5 Returning Bands That Failed (And 5 That Nailed Their Comeback)
2. Failed: At The Drive-In
How bad do you have to be to screw up two reunions? It's a question one can only pose to post-hardcore troupe At the Drive-In following their reunions in 2011 and 2015.
Formed out of El Paso, Texas in 1994 by vocalists Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Jim Ward, the pair slowly worked to the classic-looking ATDI line-up for their sophomore In/Casino/Out in 1998.
It's their third album, Relationship of Command that has cemented the band's place in history. The much heralded and hugely influential album gave ATDI short-lived but massive critical and commercial success, before deciding to break-up just over a year after its release in 2001.
In 2011, the classic line-up returned for a series of live shows including an appearance at Coachella Festival. The return was well-received up until a lack of enthusiasm displayed by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López, and following a fallout between him and Bixler-Zavala, ATDI's short return was over. A few years later in 2015, a second reunion was in place, except with mainstay Ward opting out and replaced by Sparta guitarist Keeley Davis.
The swap proved unmissable as the resultant in•ter a•li•a lacks passion and coherency, and sounds more like yet another weird Bixler-Zavala/Rodríguez-López project.