St Paul Columnist Mentions Reunion at First Ave

[hailwood1965]

He asks the owner about bands that may use the former VIP room.

<http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_14799867>

Beyond that, Kranz has plans for special events throughout the year, including a 40th-anniversary concert series and a big party near the end of the year.

Could one of those special events be something like, oh, a Replacements reunion?

"Yeah, I hope so. It's on the list," Kranz said. "I'm not holding my breath, though."

[Alyssa Jones]

Why does everyone wanna see a god damn mats reunion so badly?

[willr]

cause i was still in grade school when the band broke up......

[worldclassfad]

Im going just incase. I would probably kill myself if I missed something like that haha.

[ClamsCasino]

Apr 4, 2010 0:39:59 GMT -5 Alyssa Jones said:

Why does everyone wanna see a god damn mats reunion so badly?

Um, cause they were a pretty good band? Seriously though, I don't think it's much of a mystery. With Tommy in GnR and Paul locked in his house, is it any wonder that people would much rather to see them play together again?

[Philip Garcia]

i see both sides to this, but honestly, I'd rather see paul tour with tommy and others with him, and NOT be the replacements. I would like to see them play mats songs, but I want to hear paul's solo catalog as well. Paul's solo career is quite a bit longer than his career with the mats, and I think he should get more respect for it. I can see a reason paul would not want to do a mats reunion, solely based on not wanting to be remembered for something that was 20 years ago. I love the 'mats, but I just don't know if they could pull off a good reunion. Hell, the band hardly played a good show back in their prime from what i've read.

Phil

[thepogo]

I don't see what the big f@#kin deal is. Why would you not want to see them play. Why would there ever even be a debate. Good songs are good songs.
Who cares what name they would go under. When Paul played live a few years back, he play Mats songs. Mix it up, hell play a bunch of Tommy's songs as well. Why not??
I'm in Texas and would fly up to see that go down.

[ClamsCasino]

Apr 4, 2010 22:36:33 GMT -5 Philip Garcia said:

Hell, the band hardly played a good show back in their prime from what i've read.

Whoa, that's not true at all. They played plenty of absolutely brilliant shows. It's just that the drunken disasters are the ones that still get talked about. I saw them eight times from Pleased To Meet Me to the final tour, and I can honestly say that there was only one show that left me with mixed feelings. And most of that was because the sound in the venue was awful (Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, in 1989). The three shows I saw on the '91 tour (Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Detroit) were probably the best. I remember Ann Arbor really blew me away. They did a version of Within Your Reach on that tour that still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

[Alyssa Jones]

Don't get me wrong, I would love more than anything to see Paul and Tommy get together and play some of their own stuff and mix it up with some mats songs for old times sake; I just wouldn't want to see a full-on mats reunion.They left an amazing legacy and their music is timeless, but The Replacements just aren't who they are anymore. Paul and Tommy are grown up now. They used to be kids, but now they have kids. Tommy used to make fun of Axl Rose, but now he works for Axl Rose. Could you imagine it? Really? "Thanks for coming out to First Avenue! Let's give it up for The Replacements, now older and wiser!" God forbid they attempt Bastards of Young. The Replacements were more than just a band. They were sewn into the fabric of the time and place that was Minneapolis (and beyond) in the 80's and no matter how hard you try, you cannot tear them out of that and plop them down in 2010.

I dunno, I've just never been a proponent of trying to relive moments, and I feel like if they all got back together for even one night that's what it would be. Yeah, good songs are good songs, but alot of them I'd prefer to hear from 25 year old Paul. I just hope that they do get back together at some point, and when they do, it'll be because they're old friends and we love them, and not because a bunch of aging Minneapolitans are trying to relive something that happened so many years ago. The mats were perfect... why cheapen their legacy with a reunion?

[raccoon]

The Led Zep reunion show certainly did not cheapen their legacy so why would a Mats reunion be any different? Paul's live versions of Bastards of Young as a 40+ year old still packs plenty of punch. It's funny how we expect blues guys to play forever but in rock everybody is supposed to stay angry and 20. Bring on the funny shoes and the reunion tour !

[scoOter]

i am anti-reunion show. would i go see it, though, if it happened? probably. i'm probably a hypocrite about it, but the only way i will know is if there is a reunion show.

(i still sort of hope it doesn't)

[hudson99]

Apr 5, 2010 7:45:53 GMT -5 raccoon said:

The Led Zep reunion show certainly did not cheapen their legacy

That's because only 20,000 or so saw it. Their previous short reunions for Live Aid and other benefits didn't help them too much. They were always sloppy live, and Plant can't hit the high notes anymore (which is the main reason he's turned down the pleas for a reunion tour).

[raccoon]

Paul can still hit all of the notes though...

[Veets]

Apr 5, 2010 1:45:51 GMT -5 ClamsCasino said:

And most of that was because the sound in the venue was awful (Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, in 1989).

Sound at the Aragon is still awful. I can't understand how that place keeps booking shows. I saw Spoon there last week, and the singer for the opening band said that he felt like he was in Phil Spector's bowels! Britt Daniel from Spoon said something like he's been touring for 22 years and had never played in a place with such bad acoustics. Gave the crowd a big apology. The only way I'd ever go back to that place is if the 'Mats reunion were held there.

[nazareth]

What exactly IS a Replacements reunion?

On Open Season Tommy joins Paul and it's PW Solo.

For the Replacements Best of...Tommy joins Paul and Chris sings backups and it's the 'Mats.

