The Replacements Reuniting for 3 Shows

I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a music fan my whole life, there seemed to be an endless supply of amazing musicians through my formative years of the 1970's and '80s. From Prince, to the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, The Time, The Suburbs, and SO many others. And the list wouldn't be complete without The Replacements.

Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson got together late in 2012 to record an EP as a fundraiser for former Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap who had suffered a stroke. They must have enjoyed themselves as evidenced by today's announcement.

I remember seeing The Replacements the summer I graduated high school and didn't really know what to make of the sound. They were inventing a new sound that was part Aerosmith and part Clash. I liked it. Th fact that they had this kid on bass in Stinson who was all of 13 years old at the time only added to the show.

They rose quickly to national fame and in fact their Let It Be album regularly places high on 'Best of the 80s' lists. By 1990 though, Westerberg was going his own way, Stinson's big brother Bob who was also in the band, was battling alcohol and drug abuse and the band played their final show in 1991 in Chicago.

Now 22 years later, Chicago will play host to The Replacements during the Riot Fest September 13-15. Fall Out Boy and Blink 182 will also headline. The lineup also features FLAG, Public Enemy, Dinosaur Jr., Best Coast, the Dismemberment Plan, Guided by Voices, Motörhead, Atmosphere, and more. The Toronto fest takes place August 24-25 at Fort York and the Denver fest September 21-22 at May Farms.

Tommy Stinson and Paul Westerberg are in, but the rest of the lineup remains to be determined. Bob Stinson died in 1995, drummer Steve Foley passed away in 2008 and Dunlap is still recovering from the stroke he suffered last year. A road trip may be in order to relive some memories.