The Replacements / via Facebook
One of the most influential underground rock bands of the '80s, The Replacements are now also a model for how a reunited band can carry on with dignity. Since singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson regrouped in 2012, they've carried on as if their celebrated reunion was no particularly big deal, ripping through sloppy-but-not-too-sloppy versions of fan favorites at big festival stages and releasing one low-key EP, Songs For Slim, as a benefit for their former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a severe stroke. There's no whiff of pretension or of cashing in; they're just two guys doing what they've always done, and after all these years they're still an absolute, chaotic force on stage.
All reunited bands should be lucky to come across as this revitalized. Today the band announced a full U.S. tour, which will take them to the Rave in Milwaukee on Saturday, May 2. It'll be the first time the band has played Milwaukee since they reunited. Tickets are $50 go on sale Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.
Below you can watch footage of the band playing to an elated crowd at Chicago's Riot Fest in 2013.
