Rilo Kiley are set to reunite for a festival appearance in 2025.
The indie band are set to play their first official show since 2021 at the Just Like Heaven festival in Pasadena, California later this year, according to a new billboard on Sunset Boulevard.
At time of writing, countless festival updates and live music announcements have been put on hold due to the ongoing wildfires creating destruction across Los Angeles. However, it looks like there was some miscommunication along the way, as the billboard announcing some artists playing at Just Like Heaven still went up.
As per the new billboard in Echo Park, Rilo Kiley will be performing at the event this May, along with Vampire Weekend, Empire of the Sun, Bloc Party, and the recently reformed TV on the Radio.
The show will mark their first show together since a one-off gig in 2021, when singer Jenny Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett briefly reunited for Linda Perry’s Rock-N-Relief livestream benefit. This saw them perform the track ‘Let Me Back In’, which originally appeared on Rilo Kiley’s compilation ‘RKives’ in 2013.
No, Rilo Kiley did not announce a reunion tour today. However, these billboards popped up in LA today. 👀 pic.twitter.com/t50FhCW8gN
— Did Rilo Kiley Announce A Reunion Tour Today? (@DidRiloKiley) January 14, 2025
Before then, the members had only played together once since the band went on hiatus in 2010. This came as Sennett joined Lewis at Coachella in 2015 to perform ‘Portions For Foxes’ with her.
Rilo Kiley took a break in 2010, but did not officially confirm their break-up until a year later. At the time, Sennett told Consequence Of Sound: “I would say that if Rilo Kiley were a human being, he’s probably laying on his back in a morgue with a tag on his toe. Now, I see movies where the dead get up and walk. And when they do that, rarely do good things happen.”
While the live shows have been few and far between since 2011, Rilo Kiley did reissue their rare self-titled debut album in 2020 and made it available on streaming services for the first time. The LP was originally released in 1999 on the band’s own label Rilo Records.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Lewis told NME she was open to getting the band back together. “Sure!” Lewis replied when asked if a reunion could be in her future. “I did a Postal Service reunion tour a couple of years ago, so I’m open to anything these days. My mantra is ‘Yes’.”
Back in 2023, the singer also spoke to NME again about the prospect of a Rilo Kiley reunion, dismissing immediate hopes by saying: “I’ve got a lot on my plate […] We’re not talking about it, but it’s not off the table.”
In recent months, fans have become increasingly hopeful about a reunion announcement, particularly after the members added new merchandise to their Bandcamp page and updated their profile photos on streaming platforms.
At time of writing, Just Like Heaven is set for May 10, although this is subject to change depending on the LA wildfires.
