Reunited And It Feels So Good

Artists who rocked the music scene years ago are making comebacks this summer, entertaining devoted fans once again and creating new ones along the way.

These are bands who rode the waves of musical stardom for a decade or more, but eventually parted ways.

Today, some of those iconic groups from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s have reunited and are bringing fresh music and new energy to their summer tours. Though time has passed (many are now in their 60s and 70s), these musicians are proving that their passion and drive to make incredible music never disappeared.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

New Kids On The Block. Even the name still sends shivers down the spines of women who adore NKOTB as much as they did when they were younger.

This American boy band — Donnie, Jordan, Joey, Danny and Jonathan — sold more than 70 million records worldwide. Though the group split up in 1994, they found their way back to one another in 2008, emphasizing that, as some fans like to say — or possibly sing to the tune of their 1988 hit — NKOTB still has “The Right Stuff.”

The group is spending the summer on a Mixtape Tour, with Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue and Rick Astley, all groups who ruled radio stations back in the 1980s and 1990s. Fortunately for NKOTB fans, the group isn’t only touring, they’re cruising as well.

Yes, NKOTB has taken their music to the sea, enticing fans to join them on a four-day vacation. There are concerts, selfies galore and plenty of chances to swoon over the singers. They’ve sold out many a Carnival cruise ship in the last few years and will likely do the same Oct. 22-24 when their first cruise since the pandemic will set sail out of Miami.

If you don’t feel like cruising with the NKOTB, you can go see them in tour. They’ll be in South Florida July 9 at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.

ABBA

This Swedish band is responsible for one of the most popular songs of all time, “Dancing Queen,” a tune that inspires even the shyest of wallflowers to hit the dance floor and belt out the lyrics.

So, it’s no wonder that their reunion has frenzied fans around the world.

Abba hasn’t made music together in 40 years. Now in their mid-70s, the group is no longer interested in touring and all the chaos that can bring. However, they are invested in creating music and sharing it with live audiences, prompting them to do something completely one-of-a-kind — use digital versions of their younger selves to entertain fans.

Always known for taking risks (they were one of the first groups to create music videos, which they called promotional mini films back in the day), it isn’t surprising that they are one of the first musical acts to perform as avatars.

Abba will perform songs from their new album “Voyage” (their first in almost four decades) and will mirror the quartet’s looks from the 1970s, complete with feathered hair and vibrant outfits. They are scheduled to appear alongside a 10-piece live band in London’s Olympic Park, where an arena described as a magical space circus was constructed just for the group.

BLONDIE

When Blondie reunited, lead vocalist and iconic punk rocker Deborah Harry said she didn’t want her group to be considered an oldies’ band.

So, Harry and the members of Blondie have been working hard to show their fans that they still have plenty of new music and experiences to share with the world.

Blondie first captured fans in the 1970s, selling 40 million records worldwide with hits like “Sunday Girl,” “The Tide is High” and “Heart of Glass.” In 1982, the group broke up, but Harry continued to work. She released a solo album and dabbled in acting, scoring a lead role in the horror flick “Videodrome” which led to rave reviews.

The band got back together in 1997 and immediately started recording music. Since then, Blondie has performed in Cuba, filming the experience for a documentary called “Blondie: Vivir En La Habana.” They’ve recorded holiday music and are set to release an archive set that includes music, photos and unreleased songs.

While they won’t be headed to Florida this summer, Blondie is touring other cities in the United States (among them Nashville, Tenn. and Washington). The band is also in the midst of creating its 12th album. At 76 years old, fans wonder how much longer Harry will continue to tour, but it doesn’t sound like she plans to slow down anytime soon.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be working, but I enjoy it — it’s my life, and people still want to see me,” Harry said in an interview with The Guardian. “I’m very lucky, and I think I know it more and more.”

BROOKS & DUNN

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn never wanted to perform together.

Years ago, they both yearned for separate careers, but fate and some persuasion from a determined record label convinced the two to create Brooks & Dunn, country music’s top duo for almost two decades. To their fans, they were a fantastic pair that continuously recorded catchy tunes and shared stages with country music icons like Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire. They released 10 studio albums and sent 20 singles to the top of country music charts.

“Brand New Man” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” still echo through jukeboxes, dance floors and cover bands to this day.

But in 2010, the two decided to part ways to start pursuing those solo careers they had always wanted.

Fortunately, their paths crossed again, and they are now on the road with their Reboot 2022 Tour.

