Executing a successful comeback is far from easy. Plenty of musicians from years past have tried, but found that getting back into the game isn’t exactly predictable. A few classic rock bands through the years, though, managed to launch successful comebacks in the 2010s. Let’s get inspired and look at a few different examples!
1. Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead’s legacy will never die, and there are still plenty of Deadheads running around in the 2020s. So, it’s not exactly surprising that the world’s biggest jam band once launched one of the best classic rock comebacks of the 2010s.
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After the death of frontman Jerry Garcia in 1995, it wasn’t clear what would come of the band. The living members of the outfit kept his spirit alive, thankfully. They’ve revived quite a few times through the years, but one of their best resurgenses has to be the 2015 Fare Thee Well Tour.
2. The Replacements
Who could forget The Replacements? These punk rock icons had such a unique style, so it’s not exactly shocking that they stood out among the growing pool of punk rock acts from their heyday. The band more or less broke up in 1991, and their fans didn’t expect a comeback anytime soon.
Thankfully, in 2013, The Replacements got back together for a series of shows in the US and Europe. The lineup was a bit different, but the heart of The Replacements was still there.
3. The Monkees
If you were a latchkey kid in the 1980s or 1990s, you probably remember watching reruns of The Monkees on NBC. The pop-rock band behind the show was so much more than just a television band. They even proved that decades after they had split up in 1971, they still had that rockin’ energy.
In 2012, the band (sans the late Davy Jones) reunited to tour around the globe. The Monkees really proved that their music was timeless, and their tour was a pretty substantial success.
4. Guns N’ Roses
One of the most successful classic rock comebacks of the 2010s has to be Guns N’ Roses’ tour from 2016. The rock band’s heyday had passed by that point, and the era of hard rock had evolved into indie sleaze and a slew of new genres.
That didn’t stop Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash from hitting the road in 2016, much to fans’ surprise. There was a lot of tension between the members ahead of their comeback, but they kicked off the Not In This Lifetime Tour as if nothing had happened.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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