Not much of a difference there. The songs were even very similar. Was that Paul, Tommy, Josh Freese Open Season event a 'Mats reunion? Hell if i know.

The point is that Slim and Chris don't seem to be interested/wanted, so it would really be the Paul and Tommy show. I agree that the best case scenario would be a Paul and Tommy tour where we heard everything from 'Mats classics to Stereo to Village Gorilla Head. That would be a perfect show in my opinion.

[Jer]

I pretty much agree with Alyssa. Reunions tarnish the legacy of great bands and I hope there isn't one.

It's different than that Led Zep reunion for a few reasons - they've already reunited (live aid) and there is a huge market for them. They're classic rock gods, not underground rebels. And whether or not they tarnish the LZ name when they get back together is debatable. I'd say it takes something away from the history that ended when Bonham died.

It's even different than the Pixies, who had all original members - that was the only lineup the band ever had. I'm not sure The Replacements would have even that kind of demand. I'm not saying I think it's totally cool that The Pixies got back together, but it's not the same as Paul and Tommy with hired gun 1 and 2 and slapping The Replacements up on the marquee.

We can talk about that Pistols reunion, the Fleetwood Mac reunion, The Camper Van Beethoven, Eagles, etc... I almost cried when Strummer died, but thanked Christ that The Clash - one of my favorite bands that i never saw - never got back together. I missed seeing The Jam, and have no ear for Weller's solo stuff, but I would be ashamed to see him get that band back together.

The first criteria for it being an actual reunion is calling it The Replacements. Some feel it was barely The Replacements without Bob, and even moreso after Chris left. At this point it would almost be a joke.

In the end, it's pretty subjective - and it kinda just comes down to what they call it. Wouldn't we all go see the Paul and Tommy show? I'll go see them both, no matter what they're calling it, together or apart, but I'd prefer to leave the legacy of the name intact. I do think, however, that an offical reunion is eminent.

[raccoon]

Not to be too argumentative but..are we saying that this is all ancient history and we should sock the Mats away in mothballs and quietly wait for the next DBT tour or something? Aren't yesterdays underground rebels tomorrows classic rock gods? I find it hard to believe that anybody who visits this board would not instantly buy tickets to a reunion show regardless of what they call the band. As far as preserving the legacy of the band all I can say is-- really? Paul and Tommy and the boys should be the only ones with a dog in that fight and if they wanna tour good god let's go! Even if it turned out to be a joke wouldn't that also be in keeping with their track record for in-your-face devil may care hi-jinks? So who is HONESTLY going to stay at home the night the Mats come to your town?? I mean saying 'I wouldn't like it but I would go' is like saying you don't really like junk as you push the plunger in.

[ClamsCasino]

I think the real fruit of any potential reunion would be a new album. What better reason for Paul to come out of the basement than to record a full (and fully produced) album with Tommy? Whether they call it The Replacements or not doesn't matter to me at all. It seems like a live reunion has a bigger potential for mass disappointment than a reunion album does. Lots of people have been clamoring for Paul to make a record with an actual band, so it seems like those same people would be even happier for him to do it with Tommy.

Dinosaur Jr. is a great example of a reunion that really worked. The two albums they've made since reuniting are easily among their best. And J Mascis's solo albums were really good, but the new Dinosaur records are even better.

[Alyssa Jones]

Jer makes a good point with the lineup issue. I think the idea of a full mats reunion would be alot more fun if Bob was still with us and they could get Chris on board. I think if a reunion does happen, it will not be called "The Replacements". The Replacements ended in 1991 and they're not coming back as a group. I guess in the end it wouldn't matter what it was called because fans would know exactly what they were getting. Just look at GNR. Axl is the only original member, so are they really "Guns n Roses"? Maybe, maybe not. They are what they are and people like them.

It seems like the whole "Paul and Tommy show" idea is the best thing that could possibly happen reunion-wise. I think it would be alot of fun for them and the fans. They could name the act after one of Paul's songs like, "23 Years Ago" or "Gun Shy". Somethin' like that, ya know?

If it ever did happen that Paul, Tommy, Chris, and Slim all got back together, and toured as The Replacements and only played mats songs, would I go see it? Of course I would. Would I like it? Well, I wouldn't not like it.

[Jer]

Yeah, the name on the ticket is huge, at least for me. Paul and Tommy plus Hired guns 1 and 2 aren’t The Replacements no matter how you cut it, and I don’t think they shouldn’t sell it that way. I’d buy it too, but like Alyssa, I think it would have more integrity if it weren’t billed that way.

And raccoon brings up some interesting points, and in the end he’s right – it’s up to Paul and Tommy how they do it, they’ve earned that, and we’d all go – but there’s a lot of different opinions about how it should be done. We can look at bands like Zeppelin, The Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac, and compare those reunions to those of The Pixies and Dino Jr, and discuss it all day. Those 2 Djr records are among their best – like ClamsCasino said. But again – that’s J, Murph and Lou – it is Djr.

I don’t think anyone’s stuffing the `mats in mothballs - any mothballs are there by design – Paul seems content in the basement and Tommy’s in the Axl show. We don’t need to “sit back and wait” for the next DBT show, but yeah, I’m more excited to see a band in their prime, releasing consistently relevant records and constantly touring with new material than having another charade of a reunion sold to me. They could do an amazing tour together – playing each other’s tunes, some new stuff and some classics. That I would be excited about. Just please don't do it the injustice of selling it as something it aint.