4 of the Shortest Reunions From Famous Rock Bands

Band reunions aren’t exactly easy to execute, especially if the band in question is aging or initially disbanded on not-so-good terms. Still, these four rock bands did eventually decide to get back together. Though, they marked some of the shortest band reunions in the history of rock music. Let’s take a look!

1. Led Zeppelin

This is probably the most well-known example of the shortest rock reunions in music history. After John Bonham tragically passed away, Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980. The remaining members reunited just a few times through the years for events like Live Aid and Jason Bonham’s wedding, plus their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Nobody thought they would actually kick off a reunion tour, ad the fact that they reunited for an actual full concert in 2007 was pretty shocking.

The band performed just one full concert that year, an Ahmet Ertugun tribute jam at the O2 Arena in England. At just over two hours long, the show was great; but it was the last full show the band would put on together. Robert Plant has consistently shot down rumors that Led Zeppelin would be putting on a reunion tour since then.

2. Cream

The shortest rock reunions are often the most memorable, and that definitely applies to the Eric Clapton-led band Cream. This supergroup broke up after just two short years in 1968 but did reunite briefly in 1993 and 2005. The outfit played a handful of songs at their 1993 Hall of Fame induction and went on to do a very brief four-night stint at the Royal Albert Hall in England over a decade later. 

Later in 2005, they performed a few shows at Madison Square Garden. The shows were great, though it was clear the band had aged a bit. But for a five-month period, fans were pretty surprised that those three icons decided to hit the stage together.

3. Buffalo Springfield

Like Cream, the bulk of Buffalo Springfield’s time together took place over about two years in the 1960s. The three albums they produced during that time are still quite loved. However, immigration issues for Bruce Palmer and Neil Young’s lack of interest in compromise led to the band falling apart.

Buffalo Springfield reunited just a couple of times in the 1980s. In 2010, they played for the first time in public in years for a benefit show. It was an excellent performance, though it was missing the original lineup of Palmer and Dewey Martin, as both of them had passed away. In the early 2010s, they decided to reunite for just nine concerts over the course of seven months.

4. Jane’s Addiction

Jane’s Addiction broke up in 1991 and got back together in 1997. From there, they’ve disbanded and reunited quite a few times. Technically, they were together from 2009 through 2024, but without their core lineup. Eric Avery quit several times. Quite famously, Dave Navarro and Avery got back together in mid-2024 for a world tour.

They lasted just four months. In September, Avery had an on-stage outburst that ended in violence, and the whole tour was scrapped. Jane’s Addiction will probably never get back together again.

Photo by Andy Rain/EPA/Shutterstock

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