Iconic Band Returns to Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino
Iconic Band Returns to Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino
REO Speedwagon Will Rock Out the Seneca Allegany Casino Event Center on June 24th
Saturday, June 24th will be rocking at Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino’s Events Center for the much anticipated return of one of the greatest bands of all time when REO Speedwagon plays one show only. Playing at Seneca in 2015, the band is ready to hit the stage again and see all their fans letting go of all the problems going on in the world and just rock out and have fun.
For over 50 years REO Speedwagon has solidified their status as one of the most iconic bands in both the Rock and Adult Contemporary music genres. Think about that for a second… they’re still going strong and selling out venues all over the world for more than a half century.
Starting out in the late 1960’s at a college in Champaign, Illinois, the band paid their dues by playing endless small gigs until all the hard work and countless shows earned them critical acclaim as a band that started the rock movement in the Midwest. With the release of their 9th album, “Hi Infidelity” in 1980, they were ready to be catapulted into music history with the biggest selling rock album of 1981, which went on to sell well over 10 million copies.
That album garnered the band some of the most recognized songs around the world that are still staples on classic rock or adult contemporary radio stations today. Songs like “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On The Run” are considered rock anthems by music industry standards.
Touring through the past decades, they’ve teamed up with other power groups like Styx and Chicago, their Midwestern cousins, and have laid claim to some of the biggest concert events that have sold out venues wherever they go.
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Bruce Hall, bass guitarist for the band, for their return performance at Seneca Allegany Casino. Our conversation had us looking back at our lives and the connection we had to the “Hi Infidelity” album. We also talked about any new projects they’re working on to which Hall said, “We still write a lot of songs, we record some of them but we just keep them and wait to see what happens in the future.”
As with most artists, the elation they feel post-Covid is present in their minds, which we got into as the guitarist talked about how tough those couple years were.
Asking what the best thing about being Bruce Hall is, he replied, “I would say my love of many things… I love my family, I love my band and I love music. I love traveling together with my band. Even after all this time we really love each other, like brothers. We don’t always get along, we have disagreements, but that’s what a normal family does.”
For ticket information visit www.senecacasinos.com and click on Seneca Allegany. For more information on the band visit www.REOSpeedwagon.com.
A CONVERSATION WITH BRUCE ALL
HULICK: The last time you played here it was 2015 at Seneca Allegany and we’re thrilled to see you’re coming back.
HALL: Yes. We don’t get up there every year but we get there when we can.
HULICK: I’m sure some of the places you play must feel almost like home, as many times as you’ve played certain cities and venues.
HALL: Yeah especially in the states… we plow through it every year and thank goodness the fans keep coming and they’re loving the shows. So I think we’re going to keep going as long as the fans want us to.
HULICK: I imagine you’re having a blast, especially since the whole Covid thing.
HALL: I think that was probably the toughest thing any of us had been through. Most musicians I know - and actually we can include anyone in the entertainment business really went through some tough times. Everything stopped… just completely stopped. It was tough. We did little things that we could and I ended up with a couple cameos just to have a place to play a little bit and to help raise a little money for the crew. Kevin did a little thing at his house. We were having cabin fever. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves.
HULICK: I know how much artists’ families want them to be home more often. Did it get to a point when your family said… Don’t you have a tour to go do? (laughs) Kinda like a “be careful what you wish for” scenario?
HALL: (laughs) Yeah! I have to say my wife wanted me to go out, not because she was sick of me, but she just thought it was starting to affect me, not being able to go out and play my music. I did a lot of stuff around the house… boy did I ever. (laughs) That’s all I had to do was to fix things. It happened to everybody. It wasn’t just us. I’m amazed we all made it through it as well as we did. In the beginning it seemed like anybody that got Covid was handed a death sentence… that would be the end of you… you were a goner… and it was scary. When things started changing around, when everyone was getting their vaccinations, and as time went on the thinking changed to if I get sick I get sick… I got enough vaccine in me to kill a horse (laughs). Finally we could all start getting out of our houses.
