The 31 Best One-Off Reunions in Rock History: From Led Zeppelin to Talking Heads

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

When Deep Purple fans bought tickets for the group’s Aug. 12 co-headlining show with Kansas at Jones Beach in Long Island, New York, they had no idea they were going to witness a priceless moment of rock history. Near the very end of the night, estranged guitarist Ritchie Blackmore emerged from the wings to play with the group for the first time in 33 years.

But this wasn’t the start of some sort of Hell Freezes Over-style reunion tour. The reformation lasted just as long as it takes to play “Smoke on the Water,” about seven minutes, with Deep Purple stretching out the ending to give Blackmore an extended solo.

It’s one of many major reunions over the years that weren’t organized for big-money tours, but rather to heal old wounds, celebrate some joyous affair, raise money for a good cause, or commemorate an induction into the Rock & Roll (or Songwriters) Hall of Fame. In some cases, the members just happened to be in the same room at the same time and reassembled spontaneously.

Here’s a list of 31. And before we start quibbling, note that we aren’t counting reunions that led directly to tours. The entries here had to exist in total isolation, even if the acts reformed later for unrelated reasons.

• The Police, Sting’s Wedding (1992)

  Image Credit: Christian Rose/Roger Viollet/Getty Images

  The Police reformed in 1986 for three Amnesty International concerts, their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, and then again in 2007/08 for a highly lucrative, 152-date tour they somehow got through without killing one another. These were all planned way in advance. On Aug. 22, 1992, however, they were coaxed onstage at Sting’s wedding to Trudie Styler, which was held at a chapel in Wiltshire, England. It was sloppy, totally unrehearsed, and ended after they stumbled their way through “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle” using equipment they borrowed from the Troggs, who served as the house band. “I had a few drinks by that time,” Sting said in his VH1 Behind the Music. “And within four bars, I was scowling at Stewart. Andy’s guitar was out of tune. I was scowling at him. He’d forgotten the riff a little bit. We were back! It was like putting on an old suit.”