Other than predicting who might make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a given year, foretelling what bands may or may not reunite for a tour or album keeps music fans continually out of trouble. Regular names like Oasis, Talking Heads, and The Smiths continue to resurface, but it’s the ones we least expect that keep the guessing game interesting.
2022 has seen a number of bands reunite after a long hiatus from live performances. Glide has compiled some of the most notable reunions of the year.
Unwound
The most recent of these reunions comes from Washington state. The post-hardcore group Unwound has officially announced a reunion tour set to hit the road in 2023. The announcement comes after a mysterious video was uploaded to the band’s social media page. The phrase “1991-2091” has become a focal point for this tour, the year markers alluding to the band’s earlier merchandise. This will be the first time the band is performing in 20 years after their initial breakup due to the untimely death of their founding bass player Vern Rumsey. The 7-show tour is set to kick off with a homecoming show in Seattle before a string of west coast dates ends up on the east coast with stops in Chicago before the final show in Philadelphia.
Rage Against The Machine
Now more than ever, Rage Against The Machine’s voice is needed. In a country where every day there is cause for civil unrest, the highly-opinionated rap/rockers are here to provide backing music for a revolution. RATM announced their reunion via social media in May and kicked off the Public Service Announcement tour this Saturday (July 9). This marked the band’s first show in 11 years. The tour got off to a rough start after lead singer Zach De La Rocha hurt his foot during the second show of the tour. The flexible vocalist continued the show and no updates have been given on his status.
Mötley Crüe
The bad boys of yesteryear are back on the road again with fellow hair rock veterans Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett. The four-piece have always been road dogs, going out on extended tours since their rise to popularity in the 80s. This recent tour comes as a shock though, considering the contract they signed in 2014. The “cessation of touring” contract stated that the band was officially retiring from touring after a long string of shows that brought them to the end of 2015. Once that tour was over, the band’s live performance of “Dr. Feelgood” was only supposed to be experienced through live albums and Youtube videos. Breaking their own legal document,
The bad boys of yesteryear are back on the road again with fellow hair rock veterans Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett. The four-piece have always been road dogs, going out on extended tours since their rise to popularity in the 80s. This recent tour comes as a shock though, considering the contract they signed in 2014. The “cessation of touring” contract stated that the band was officially retiring from touring after a long string of shows that brought them to the end of 2015. Once that tour was over, the band’s live performance of “Dr. Feelgood” was only supposed to be experienced through live albums and Youtube videos. Breaking their own legal document, headed out on “The Stadium Tour” with the aforementioned bands in June of this year. Their first show in Atlanta ended the 7-year hiatus and any legally binding documents. Mötley Crüe headed out on “The Stadium Tour” with the aforementioned bands in June of this year. Their first show in Atlanta ended the 7-year hiatus and any legally binding documents.
ABBA
This was one of the more shocking reunions in recent times. The sinfully-sweet quartet shocked everyone when they announced that their first album of new material was hitting the public in late 2021. This was the first time we heard new music from the 70s sensation since 1981. It only became more shocking when the Mama Mia soundtrack artists announced that a short tour would accompany the new music, and what happened next was unpredictably futuristic for the supergroup. Although the full band has been seen in person together at shows, it wasn’t performing on stage. Instead, holograms of the band in their prime were projected on stage to perform the band’s danceable classics, becoming more of a tribute show than a full concert. The Swedish pop group has been bringing their holograms across the world after a long residency at the ABBA Arena in London. The first show was on May 20 of this year and will have a four-year residency in their very own arena. The show will also be doing select dates across the U.S. starting July 14.
Karate
For the first time in 17 years, indie rock stars Karate are heading out on a short-lived tour. In 2005, after years of bringing their post-hardcore sound to the masses on extensive tours, lead singer Geoff Farina developed hearing issues and the band was forced to dissolve. After a string of vinyl reissues from their trusty label The Numero Group, a newly ignited interest has brought the band back together. The 8-show tour kicked off on July 7 in their home turf of Massachustts before dates in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and a string of west coast dates.
Pavement
This September, every indie head’s favorite band is coming back together and they’re stronger than ever. Pavement had been off stage for over two decades before their reunion in LA on May 23. The full tour announcement came right after the band shocked their diehard fans by announcing they will be performing at Primavera Sound in Spain. This reunion was accompanied by a reissue of their Spit On A Stranger EP from 1999. Pavement is coming back in a big way, the three-month-long tour will kick off with dates across North America before heading overseas. Their reunion tour kicks off in September in San Diego before heading over for the European leg in mid-October.
Roxy Music
Much to the shock of their day one fans, Bryan Ferry and the original members of Roxy Music are heading out on a 50th(!) tour anniversary for their debut album. The art-rock icons are celebrating the milestone with a 13-date international arena tour kicking off in early September. This will be the first time the band has shared a stage since their 2011 tour. A majority of the currently announced dates have the band traveling across North America before three dates over in the U.K. The band is continuing the celebration with reissues of their classic albums available via their website.
Porcupine Tree
The unsung heroes of the U.K. rock scene Porcupine Tree are back. Last year, all three members shared a cryptic video to their socials that would kick off the rollout for their first new single in over 12 years along with the announcement of an international reunion tour for the following year. The band never officially broke up and has had rumors circulating the internet about a possible return for years, but frontman Steve Wilson’s dive into his solo career made things seem bleak for fans of the prog-rock group. Along with their 2021 single, the band announced their brand new album Closure/Continuation to be released in June of 2022, and the album was released on schedule to high critical acclaim. All of this new material will be wrapped up in a bow when the band starts their long-awaited reunion tour in September. The tour has the band hitting cities in North America and Europe.
The Gaslight Anthem
Seven years ago, the New Jersey-based rockers Gaslight Anthem announced an indefinite hiatus. Lead singer Brian Fallon credits the constant Bruce Springsteen comparisons and the pressures that come with filling the boss’ big shoes forced the band to split in 2015. Four years after their initial break up, Gaslight Anthem played a short string of shows to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their 2008 album The ‘59 Sound, but now Fallon is proud to announce an official reunion. No sign of new music has come from the band but fans will still be able to see the four-piece live on their extensive tour set to hit The U.S. and Europe starting on August 9 in Berlin, Germany.
Pantera
Pantera is one of the more surprising reunion announcements of late; surviving Pantera members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown will be touring under the Pantera banner in 2023. While many might argue that it’s truly not Pantera without the Abbott Brothers (Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul) on guitar and drums, the recently named guitarist and drummer Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante both have been approved by the estates. Benante and Wylde have both voiced their fandom for PANTERA’smusic over the years, so let’s hope they put they give Pantera a final go-around for the fallen brothers.
