Twenty-two years after their last show, the Paul Westerberg-led band confirms they will appear at the festival in Toronto, Chicago and Denver.
- Jun 14, 2013
AceShowbiz - The Replacements will reunite for the first time after 22 years of absence. The Minneapolis rock band is set to headline the 2013 Riot Fest in Toronto, Chicago and Denver. Exact dates of the shows are still unknown, but the fest runs on August 24-25 in Toronto, September 13-15 in Chicago and September 21-22 in Denver.
The Replacements last performed together in Grant Park, Chicago, on July 4, 1991. After the split, lead singer and guitarist Paul Westerberg did several solo projects, including providing music for 2006's animated film, "Open Season". Bassist Tommy Stinson became bassist for Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum, while drummer Chris Mars became a visual artist.
Earlier this year, Westerberg and Stinson returned to the studio to record the EP "Songs for Slim" to help raise money for former guitarist Slim Dunlap who suffered a stroke last year. When asked about the possibility of a reunion, Westerberg said, "Well, for the first 10 minutes, I thought, 'Yeah! I'm ready.' After a couple of hours, it was like, 'Uchhh, man, you've got to be kidding.' It's possible. I'm closer to it now than I was two years ago, let's say that."
Formed in 1979, The Replacements released seven albums between 1981 and 1990. Despite never being chart-toppers, 1984's "Let It Be" and 1985's "Tim" are considered the band's best known albums.
The band hasn't announced the full lineup for upcoming gigs, but they are set to join Dinosaur Jr., Best Coast, Fall Out Boy, Rancid, Blink-182, Iggy and the Stooges at the fest.
