REO Speedwagon Confirms Rock And Roll Will Keep You Young

If you’re looking for a more joyful uplifting night of rock and roll, you’re not likely to find it.

Article and photos by: Belinda Glass Reedy ( The Metallicougar)

Walking throughout the crowd at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater last night, I couldn’t help but overhear, a man of a certain age, comment that there wasn’t anyone under the age of 40 in the crowd.   My thought was “who cares”?  Let’s face it, any artist who can consistently sell out a venue, probably isn’t too worried about the demographics.   Especially when their lead singer , Kevin Cronin announced that he is 71 years old.  Not that anyone could pin that down from his stage presence and boyish like grin.

Writing this from the perspective of someone who has been in the pit, let’s just say a long time, I have the advantage of having seen them perform and photograph them as early as 1987, I can compare the shows through the years.  I’d love to say I was two, but clearly I wasn’t.  There’s a tiny photo at the bottom of this article, that will clue you in.

Nothing, and I mean nothing has changed.  Save for some hair color changes and maybe a tiny bit of restricted movement.  We should all be so lucky.  To be completely honest, I felt they connected with the crowd more in these later shows than their earlier ones.  There’s shared history there.  Fans were immediately transported back to their youth and the energy was palpable.  You couldn’t ask for a happier group of people both on and off the stage, myself included.  At some points in the pit I caught myself singing along, possibly to the complete annoyance of my colleagues. 

These songs are just fun.  There was something magical about the late 70’s and early 80’s writing style, that sticks with you. Maybe it’s because it was music for a more hopeful outlook or just the innocence of that time compared to all the unrest of these later years.

What I can say is REO Speedwagon delivers one of the best shows out there.  If you don’t believe it, just try to find a seat at the next show.  It was sold out and fans who were unable to score a last minute ticket either set up in the parking lot or on nearby balconies just to hear them. It was a celebration and I went home feeling fantastic and my love of music renewed once again.

Catch the tour at these upcoming stops: http://reospeedwagon.com/tour/