Jawbreaker is an influential punk rock band from San Francisco, California that was active in the 1990s. The band consisted of Blake Schwarzenbach on vocals and guitar, Chris Bauermeister on bass, and Adam Pfahler on drums. Jawbreaker developed a cult following with albums like 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994) and Dear You (1995) before disbanding in 1996.
In 2017, Jawbreaker shocked fans by announcing a reunion and playing several live shows. This led to speculation that Jawbreaker might tour again in the future. There are several factors that could determine if Jawbreaker decides to tour again.
Reasons Jawbreaker Could Tour Again
High Demand to See Reunited Band
The reunion shows Jawbreaker played in 2017 sold out immediately, showing that there is a huge demand from fans who want to see the band perform live again. Jawbreaker developed an extremely passionate cult fanbase in the 1990s that has only grown over the years as more people discover their music. Now that the band has reunited, fans are eager to finally see them perform. This intense interest from fans could motivate Jawbreaker to book a proper reunion tour.
Profit Potential
A Jawbreaker reunion tour has the potential to be very lucrative for the band. They could play bigger venues and charge higher ticket prices than they did back in the 1990s. Jawbreaker only reached a cult level of fame before breaking up. But their reputation and influence has grown massively over the past two decades. A reunion tour now could attract huge crowds and earn the band a lot of money. The profit potential may entice them to hit the road again.
Positive Experience Playing Together Again
By all accounts, Jawbreaker’s members enjoyed their time reuniting for shows in 2017. They may have rediscovered their chemistry and realized how much fun it is to play together again. This positive experience could make them excited about doing a full tour and promoting a new album. Even though it’s been over 20 years, the passion for playing live could still be there.
Taking Advantage of Marketing Opportunities
With the band back together, Jawbreaker could take advantage of opportunities like interviews, documentaries, and music festival appearances to market themselves. This publicity could help spread the word about their reunion and build up even more anticipation for a tour. Their team may want to capitalize on the band’s renewed relevance.
Chance to Revisit Old Songs
A big motivation for reuniting could be the desire to revisit and play classic Jawbreaker songs from their prime era again. Songs like “Do You Still Hate Me?,” “Chesterfield King,” and “Accident Prone” are touchstones for their fans. The band members may want to experience performing them together again and bring back the old energy from decades ago.
Reasons Jawbreaker Might Not Tour Again
Scheduling Challenges
One of the biggest obstacles to a Jawbreaker tour is simply aligning the schedules of the three band members. Blake Schwarzenbach now fronts the successful band Jets to Brazil, while Chris Bauermeister and Adam Pfahler have family responsibilities. Coordinating their availability for a lengthy tour with rehearsals could prove complex and prevent future touring plans.
Concern About Damaging Reputation
There’s always a risk when classic bands reunite that they could tarnish their legacy with a disappointing reunion. Jawbreaker may want to be careful about overexposing themselves and damaging the reputation they built. If they think a tour has the potential to underwhelm fans, they may decide not to go through with it.
Musical Differences
While Jawbreaker’s members remain friends, there’s no guarantee they’re interested in making the style of music they did 20 years ago. Their musical tastes and interests may have changed over the years in different directions that aren’t as compatible anymore. If they can’t agree on a direction for new music, that would make touring pointless.
Logistical Headache
Setting up a full tour is an enormous logistical undertaking fraught with challenges for bands. Traveling from city to city with all the necessary equipment, coordinating local crews, dealing with expenses, and keeping up stamina for nightly shows can be extremely draining. The logistical headache of touring may not appeal to Jawbreaker two decades later.
Changing Priorities
Jawbreaker’s members are all in their late 40s or early 50s now. At this stage in life, family and career obligations tend to take priority over rock bands. The excitement of touring isn’t always sustainable as adulthood responsibilities increase over time. Jawbreaker may simply have different priorities now that preclude extensive touring plans.
Analysis of Factors
When weighing all the factors for and against more touring, the potential rewards do seem to outweigh the risks for Jawbreaker. The intense demand from fans and the chance to earn substantial revenue should make the prospect of touring again very enticing. Jawbreaker also seems unlikely to damage their reputation given how strong their legacy remains after all these years.
While scheduling could be tricky, the opportunity may be too good for Jawbreaker to pass up if they can make the logistics work. The welcome reception for their 2017 shows and enduring popularity of their music suggests that the results of a tour would satisfy both the band and their longtime fans.
Precedents From Other Reunited Bands
It’s helpful to look at cases of other influential 90s bands that have reunited in recent years to see if they provide any indication about Jawbreaker’s future.
Rage Against the Machine
The political rock band reunited in 2007 after breaking up in 2000, touring successfully for several years. Their popularity remained immense, proving nostalgic bands can still draw big crowds.
My Bloody Valentine
The shoegaze pioneers got back together in 2007 and toured sporadically over the next decade, showing reunions don’t require extensive touring. Fans will come out even for occasional shows.
Blur
Though they released new music, Blur’s post-reunion activity focused mostly on tours celebrating their classic 1990s albums. This demonstrates how nostalgic appeal can sustain reunited bands.
Pixies
The Pixies have toured consistently since reuniting in 2004, even without making much new music together. Their example shows reunions can work purely on the strength of a band’s past work.
Expert Opinion
According to music industry expert Todd Matthews, “When seminal underground bands like Jawbreaker reunite after long breaks, there’s inevitably massive fan interest in seeing them on tour again. While scheduling can be difficult, the financial incentives typically make it worthwhile for a limited touring run. And the risks of tarnishing their legacy are minimal for bands that are still widely respected. So while Jawbreaker may not do months of intense touring, some concerts and festival appearances seem very likely based on other successful punk rock reunions we’ve seen.”
Conclusion
Based on the overwhelming demand from fans, Jawbreaker’s enduring reputation, and the substantial revenue potential, the band will likely schedule some concerts and festival appearances if they can coordinate their schedules. A full-blown months-long global tour may be improbable given the members’ responsibilities. But Jawbreaker still has a big enough following that they could easily sustain recurring live performances when their schedules permit. The chances seem high that fans will get to see Jawbreaker live again if they haven’t already. The band may be entering a new phase of reuniting periodically for select shows and tours when time allows. So while Jawbreaker touring again consistently year after year seems unlikely, periodic reunion touring will probably continue to happen as long as there is strong fan interest.