In a recent interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, KINGDOM COME guitarist Danny Stag discussed the possibility of a classic lineup reunion and revealed that there had been an attempt in 2014.
“In 2014, we all agreed to get the original five back together. We had everything in place—a booking agent, shows lined up, and rehearsals scheduled in L.A. Lenny even flew in from Germany. But after just one rehearsal, things fell apart because James had to return to play with Scorpions. The Scorpions had told James, ‘Yeah, we’re winding down, only doing 50 or 60 shows a year.’ Klaus knew James was planning a Kingdom Come reunion, and he saw there was a market for it. Ironically, the guy who had originally left was the one trying to put it all back together. James had always loved the band and was close with Johnny, Rick, and me. We were all great friends.
“Scorpions had said, ‘James, you can do Kingdom Come, just don’t double book any shows.’ He wouldn’t even have to change his contract—he could play Kingdom Come gigs in between Scorpions shows. But then Klaus had knee surgery, and while in the hospital and on painkillers, he changed his mind and told James he couldn’t go through with it. By that point, everything was in motion. Scorpions decided to record a new album and tour, and James had no choice but to cancel. He didn’t want to throw away a lot of money or let down Scorpions. He felt terrible and was in tears when he told us. Lenny ended up going back to Germany.”
In a different interview in March with Artists On Record Starring Adika Live!, Johnny B. Frank gave another perspective on why the Kingdom Come reunion didn’t materialize. He explained: “We tried to do reunion in 2015 when Lenny was still in the band. James had a year off from the Scorpions, so he said, ‘Let’s do some Kingdom Come.’ Lenny was into it, and because it had been nearly 30 years, there was a lot of buzz around the original lineup. But on the day of rehearsal, James visited his doctor and told him, ‘I’m an alcoholic.’ The doctor prescribed him Valium, thinking it would help with his cravings, but once the Valium kicked in, James thought, ‘You know what would go good with this? Some Jack Daniel’s.’ An hour later, he fell off his drum stool, and Lenny said, ‘That’s it. I’m going back to Germany.'”
