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Their label said it was too soon to do a reunion tour. They were only in their early 40s and had only been officially “broken up” for ten years.
But they were all in the right place: married, children who were old enough to come on tour but still young enough to be excited about it, and writing music that meant more to them than anything they’d done before.
Rumors had swirled for years after they announced their break up. None of them saw it as a breakup, more an early retirement that let them focus on building their lives. Fans and media alike hadn’t stopped coming up with other reasons for it: Gareth had been in love with Eddie for years and finally said something which caused friction, Jeff’s wife had threatened to divorce him if he didn’t take time off, Frankie had a drinking problem that was spreading like a viral disease.
None of it was even close to true.
The one and only reason for all of them was that they wanted to focus on their families for a while.
They stayed in touch, almost more than when they were on tour together. Jeff and Gareth lived in the same neighborhood, and Frankie bought an RV so he could come visit as often as he wanted. Eddie had traveled for a very extended honeymoon with Steve for nearly a year before finally settling an hour away, halfway between his favorite people and Steve’s favorite person.
They still played together at least once a month, a full set and any new stuff someone brought with them.
So when they all agreed it was time to come back and record a new album and do a tour, it wasn’t really a reunion so much as an excuse to be even closer for a while.
The label was thrilled, willing to give everyone their own tour bus so their families could come with them for the US part of the tour.
One thing none of them were prepared for was the media following the announcement.
“Is it true that you only just reconciled after years of legal battles about rights to songs?” A journalist from Rolling Stone asked.
Gareth snorted. “Not even a little, dude. We’ve been best friends this entire time.”
“So there was never any issue with Eddie being the most famous?”
Everyone looked over at Eddie, who was making faces at his youngest daughter at the side of the stage. Jeff leaned into his mic and gestured over to him.
“None of us have ever had a problem with him being the face of the band. We’re here to make music and perform, not fight over who gets to be in the center of pictures,” he said. “Plus, none of us would wanna deal with what he deals with on a daily basis. He’s not that interesting, I promise.”
Everyone laughed as Eddie turned back to the crowd with a smile. “I’m super boring. Just ask my kids.”
"So you don't mind that he gets creative control?" Another reporter asked.
They all shared looks with each other before Eddie leaned forward into his microphone to answer.
"I don't have creative control. We all share it. We all share everything. That's the point of a band like ours. Sometimes I know what sounds best for a guitar solo, sometimes Jeff does. Sometimes Gareth writes a chorus that people will sing along to, sometimes Frankie does. We've never had any of that lead person bullshit no matter what the media wants to show," Eddie drummed once on the table. "Are there any questions about the upcoming album and tour or is everyone here gonna keep asking about shit that isn't true?"
"Language!" Steve yelled from the side of the room.
Everyone laughed and Eddie waved him off.
They got more questions about the album and the tour and it finally seemed like everyone was done asking about band politics until the very end.
"So will Eddie still be the lead guy for the reunion?" Someone from the back asked.
Eddie banged his head against the table.
"Alright, thanks everyone! We'll see you on tour!" Gareth yelled as he pulled Eddie's arm so they could all exit the stage.
"They want us to hate each other so bad," Frankie shook his head.
"Look at this face," Gareth said as he grabbed Eddie's jaw in one hand, squeezing his cheeks until his lips pouted out. "Who could hate this face?"
"Shit!" A small voice exclaimed from behind them.
Eddie turned to see his youngest daughter smiling up at him and Steve standing next to her with his hands on his hips.
"You're right, sweetie. Daddy's in deep shit," Eddie leaned in to kiss Steve's cheek. "And he is so sorry for breaking the no bad words rule today. He really is."
"Our fearless leader appears to be absolutely fucked," Jeff said as he started to walk towards his wife and kids.
Gareth trailed behind him in search of his own family.
Frankie punched Eddie's shoulder. "Good luck, big guy."
"Everyone hates me, call the media and tell them they were right," Eddie pouts.
Steve rolls his eyes and picks up their daughter, walking away.
Eddie turns to his twins. "Well, you guys don't care if I say shit."
"You said worse while getting ready this morning."
"And I'll say worse again! Let's get out of here."