The Replacements Reunite for Three Riot Fest Shows

[JDA]

The Replacements Reunite for Three Riot Fest Shows
 
Rockers will headline festivals in Toronto, Chicago and Denver

By Erin Coulehan
 
June 13, 2013 8:40 AM ET
 
Paul Westerberg of The Replacements performs in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Frans Schellekens/Redferns
 
The Replacements will reunite this summer after a decades-long absence from the stage to headline Riot Fest 2013 in Toronto, Chicago and Denver.
 
Although the influential Minneapolis punk rockers haven't performed together in concert since 1991, singer Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson last year recorded Songs for Slim, a covers EP to help raise money for former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke in 2012. The connection in the studio inspired the rockers to return to the stage.
 
500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Replacements, 'Let It Be'
 
"After two or three hours, my voice was shot, but we were rocking like murder for a while," Westerberg told Rolling Stone last fall.
 
Technically, the Replacements never broke up: Stinson has said that the band walked off the stage at the end of their last show, a now near-mythical performance in Grant Park in Chicago in 1991, and simply hadn't returned yet.
 
Drummer Chris Mars won't be part of the reconvened band, but Westerberg and Stinson will join Dinosaur Jr., Best Coast, Rocket From the Crypt and others on the bill August 24th-25th in Toronto. The Replacements head a lineup that also features Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, the Violent Femmes, Mot?rhead, Rancid, Blondie and Public Enemy September 13th-15th in Chicago. They'll top a bill including Blink-182, Iggy and the Stooges, Rancid, Public Enemy, Guided By Voices, Flag and the Dismemberment Plan September 21st-22nd in Denver. For the full lineups and ticket information, visit the Riot Fest website.


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-replacements-reunite-for-three-riot-fest-shows-20130613#ixzz2W7maOaRv
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[Annie]

Very cool they are coming to Chicago. But be forewarned Humboldt Park is not exactly the safest area in Chicago . Lots of gangs in the surrounding areas.

[sky dog]

Thus, Riot Fest! 

[Annie]

Thus, Riot Fest! 

for the brave of heart. The concert area will be secure, it's just getting to and from the concert is where the most danger lies. Alot of drive by shootings happen in that area. But i am sure that there will be a huge police presence.

[Mr. Redman]

I'm gonna hit Chicago! It's far enough in advance I can make it work.

Miss Lumen, may I bombard you with questions in regards to the area?!

[Annie]

I'm gonna hit Chicago! It's far enough in advance I can make it work.

Miss Lumen, may I bombard you with questions in regards to the area?!

Absolutely! Humboldt park is in the city about 5 miles from Oak Park where I live. You can take the 72 bus down North Ave to get there. Cardinal rule of surviving the CTA. DO NOT take your smartphone out on the bus! If you are staying downtown you can take the redline train to North and halsted to catch the 72 bus or the blueline to Damen and Milwaukee. You can catch the 72 going west at both places across the street from the L stops. I think Humboldt park is near North and Californa, but there is a separate bus stop for Humboldt park. Parking is a bitch in the area and I wouldn't go wandering around side streets too much cuz of the gangs.. You can also get some awesome cheap  tacos at Flash taco at the Milwaukee/Damen/North ave corner. Just a little up the street on North ave from the blueline stop is Piece Pizza owned by members of CHEAP TRICK. The Damen stop is in Bucktown which is full of hipsters. Humboldt park is in the hood.

[Mr. Redman]

Hood doesn't bother me too terribly much, I did spend time in and around Minneapolis for a number of years...lol.

But on a serious note, thanks for the info - I have an offer to split a room with a friend I met at a TS solo show, but I also might have friends coming with me (for once I might get to travel with someone lol). But I would most definitely like to see you! I'm sure I'll be bothering you more as the next couple months progress.

[Annie]

That's awesome. You never bother me. I won't go anywhere near Humboldt Park except to drive by to get to where I'm going down North Ave. So I will have to sit this one out.

[JDA]

Tommy Stinson Credits Replacements Reunion to 'Aligning of the Planets'
 
Bassist looks forward to first shows with Paul Westerberg in 22 years
 
The Replacements
 
Paul Natkin/Wire Image
 
On July 4th, 1991, the Replacements capped off their set at Chicago's Grant Park with a stunt: The members exited the stage one by one, leaving their roadies to pick up their instruments and finish the gig. "I remember feeling kinda sad," Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson tells Rolling Stone in an exclusive interview. "But at the same time it felt like an 800-pound gorilla had been lifted off my back."
 
