The Replacements to (Briefly) Reunite

After a 22-year absence from the stage, the 'Mats will be playing a few summer dates on Riot Fest tour

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Ethan Miller / Getty Images

The other night, ’80s alt-rock band The Replacements announced that, after a 22-year absence from the stage, they would be reuniting for a series of shows at Riot Fest. Earlier this year, the band’s three surviving members Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson (pictured) and drummer Chris Mars released the Songs for Slim EP to help pay medical costs for ailing former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke last year. During a TIME interview with Stinson about the EP, the bass player discussed writing songs with Westerberg again and hinted that they might have more songs in the works:

It was so much fun that we talked about doing it again with some original material. In fact, when I get done with this GnR tour, I’m booking a flight to Minneapolis and doing that. Putting some songs down, but not getting stuck on making a record — seeing what comes out of it.

When asked about the possibilities of a reunion he added, “I think if we think we’re having fun and it made sense and the music we were making was fun, we would do it.”

(MORE: Alt-Rock Legend Tommy Stinson Talks About Guns N’ Roses, Puff Daddy, and a Replacements Reunion)

Apparently Stinson and Westerberg did have fun, because they will be playing as The Replacements at Riot Fest Toronto on August 24th-25th, followed by appearances at Riot Festival Chicago from September 13th-15th, and Riot Fest Denver from September 21st-22nd. The reunion shows will feature Westerberg and Stinson, backed by a yet to be announced lineup. The band’s founding drummer Chris Mars quit the band in 1990, and has spent the last decade working as a visual artist, creating the cover art for the Songs for Slim EP. The band’s other original member (and Tommy’s older sibling), guitarist Bob Stinson, died of organ failure—likely related to years of alcohol and drug abuse—in 1995.
The Minneapolis-based band introduced the world to proto-grunge rock, releasing several influential albums, including Let it Be (1984), Tim (1985) and Pleased to Meet Me (1987). The three reunion shows will mark the band’s first live performances since 1991. The return to Chicago also shows the band coming full circle after breaking up on stage during their now-infamous July 4, 1991 set at the Taste of Chicago.

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