Brooks & Dunn are looking forward to seeing longtime fans who’ve been with them since the beginning, but they also expect to see younger faces in the crowd thanks to social media. Their hit song “Neon Moon” snagged one billion plays in just two weeks after a dance coordinated to the song went viral.

The closest the duo will get to South Florida is a couple of hours away on the west coast of the state in Estero, where they will perform at the Hertz Arena June 3.

DURAN DURAN

Back in the 1980s, the handsome faces of the British band Duran Duran were everywhere — on magazine covers, in music videos and even adorning jean jackets and bedrooms walls, thanks to the popularity of ‘80s buttons and music posters.

Hearing hits like “The Reflex” takes many, now middle age, listeners back to a time when they were just kids trying to be cool with their boom boxes and collection of cassette tapes — one of which was likely Duran Duran.

The band’s first three albums were global sensations with “A View to a Kill” serving as the theme song to the James Bond movie that sports the same name.

Duran Duran eventually grew apart and without any announcement simply stopped performing together. But in 2020, four of the five members reunited (guitarist Andy Taylor did not return) and in 2021 Duran Duran released “Future Past.”

Earlier this year, the band was included in a list of nominees for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is the first time the group has ever been nominated. The members say their passion and persistence is what helped get them on that list.

“We still have that determination to be better than anyone else — which is of course subjective — but you have to have that will,” founding member and keyboardist Nick Rhodes told USA Today. “It’s the sort of merger of all of our personalities to make that one person that is Duran Duran.”

TEARS FOR FEARS

They met as teenagers in Bath, England. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith didn’t have the greatest of upbringings, but they found purpose and content in music. This popular 1980s duo known as Tears for Fears blew listeners away in countries across the world with hit songs like “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

By 1991, the pair had split up. Each needed their own space and wanted to take a break from the pressure that fame had brought. Smith and Orzabal didn’t speak for nine years, but one day, they had a phone call about a business matter.

And suddenly, Tears for Fears was back.

Today they feel grateful to still be traveling to concert venues, sharing their love of music with old and new fans. The duo will even be in our own backyard on June 9 as they’re scheduled to perform in West Palm Beach at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Some of the playlist is new music from their latest album “Tipping Point,” which took seven years to complete. According to music critics, the album was worth waiting for, as the two wrote about some tragic moments they’ve experienced over the years, especially Orzabal, who has struggled with the death of his wife of 35 years.

“Once you manage to tap into those emotions and use them in music,” Smith says, “you realize how powerful music can be.”

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

The pandemic ruined the Doobie Brothers’ big plans for a 50th anniversary tour in 2020 and it also stole some of the joy of finally being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Though it was an honor of a lifetime, the ceremony occurred virtually by way of a Zoom call with little fanfare.

Last year, this American rock band was relieved to finally begin the reunion tour, and many of the concerts canceled in 2020 were rescheduled for this summer, including here in West Palm Beach. The Doobie Brothers is scheduled to perform at the South Florida Fairgrounds on June 2.

They began making music in California in 1970. Four years later, they topped the charts with “Black Water.” Soon after, Michael McDonald joined the group to play the keyboard and help with vocals. They began creating music with more soulful sounds because that was McDonald’s specialty. It led to popular songs including “Takin’ It to the Streets.”

The band earned four Grammy awards in 1980, two years before announcing their farewell tour. Because band members were being replaced constantly (only one of the original band members remained in the group the entire time), they decided to go their separate ways.

Today, 40 years after that tour, they’re performing together again, singing their greatest hits and introducing new music as well, some from the band’s newest album called “Liberté.”

GUNS N’ ROSES

Reunions aren’t for everyone.

Guns N’ Roses had decided a long time ago that they wouldn’t be one of those bands who get back together years after a breakup and tour the globe.

But today, ironically enough, that’s exactly what this hard rock band is doing.

After more than 20 years of not performing together, the members rekindled their friendships and felt the same energy they did years ago. That energy led to a worldwide tour that has expanded into South America and Europe this summer. Just this past May, the group was in the Sunshine State, headlining the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach.

Guns N’ Roses, especially vocalist Axl Rose and lead guitarist Slash, who almost always performs in a top hat and dark sunglasses, helped start the grunge movement in the late 1980s, early 1990s with songs like “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.” And of course, let’s not forget “November Rain,” the iconic ballad that blared through speakers at school dances across the country.

“We never conformed to anybody else’s expectations or standards or commercial demands or whatever,” Slash said in an interview with Classic Rock magazine. “No gimmicks. This was just rock’n roll from the street.”