Does that make them cover bands in a way?

PublishedNovember 18, 2025 6:10 PM EST•UpdatedNovember 18, 2025 6:10 PM EST

For fans of rock music, there is no shortage of bands that are going out on the road next year to happily take your money.

Rush is reuniting, Iron Maiden is playing one of their biggest North American tours ever (I'll be at one of those shows), Motley Crüe is back in action, heck, even the great Weird Al is doing an arena tour.

But one of the most interesting tours next year is the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner.

Why?

Because both bands, per parade, are hitting the road without a single original member.

I'm sure if you go, you're going to get one hell of a show, but it is interesting to think about how bands could conceivably go on forever.

READ: THESE ARE THE GREATEST DEBUT ALBUMS IN ROCK HISTORY

In the case of Skynyrd, they, of course, lost several band members back in the '70s in a tragic plane crash. The last original member of the band, guitarist Gary Rossington, died in 2023, and the band has continued to tour ever since.

Foreigner is in a similar position, though original singer Lou Gramm makes occasional appearances.

Foreigner and Lynyrd Skynyrd will hit the road in an unusual tour that sees both headlines performing without any original members.

So, if a band doesn't have any original members, is it still that band, or has it morphed into a cover band of itself?

Personally, I don't think so. Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson has been with the band for over 20 years. Lynyrd Skynyrd has several members who have been in the band even longer, including vocalist Johnny Van Zant, who filled in for his brother, Ronnie, when the band reformed in the late 1980s..

Once you're in a band that long, you're a big part of it, even if you weren't an "original" member.

Plus, I think fans would still be happy to pay to hear any version of their favorite band play their favorite songs.

This is a situation that will come up a lot more in the years to come as some of rock's biggest names succumb to Father Time.

Kiss, for instance, just played a couple of shows this past weekend in Las Vegas after retiring in 2023, but they've already made plans to continue as "digital avatars."

…whatever that entails.