CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device.
Many people hear the name REO Speedwagon and immediately think of the band’s two big romantic power ballads from the ’80s — “Keep on Loving You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”
That makes perfect sense, since those two songs happen to be the band’s only No. 1 hits. But they are hardly a complete summary of the group.
That’s because REO Speedwagon is at least as good at turning in big rockers as it is at crafting tender ballads.
And the group — consisting of vocalist-guitarist Kevin Cronin, keyboardist Neal Doughty, bassist Bruce Hall, lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt — would certainly underscore that point during its superb 16-song show at Wente Vineyards in Livermore on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The biggest takeaway from the night is that REO Speedwagon — many decades past its commercial prime — remains a really great band, one that should receive serious consideration for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group just has so many sensational songs, the vast majority of which have stood the test of time so very well.
I reviewed two classic rock shows this week. And this most definitely was the better one. The other show, by the way, was delivered by the Rolling Stones.
Following a solid opening set by Livermore’s own folk-country-rock champ Nick Tyrrel, the headliners took the stage and opened their set with “Don’t Let Him Go,” which also happens to be the lead track on 1980’s “Hi Infidelity.”
“We had a great time the last time we were here,” Cronin told the crowd at Wente. “We are going to kick it up a notch (tonight).”
Not surprisingly, the band continued to draw early and often from “Hi Infidelity,” its ninth studio release that went on to become the top-selling album — of any genre — for 1981. To date, the album has sold over 10 million copies, thus earning the coveted diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In all, the group played seven of the 10 tracks from “Hi Infidelity” — “Don’t Let Him Go,” “In Your Letter,” “Take It on the Run,” “Tough Guys,” “I Wish You Were There,” “Someone Tonight” and, of course, “Keep on Loving You.” The fans seemed to love each and every one of them, illustrating that this nearly 40-year-old album still has a big place in their hearts.
The group did touch upon a number of its other fine albums as well, including when it turned back the clock to 1976 for the anthemic “Keep Pushin'” from “R.E.O.” and then to 1973 for “Son of a Poor Man” from “Ridin’ the Storm Out.”
Everybody in the band sounded terrific, including, of course, Cronin, who is a dynamic front man. Yet, it was Amato who stole the spotlight time and time again.
He’s a first-rate guitar hero and he’d prove it at least a dozen times during the show, delivering terrific slide work on “Keep Pushin'” and pouring such emotion into his leads on “I Wish You Were There” and numerous others.
“It’s time to once again break out the classic rock heavy artillery,” Cronin said.
The band closed out the main set in high style, moving from the top 5 smash “Take It on the Run” into a soaring version of “Time for Me to Fly” and then the blues-rock “Back on the Road Again,” before closing the main set on with a thunderous “Ridin’ the Storm Out.”
Then, without ever leaving the stage, REO Speedwagon just announced it was time for an encore and jumped right into its biggest hit, “Keep On Loving You.”
Set list:
1, “Don’t Let Him Go”
2, “Music Man”
3, “In Your Letter”
4, “Keep Pushin'”
5, “Can’t Fight This Feeling”
6, “Tough Guys”
7, “Son of a Poor Man”
8, “Someone Tonight”
9, “I Wish You Were There”
10, “Building the Bridge”
11, “Take It on the Run”
12, “Time for Me to Fly”
13. “Back on the Road Again”
14, “Ridin’ the Storm Out”
Encore:
15, “Keep on Loving You”
16, “Roll with the Changes”