Lonestar Reunite With Richie McDonald for New Album, 2012 Tour
Good news for Lonestar fans. Next year, the band's original lead singer, Richie McDonald, will return to the group -- best know for hits 'Amazed' and 'I'm Already There' -- to mark 20 years of making music together. In addition to a tour to commemorate their anniversary, Lonestar will also release a brand-new album with vocals by McDonald.
"Well, five years has come and gone since I left Lonestar," McDonald said in a statement after the news broke of him reuniting with his former band. "We've all tried other avenues and the fact remains that some things were just meant to be. With the Lonestar 20 year reunion approaching, [we all] got together and have decided we have some unfinished business to take care of. I miss those crazy nights running around onstage making music with my band of brothers. Looking forward to a new chapter in the book of Lonestar and reliving some old memories, and also making some new ones for the fans that have been loyal to us through thick and thin."
The first portion of the tour will be overseas, where Lonestar will perform in England and Germany, among others countries.
Lonestar took to their Twitter page earlier in the week to give their followers a teaser of their big news, tweeting: "Big news for Lonestar fans coming tomorrow! 2012 marks our 20th anniversary. What would you like to see and hear from us?"
"With 2012 in the near future, we all began thinking of what that meant to us as a band," said Lonestar's Dean Sams. "2012 is a huge landmark for us, marking 20 years of great music and friendship. It was seeing this milestone that began conversations about the legacy of Lonestar. The music we've created over the years, along with all of the fans we have made along the way, is something we have never taken for granted. We have so much more music to offer the country music fans, and truly feel they want us back on the radio and out on the road performing live for them. After a lot of soul searching and long conversations between all of us involved, we are energized and excited to be writing and recording new music together again!"
"I think fans ultimately wondered if this was ever going to happen again, and it always seemed like the original Lonestar as a whole was better than the sum of its parts," added Lonestar's drummer, Keech Rainwater. "With Richie back in the band, fans can enjoy new music and again experience the sound they are used to hearing at our shows. Lonestar has always been very serious about the music we put out. I am excited to see and hear what comes out of this reunion and upcoming album."
Lonestar 2012 Tour Dates (So Far):
2/26 - London, England | Wembley Arena
2/29 - Belfast, Ireland | Odyssey Arena
3/2 - Zurich, Switzerland | Hallenstadion
3/4 - Mannheim, Germany | SAP Arena
Watch the Lonestar 'Amazed' Video