Thanks for the Memories: War (the band) is coming to Cheyenne

About War

War is a seven-member band that formed in Long Beach, California, in 1962. They’re an R&B, soul and reggae group best known for songs like “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” (1975) and “Low Rider” (1975).

The current members are Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan on keyboard and vocals, James Zota Baker on guitar, Scott Martin on saxophone and flute, Mitch Kashmar on harmonica, Sal Rodriguez on drums, Rene Camacho on bass, and Marcos Reyes on percussion. Jordan is the only original member of the band still touring with the group.

The group was founded by Howard E. Scott and Harold Brown, who added Jordan to the original lineup within the first few years. They used to be called The Creators, recording several singles, before rebranding to Nightshift and then War in 1969.

They rebranded to War as a way to “spread a message of brotherhood and harmony,” with their “instruments and vocals becoming their weapon of choice, and the songs their ammunition.”

War, along with Eric Burdon as lead vocalist, toured for about a year in 1969, and recorded two albums with him titled “Eric Burdon Declares War” and “The Black-Man’s Burdon,” before Burdon left the band in 1970. Before Burdon left, the group performed with Jimi Hendrix two days before he died at the Ronnie Scott’s Club in London on Sept. 16, 1970.

After Burdon left, the group continued to tour without him and went on to record their first, self-titled, album together in 1971. Later that same year, they released their second album together, “All Day Music,” followed by “The World Is A Ghetto” (1972), “Deliver the Word” (1973) and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” (1975), which were all certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

To date, the band has 17 albums, not including two live albums, two collector’s edition albums or their album from 2011 that contained Spanish versions of their biggest hits. The band released a new album in 2014, “Evolutionary,” which was their first original album since “Peace Sign” in 1994, but it has seemingly been pulled from streaming platforms since.

How admission works, and the last show

Admission is free for every “Thanks for the Memories” show; however, the venue can only hold around 1,490 people. Therefore, admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and people will be turned away once capacity is reached.

Soundtrack Passes, which were sold throughout the season for people who wanted a guaranteed spot at every concert, are no longer being sold online.

The last “Thanks for the Memories” show will be Chamillionaire (“Ridin’ Dirty”) on May 8. Then, Cheyenne Presents will resume its regularly scheduled programming with Fridays on the Plaza kicking off in June.