The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore reunited late last month at the Whisky A Go Go, the iconic L.A. nightclub where The Doors made a name for themselves as the house band in 1966. The Doors celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2025, and to mark the occasion, Krieger is playing monthly shows at the Whisky A Go Go featuring full-album performances of classic Doors records.
On April 26th, Krieger played through all of 1971’s L.A. Woman. At 79 years old, he commanded centerstage as he led his band through favorites “Love Her Madly”, “Been Down So Long”, and the title-track to The Doors’ sixth studio album and last to feature vocalist Jim Morrison in his lifetime (he later appeared posthumously on 1978’s An American Prayer).
Though it had been years since Krieger and Densmore played together, the two recently sat down for a string of interviews celebrating The Doors’ anniversary and promoting several reissues, coffee table books, and other archival material. In a February interview with Variety, both musicians confirmed they’d join forces at the Whisky, with Densmore stating, “I’ll be playing with Robby. Dare I say, there’s more to come, maybe something with an all-star group down the line? There are irons in the fire is all.”
Even with the preview in the press, it was still a surprise to see 80-year-old Densmore stroll onstage last month. Krieger and Densmore harbored resentments for years stemming from a legal battle over the band’s name and perceived slights from each other’s respective memoirs. They allegedly did not reconcile until the death of Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek in 2013. That tension was perceptively absent as the former bandmates shared a brief embrace onstage on John’s way to the drum kit.
Together again, they finished out the B-side of L.A. Woman with the bluesy ode to terrestrial radio “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”. Finally, eerie drizzling Rhodes electric piano introduced the “Riders on the Storm” grand finale. The absence of Manzarek (and Morrison, of course) was sorely felt, but even without them, there was a sense of gratitude to see Krieger and Densmore together again on the same stage that had rocketed them to stardom six decades ago. All the surviving members of The Doors were playing together again.
Watch Robby Krieger and John Densmore reunite at the Whisky A Go Go in L.A. (skip to 1:25 for the concert). Krieger will return to the Whisky on May 29th to perform Strange Days, June 28th for Waiting for the Sun, and July 26th for Soft Parade. Find tickets on the venue’s website.
Robby Krieger, John Densmore — “The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)”, “Riders On The Storm” — 4/26/25
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