The Replacements will reunite to play their first shows in 22 years as the seminal Minneapolis rock band will take the stage at Riot Fest 2013 in Toronto, Denver and Chicago.
The band last performed together July 4, 1991 at Chicago”s Grant Park at Taste of Chicago. That gig, to put it mildly, ended badly as guitarist Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson basically dissolved the group on stage.
Westerberg and Stinson came together again last fall to pay tribute to former guitarist Slim Dunlap after he suffered a stroke earlier in 2012: the pair recorded an EP of song covers to benefit Dunlap and to help pay his expenses. That detente apparently lead to the three gigs.
The first show will be Aug. 25 at the Toronto edition of Riot Fest. Other acts on the bill include Iggy & The Stooges, Best Coast, Pierce the Veil, Rocket From the Crypt, and Mayday Parade.
The Replacements will next play at Riot Fest in Chicago, which takes place Sept. 13-15. Also on the three-day bill are Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Violent Femmes, Motorhead, Blondie, Public Enemy and Motorhead, among others.
The third date will be in Denver for Riot Fest Sideshow, which takes place Sept. 21-22. In addition to The Replacements, the line-up includes Blink-182, Iggy & The Stooges, Rancid, Public Enemy, Brand New, and Awolnation.
Speculation that the Replacements would play Riot Fest began to smolder recently, especially after Riot Fest advertised a Chicago line-up that included a series of question marks, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Then, it seemed to be all but confirmed earlier today when the following tweet appeared on the @Riot Fest Twitter account: “Holy [expletive. We”re getting the band back together.” The tweet disappeared, but the official announcement came soon enough.
Who exactly will be in the band besides Westerberg and Stinson has yet to be confirmed. Riot Fest”s publicist told me that management will reveal the rest of the line-up soon, which is certainly intriguing.
To commemorate the announcement, the Replacements even launched a website, www.thereplacementsofficial.com…or at least a placeholder for one. The site lists the three Riot Fest 2013 cities and “full site coming soon.” Baby steps…
https://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/211296491.html