The big news today is that rock band The Darkness have decided to reunite, kicking off with a performance at this year’s Download Festival. The Darkness split five years ago when lead singer Justin Hawkins decided to leave the rock n’ roll outfit. Is five years really long enough to class this as a “reunion”? Surely, it was just an extended hiatus? A band holiday? Well, whatever the band decides to call it, all we know is that bands are reforming and reuniting all the time! Here’s a look at some reunions that got our hearts pounding and some that made us want to pull our own ears off….
1) Led Zeppelin: Reunited in 2007
Let’s start with the biggest! Led Zep disbanded following the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. After years and years of rumours, it was finally announced that the surviving members of Led Zeppelin (with Jason Bonham on drums) would reunite for a one-off show at London’s O2 Arena in memory of Ahmet Ertegun. The show was off-the-scale. The concert holds a Guinness World for “Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert” – 20 million people applied for tickets. Despite rumours, the band has not played together since this event.
“Good Times, Bad Times” (Live at the O2, 10th December 2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ota2Wklr4
2) The Spice Girls: Reunited in 2007
What do five girls, who were once part of the biggest girl group in the world, do when their credit cards begin to get rejected? Of course, it’s obvious. Put the biggest girl group in the world back together! Although, it didn’t go quite as smoothly as that. Controversy surrounded the tour even before it began. The group were force to cancel a large number of dates in South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. This caused a huge amount of media and fan backlash, with several Facebook hate groups being created. The group’s comeback single ‘Headlines’ flopped; it failed to reach the Top 10 in the UK.
“Headlines” (Live at The O2, 18th December 2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_72tUKWW-o
3) Blur: Reunited in 2009
What with Damon Albarn playing with cartoon monkeys and Alex James making cheese, a Blur reunion seemed unlikely. However, in December 2008 the band announced a one off concert in London’s Hyde Park; tickets for the gig sold out in seconds. This led to the band adding another night at Hyde Park, as well as a warm-up show at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Blur also headlined the Sunday night of Glastonbury, with the Guardian calling them: “the best Glastonbury headliners in an age!” The group’s DVD of the Hyde Park was show was also nominated for a Grammy award; the first time Blur had ever been nominated for a Grammy.
“Country House” (Live at Hyde Park, 2nd July 2009): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFW-yPrCW88
4) The Police: Reunited in 2007
After 21 years of not speaking to each other, the Police came together for a world tour. Feuds in the band started almost from the get-go. Drummer, Stuart Copeland, posted a fierce and harsh review of the band’s second show together on his website. Sting also came down with a nasty throat infection which caused several dates to be cancelled. Tensions began to mount. The band travelled separately and avoided speaking to one another at all costs. Despite impressive ticket sales, the Police were falling apart. Before the tour even finished, Sting announced that the group would break up for good after the last show.
“Every Breath You Take” (Live in Tokyo, 2008): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei0rE6h6vJ8
5) Pink Floyd: Reunited in 2005
Nobody can say no to Bob Geldof! It was Bob who managed to arrange the reunion of Pink Floyd for the Live8 event he was planning. The members of Pink Floyd had not spoken or performed together in years and the relationship between them was non-existent. It was even reported that the band were at each other’s throats during the rehearsal for Live8. Despite the negative energy, the band pulled off a triumphant and magnificent show which showcased only a handful of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits. In the week after the event, HMV reported that sales of the group’s CD’s rose by 1343 percent.
“Wish You Were Here” (Live at Live8, Hyde Park, 2nd July 2005): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11UUVzlI6hI
6) The Sex Pistols: Reunited in 2007
Just as the Spice Girls had done, the Sex Pistols undertook a reunion tour in order to line their wallets. It was clear from the first show that the only thing on the agenda was making money. Classic Rock magazine likened John Lydon’s stage presence to that of a pantomime dame! The band performed a number of shows over Europe to disappointing reviews. The organiser of Lowlands Festival, Eric van Eerdenburg, declared the Pistols’ set as “saddening” and added that: “they only came here to scoop up some money.”
“Anarchy in the UK” (Live at Brixton Academy, November 10th 2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH29EJOD_ec
shaundix91 
I’m not all that interested in band reunions unless they do something worthwhile. I don’t think any of those you mentioned managed that. Nostalgia wallowing. Boring. Listen to The Fall. Now that’s interesting.
Led Zeppelin boring? I never thought I’d see the day Andy! Thanks for commenting too.