Think of the dozens of bands throughout the history of rock and roll that can never be seen again. The Beatles, The Doors, Van Halen, Nirvana – all of them are gone for good, with key members either six feet under or those surviving knowing better than to mess with the legacy lest they turn into a joke a-la Lynyrd Skynyrd with no originals left.
Then there’s some legendary rockers who may be gearing up for one last run, a long – sometimes very long – awaited reunion or the inevitable cash grab to cushion the coffers. No matter what though, the following are teetering on the brink of getting back onstage in front of fans old and those who never got the chance to see them in their prime.
Let’s provide a bit of backstory and the odds on them coming to town.
AC/DC
Before reforming at the three-day hard rock and heavy metal festival Power Trip in the California desert earlier this month, the last time AC/DC performed was at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia back in September 2016. Axl Rose was admirably fronting the group in place of an ailing Brian Johnson and longtime bassist Cliff Williams had revealed it would be his last show before heading into retirement. At the time, it looked as if the rest of the unit would follow suit.
Come 2020, they surprised everyone by releasing Power Up, their strongest LP since the ‘90s but, like everyone, they were stymied by the pandemic. At Power Trip, among heavyweights like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, it was AC/DC who everyone was talking about. The setlist was full of surprises and the band – with Johnson back at the mic and Williams returning on bass – were rock solid.
Do they have enough stamina to do a tour? At least a handful of dates in North America we’ll put at 50/50.
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Talking Heads
The new wave/art rock icons played their final show in 1984 and officially called it a day in 1991 with frontman David Byrne bristling at any reunion – ahem – “talk” over the years. However, last month the band appeared together for the first time in 20 years at the Toronto International Film Festival to promote the 40th anniversary re-release of the concert film Stop Making Sense with a Spike Lee led discussion.
Now that the film has been re-released for a wide theatrical run, it seems the bandmembers are genuinely taken aback at the excitement surrounding it and the reaction the four of them simply being in the same space is generating. Bassist Tiny Weymouth said in Toronto they were living in the moment, “And we’re not really looking too far into the future.” A scheduled televised interview with the band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the other night was postponed while the host recovered from Covid, but it will be interesting to see what they have to say in that setting.
Some may consider this wishful thinking, but let’s put it at 80 percent that Byrne will once again break out the big suit as early as next summer.
Oasis
Ever since they split acrimoniously right before taking the stage in late summer 2009, fans have wondered just how long it would be before Liam and Noel Gallagher would bury the hatchet and relaunch the most successful band of the Britpop era. Next year will mark a decade and a half, and all bets are on Oasis reforming sooner than later.
The warring siblings have been badmouthing one another in the press almost since day one, and since the breakup Noel swore up and down that he would never reunite. His tone has softened drastically over the last several months though, saying all Liam has to do is call him and they can discuss specifics. Of course, nothing is easy with those two, so now the latter is doing a June 2024 UK tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Oasis debut, Definitely Maybe.
There’s only so much Noel can take as he watches his younger brother ride the coattails of the songs he wrote, so we’ll put this one at 95 percent. Entirely too much money is on the table too, and there’s alimony to pay, kids to put through school and fancy cars to purchase.
The Kinks
The original warring UK brothers Ray and Dave Davies have each flirted publicly with getting the Kinks back together almost immediately after breaking up in 1996. Creeping up on 30 years later, what’s the hold up? Nobody seems to know.
Dave has gone on record saying he’s optimistic about a reunion as recently as last year. Ray said in 2019 they were working on new material, but under the name “Project Kinks.” Currently, there is a major marketing blitz for the band’s 60th anniversary, with the second of a two-part best of compilation titled The Journey due in mid-November.
Not only is now the perfect time to make it happen, but time is sadly running out. Had this list been made just five years ago, the chances would’ve been much higher, but age does need to factor in here at some point. Both Davies are near 80 years old. We’ll generously put this at 75 percent. Get it together Kinks, or this time next year you’ll be at 50/50.
A version of this article appears in this week’s print and online editions of my syndicated Rock Music Menu column under the title “Will they or won’t they? Odds on 4 acts reuniting, touring.”
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 
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