the center of REO’s desire to keep it rocking for the fans is Kevin Cronin, who looks like he’s found the fountain of youth–along with the secret to penning some of the biggest hits in rock. With bandmates Bruce Hall on bass, keyboardist Neal Doughty, Dave Amato on lead guitar and drummer Bryan Hitt, REO has remained busy since the band celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007.
After an eleven-year break from recording, REO Speedwagon released Find Your Own Way Home in 2007, marking the band’s 15th studio effort. Just two years later, REO teamed up with their fellow Midwestern rockers Styx to record the new single, “Can’t Stop Rockin’,” which was co-written by the two band’s frontmen, Cronin and Tommy Shaw.
Please arrive 30 minutes before show time to allow ample time for security screening and seating. The show starts at 8:00 pm.
Tickets are available HERE.
Tour Dates:
MAR 3 FLORIDA THEATRE, JACKSONVILLE, FL
MAR 6 THE PAVILION @ SEMINOLE CASINO, COCONUT CREEK, FL
MAR 7 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS MUSIC PLAZA STAGE, ORLANDO, FLSHARE TICKETS
MAR 11 EFFINGHAM PERFORMANCE CENTER, EFFINGHAM, IL
MAR 13 MYSTIC LAKE CASINO (MYSTIC SHOWROOM), PRIOR LAKE, MN
MAR 14 UW MILWAUKEE – PANTHER ARENA, MILWAUKEE, WI
APR 1 PEORIA CIVIC CENTER THEATER, PEORIA, IL
APR 3 CEASARS WINDSOR – THE COLOSSEUM, WINDSOR, ON
APR 4 LITTLE RIVER CASINO RESORT, MANISTEE, MI
APR 15 STRANAHAN THEATER & GREAT HALL, TOLEDO, OH
APR 17 THE KALAMAZOO STATE THEATRE, KALAMAZOO, MI
APR 18 OWENSBORO SPORTSCENTER, OWENSBORO, KY
APR 29 FINDLAY TOYOTA CENTER, PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ
MAY 1 TUCSON MUSIC HALL, TUCSON, AZ
MAY 2 RED ROCK RESORT – SANDBAR POOLSIDE, LAS VEGAS, NV
MAY 4 ABRAHAM CHAVEZ THEATRE, EL PASO, TX
MAY 6 THE THEATRE AT GRAND PRAIRIE, GRAND PRAIRIE, TX
MAY 8 GOLDEN NUGGET GRAND EVENT CENTER, LAKE CHARLES, LA
MAY 20 THEATRE AT WESTBURY, WESTBURY, NY
MAY 22 INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – CARB DAY W/STYX, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
MAY 23 MGM NORTHFIELD PARK, NORTHFIELD, OH
MAY 25 BIG NIGHT LIVE, BOSTON, MA
MAY 27 HAMPTON BEACH CASINO BALLROOM, HAMPTON BEACH, NH
MAY 30 TROPICANA, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
JUN 2 PEOPLES BANK THEATRE, MARIETTA, OH
JUN 3 PENN’S PEAK, JIM THORPE, PA
JUN 5 FALLSVIEW CASINO RESORT, NIAGRA FALLS, ON
JUN 6 RESORTS WORLD CATSKILLS CASINO EPICENTER, MONTICELLO, NY
JUN 26 RIVERWIND CASINO, NORMAN, OK
JUL 2 DEER CROSSING PARK – RIBFEST, ROMEOVILLE, IL
JUL 4 OZARKS AMPITHEATER, CAMDENTON, MO
JUL 8 NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL, TRAVERSE CITY, MI
JUL 11 MADISON COUNTY FAIR & RODEO, MADISON, NE
JUL 25 YORK FAIR, YORK, PA
JUL 31 IROQUOIS AMPHITHEATER, LOUISVILLE, KY
AUG 1 FOELINGER THEATRE, FORT WAYNE, IN
AUG 10 STURGIS BUFFALO CHIP, STURGIS, SD