HULICK: You’re right. I’ll tell you something. All the musicians, the bands and solo artists are all full speed ahead, especially this summer. Last summer things started coming together with tours starting back up, but this year is crazy. You can’t even keep track of all the concerts coming to your area. It’s terrific!
HALL: That’s for sure! You’re right.
HULICK: Is there a favorite place you and/or the band like to play?
HALL: Sure there is. I have a couple. There’s the mid-west… I’m from Illinois and that’s where I grew up so I like playing in Chicago and St. Louis. Those are two of my favorites. I like playing in Detroit, and I like Colorado at the Red Rocks - that’s a really great place to play. There’s a lot of great places to play. Those are just the first ones that come to mind. I would say the mid-west because that’s where we’re from and we get to see family and friends when we go back there.
HULICK: I met you backstage in 2005 at the Erie County Fair. I interviewed James Young of Styx, who were playing the show with you guys.
HALL: We tour with Styx a lot. We’re all good friends. We even made an album together, “Live At Riverport”. It’s a double album. There’s a full set of Styx and a full set of us, and then we did three or four songs together. We also did a song together, “Can’t Stop Rocking”. We all played on it in the studio that particular tour and I thought it turned out great. It really didn’t do anything, but it was fun to make it.
HULICK: You guys and Styx are iconic bands of the 80’s. I was a senior in the 80’s and a group of us would get together every Friday night and we would play the “High Infidelity” album and sing the entire album so loud to the point that the neighbors would come over and say… go ahead and sing but can you keep it down a little bit? (laughs) Of course our choir director wished we had that strong of vocals in choir. (laughs)
HALL: That’s great! Rock and Roll is supposed to be loud and if you disturb the neighbors that’s even better. (laughs). When we were kids growing up we practiced in the house and my next door neighbors used to hate that and they would call the police and the police would come by and tell us to turn it down. We were like… ugh really? It was part of the whole training on learning how to be a rock and roller, because you had to play with a little bit of volume. I didn’t see any problem getting in trouble for that. (laughs)
HULICK: (laughs) Right? There’s a lot worse things you could have gotten in trouble for. What would you say is your favorite decade, personally or career-wise? Do you have a decade that you seem to go back to in your mind that stands out?
HALL: Well… the 80’s of course… what I can remember of them. Looking back on it, it seemed like it was fun at the time. We were young with too much money and we were running around the country and being stupid and doing things we shouldn’t have been doing. The 60’s were interesting because the Beatles came along and the whole British Invasion happened and it changed a lot of people’s lives, mine included. There were a lot of kids my age that were starting to let their hair grow, wearing bell bottoms. That doesn’t sound like much now but back then it was. I got kicked out of school for wearing bell bottoms… that was terrible. One day they told me to go home and change my clothes and my Phys Ed teacher cut my hair… some of it. (laughs)
HULICK: (laughs) No way! Are you serious?
HALL: Yeah! I was on the basketball team and I was at practice and he said to me, Mr. Hall come here… as he was sitting on the stage acting like he was in the army and made you stand at attention. He brought out these scissors and grabbed the front of my hair and he cut it!
HULICK: Wow! Wow! That’s crazy!
HALL: I know. They were allowed to paddle your ass then, too. There was a paddle with the holes in it they used. It was not fun. So I got done with sports and said, screw you guys and then I started being in bands and I’m still doing it.
HULICK: Well your fans, including me, are glad you did. I have to say you are so animated when you play. You are fun to watch… you personally, whenever I’m at one of your concerts. The fun just exudes from you… well actually all the guys, but you draw people in. I just want to say thanks for all the great music you’ve given all these years.
HALL: You are more than welcome. Thanks for commenting. We couldn’t do it without you, that’s for sure. I just feel so lucky to still have my band and that we’re still touring and everybody is still healthy and happy. You can’t take it all for granted. You have to be thankful, which I am.