Fans gladly welcomed Rod Argent of the Zombies back to the stage recently, per Ultimate Classic Rock. The revered longtime rocker, now 81, had a stroke more than two years ago in July 2024. He made a triumphant return on Saturday, October 31, "at St Albans Cathedral, part of the annual Begin Here festival, held in the Zombies' hometown of St. Albans, England," per the outlet. Argent reportedly got a well-deserved standing ovation.
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He and bandmate Colin Blunstone teamed for a trio of sings, including classic hits like "She's Not There" and "Time of the Season."
"It Was Very Emotional"
According to the BBC, Rod Argent appreciatively said, "I felt people were all trying to make me feel at home in the best possible way, and then after each song they all stood up and cheered... It was very emotional."
Colin Blunstone heartily agreed. "It was very emotional and I think the crowd felt it and we certainly felt it on stage... It was a wonderful reaction to him. They were a wonderful audience. They really, really were and they lifted us... It was very moving."
As for Argent, he is gamely getting past the aftereffects of the stroke. "In my head, if I'm just thinking through things, I've got absolutely no lack of fluency at all. But when I speak, sometimes I lose my thread, lose where I'm going... but it is getting better."
He greatly appreciates the abundant kindness and care he got from his wife during his health crisis. "Over the last two years she's been wonderful because she's got a few health issues herself, but she was with me when I had the stroke. I want to spend more time with my wife now really, because I was away all the time before."
The Zombies Are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The British Invasion band was inducted in 2019. Their admiring inductor, Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, said of the Zombies at the time, "Their music moves me with its poignancy to tears, it reminds me of what it is to be alive." Even after so many years, the vitality and dynamism that was the Zombies' signature still resounds strongly.Time has not, and will never, diminish it.