For the great American garage band of the 1980s, it was the end of a 12-year-run full of brilliant albums (most notably 1984's ragged masterpiece, Let It Be), dashed expectations and heroically messed-up shows. But on Wednesday evening, the Replacements made good on one of rock's most prayed-for reunions, announcing they'll play three dates of the Riot Fest, starting August 25th in Toronto. "The universe seems to be trying to put us together to do our thing," Stinson says. "It was just the timing and the aligning of the planets."
 
The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties: The Replacements, 'Let It Be'
 
It took a while for the planets to align: The band had been fending off reunion offers for years, and had to overcome frontman Paul Westerberg's reluctance to tour again. (Stinson's longtime gig with Guns N' Roses was also likely a factor.) But Westerberg and Stinson came together last fall to record the Songs for Slim EP, a benefit for Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap, who faced mounting medical bills after suffering a stroke in February 2012. "That was the catalyst to get it all rolling, definitely," Stinson says. "It has a lot more to do with going back to Minneapolis [in May] to record some new material. We had a really good time working together and reconnecting. Coincidentally, this is when the offer happened."
 
It's almost certain the tour will continue beyond these three shows, but Stinson is mum on details ? "We'll see," is all he says on the subject. The band hasn't revealed who will play with Westerberg and Stinson, either, though we know it won't be original drummer Chris Mars. He left the band in 1990 and is now a full-time artist with no apparent interest in returning to his old gig. "We didn't speak to Chris because we knew the answer before we even asked ? he'd say 'no,'" says Stinson. "We're currently working out who's gonna fill what shoes." (Also unclear: Whether or not there will be a new 'Mats album. "We're not sure if we're gonna do anything with any of [the new recordings]," Stinson says.)
 
Though mega-festivals like Coachella had been offering what Stinson called "silly money," the Replacements opted for the relatively under-the-radar Riot Fest. "We started talking to them in December," festival organizer Mike Petryshyn says. "As soon as it [was confirmed] we were in shock and awe. I had a little tear come to my eye. We're kind of numb right now." As for the money: "What we're paying them is pretty on par with other headliners," Petryshyn says. "It was pretty much what we can afford, and there was no back-and-forth with it."
 
Westerberg has played very few concerts since 2005, and his last release was the 2009 EP PW & the Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys. When Rolling Stone spoke with him in October, he seemed to be edging toward a Replacements reunion. "I've had offers to play with them, or without them, that are becoming stupidly ridiculous," he said. "To the point where someone thinks I'm playing hard to get. And it's not like I'm wealthy. I'm getting by. It was never about making money. If we can have a lot of fun, and make a lot of people happy, and make a lot of money ? which means making a lot of other people money ? then OK, I guess that's spiritually and economically sound."


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tommy-stinson-replacements-reunion-is-aligning-of-the-planets-20130614#ixzz2WE5kpwkx
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[Bodhi]

Very cool The Replacements are playing this.  This is the best line up I have ever seen at any festival in the United States.

[axlssis]

that denver show with gbv would be too awesome!

[Annie]

Talked to a friend who attended riotfest last year and she said it was very well run. Good security and an interesting crowd. The only problem was lack of cabs so public transportation is your best option.

[One.In.A.Million]

Wow, this is fantastic news for hardcore Replacement fans. I know they are regarded as a very important band in punk music, can't wait to see Tommy rocking out!!!...

[Annie]

Well being the queen of stability that I am, I changed my mind and decided that I want to go to this show.  heard alot of good things about riotfest from coworkers. Bitty Ted would only go if I bought a 3 day VIP pass. actually that is all that is left!

[Annie]

The Replacements are getting awesome reviews from the Toronto Riotfest!

[kyrie]

Fun show I was there. Very lighthearted (Paul making a lot of quips). Really good job after Iggy and the Stooges put on a really energetic set as well.

Funny I've seen tons of GN'R members this summer - Guns themselves in July, The Dead Daisies and Walking Papers at Uproar festival (Duff plays bass) and now The Replacements with Tommy.

Intentional or not I saw a handful of people wearing GNR shirts at the show last night.

[sky dog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohA5Cmey0M

awesome....one of the best songs of the 80's....

[kyrie]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Replacements-Live-Archive-Project/129292827160400

The Replacements Live Archive Project apparently has a stream of the entire Toronto show.

[One.In.A.Million]

So glad that the show went well for Tommy. The Replacements are a legendary band in their own right. 

[snead hearn]

At the Denver show last Saturday, at the start of "Kiss Me On the Bus" Paul tweaks Tommy about Tommy's other band. Someone in the crowd must've yelled out a GNR song:

Paul (pointing at Tommy): "What's that? You're in the jungle, baby?"

Tommy (laughing): "Ooo, I knew it was coming!"

Paul: "Oh no!!!.......Far be it for me to give you shit for being in Van Halen!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm5jMqvz8OI

GENIUS. The Replacements will ETERNALLY be the best band EVER.