Will they play "Riding the Storm Out?"

Hey, REO Speedwagon fans. (And really, shouldn't that be all of us?) The band is performing live on the CBS  "Early Show" on Friday (May 2) from Greensburg, Kansas.

Greensburg was devastated by a tornado last year. REO's show is the finale for "Tragedy to Triumph: Greensburg Rising," a special week-long series on CBS highlighting a community's effort to rebuild.

Tune in between 7 and 9 a.m. to catch Kevin Cronin and the gang. The concert is free to the town's residents. However, if you want to donate to the cause, here's a web link.

SPEAKING OF KEVIN ... He's in the news today for a different reason. Cronin penned an essay for Newsweek magazine about his son Paris and his struggle with substance abuse: "My intention had always been to protect my boy from the very lifestyle in which his mother and I had been so overindulgent,"  Cronin writes. "But Paris had seen it all, and before long his cigarette smoking was morphing into far more dangerous habits." Click here to read the full piece.

Comments

[Marissa]

What an amazing essay. Administering tough love isn't a cliche. It's a cold hard fact of parenthood.
Thanks for providing the link to Kevin's story.

[Rosa]

I live about 2 hours from Greensburg and am going to try to make it there for the concert tomorrow morning.

[Marissa]

Rosa! If you make it there you have to send Steve a roving-blogger review.

[Spearsy]

Rosa -- I think they want the crowd to be in place by 6am. Fair warning!

[chad]

when reo's newest cd, find your own way home, came out, kevin had spoken of some hard times he had recently been through. now i know what he was talking about. somehow it makes those songs more meaningful. funny thing, i actually listened to that same cd today. if you havent picked it up yet, do it. you wont be sorry. kevin does have a way with words. he's a great writer. he needs to pen a autobiography. i'd like to hear some of those stories from the wild days of reo.

[Marissa]

By the way, Steve err, Spearsy, I love what you've done with your link.

[Jeff in Cuba]

I read Kevin's piece in Newsweek, and while I couldn't help but be moved as a parent, the overall tone left me a little flat.

I get the whole "sometimes you have to hit bottom to climb back up" message, and it's great that things are working out. I just wish he would have been as invested in the trip to the bottom as he was in the climb back up.

As a parent the story I want to hear isn't "what do you do when your child is busted for herion", but rather what do you do to prevent that call from ever coming.

Oh yeah, and Kevin looks more and more like Susan Powter every time I see him.

It's the oddest thing: I recently caught a rerun of Different Strokes, having completely forgotten about it for all of these decades. I was quite mesmerized by young GC's facial animation, cuteness, and acting ability. Now, a week later I see a clip of this! Eww, yuk, scary, gross,....JUST PLAIN CREEPY!

oops. wrong blog.

[Rosa]

Logistal isues, did not get to go, seriously bummed.

[Marc]

Ridin' the Storm Out -- with lyrics and music written by Gary Richrath, is truly a classic song. It's a shame REO Stationwagon won't give Richrath the credit he deserves for writing the song that catapolted REO into fame and fortune.

[Spears]

I didn't catch the TV performance. Anyone know which songs they did? I'm guessing at least the one hit from the new CD.

[Marc]

There are no "hits" from the new CD. They did, however, play the title cut and the audience yawned. Biggest crowd response was for "Ridin' the Storm Out" and "Take It On the Run," which are both Richrath tunes.

[Spears]

Actually, "I Needed To Fall" did chart on the A.C. charts. I think it got to No. 30 or so. Good song.