Rhino Factoids: Rod Stewart and the Faces Call It a Day

41 years ago today, the final Faces show took place. Not that there weren’t occasional reunions here and there, but insofar as their existence as a proper band goes, it concluded after their performance at New York’s Nassau Coliseum on October 12, 1975.

With Rod Stewart’s increasing success as a solo artist, it was probably always inevitable that Faces would come to an end, especially since Ronnie Lane had already left the group more or less because of that very reason. It probably also didn’t help things any that Ron Wood had begun working with the Rolling Stones, although it almost certainly did wonders for Wood’s self-confidence, as well it should have. Tensions continued to run high within the lineup, however, and although the band managed to make it through their tour of the States, it was clear to all parties concerned that the time had come to go their separate ways.

As noted, there have been a few Faces reunions here and there. When Rod Stewart played Wembley Stadium in 1986, the band got back together, including Lane on vocals (with Bill Wyman filling in on bass due to Lane’s multiple sclerosis), and they did so again in 1993 – this time without Lane – when Stewart won the Lifetime Achievement award at the Brits. After that, however, there were never any reunions with more than three members present, and those three were invariably Ron Wood, Kenney Jones, and Ian McLagan. Sadly, McLagen passed away on December 3, 2014, wrapping up any possibility of a four-piece Faces reunion, but just a little over a year ago, Stewart, Wood, and Jones reunited for a charity performance at the Hurtwood Polo Club.

The Telegraph described the performance as being “worth the 40-year wait.” They may well have been right.