Dave Stewart believes the opportunity for a major Eurythmics return to the stage has passed. In a new interview, the musician said he would readily have reunited with Annie Lennox, but that she had turned down proposals. He also discussed the vocal demands of their songs and acknowledged that contact between them has become less frequent over the past two years.
Dave Stewart would have liked to perform with Annie Lennox again. The musician who formed Eurythmics alongside her has spoken about reunion opportunities that did not lead to a return, reaching a conclusion likely to disappoint fans: he believes it is now too late for a full-scale comeback. His remarks express his own assessment of the situation rather than an official announcement from the duo.
In an interview published on November 2, 2026, the 74-year-old guitarist and producer explained that offers for the British duo to perform again had emerged in the past. He said he had been willing to accept them, while Lennox did not want to proceed. Those discussions did not develop into a new tour, leaving the proposed appearances as opportunities that ultimately went unrealised.
Stewart made clear that he would have agreed without hesitation. He also expressed disappointment that they had not found more occasions to perform their songs together. For him, playing live has a particular value that recordings cannot replace. His comments focused on the experience of sharing the music with an audience, rather than on any new recording project currently being prepared by the pair.
Describing what a musician experiences on stage, Dave Stewart pointed to the reactions of listeners. He spoke about people singing, looking at the person beside them or becoming emotional when a familiar song begins. Those moments, he explained, demonstrate the continuing power of the music directly. A song can retain that connection with an audience decades after it was first released and heard.
He mentioned Tears for Fears as an example of musicians returning to concerts after long periods of limited joint activity, and wondered why Eurythmics had not followed a similar path. The comparison reflected a personal wish rather than a specific proposal now under discussion. When his interviewer suggested Lennox might still change her mind, Stewart said he no longer regarded that outcome as realistic.
One of his central points concerned the demands of the Eurythmics catalogue. Many of their songs, he said, require considerable vocal stamina, especially when performed consecutively in a concert lasting an hour and 45 minutes or two hours. This was his assessment of a full programme’s requirements. It was not presented as a medical judgment or a statement from Lennox about her own voice.
Stewart referred to a relatively recent Lennox appearance involving four or five songs and guest performers. In his view, that differs substantially from a complete Eurythmics concert. He did not claim that she had a particular health or vocal problem. The distinction in his comments was between a shorter appearance and the sustained demands of performing the duo’s material across an entire headline show.
Looking back, he imagined that they might have maintained a joint live presence over many years through occasional returns, perhaps touring every three years. Such a pattern could have allowed them to reconnect with audiences without being permanently on the road. He now regards that possibility as belonging to the past, expressing regret about the opportunities rather than outlining a schedule he expects them to follow.
The last full Eurythmics tour took place in 1999 around the release of “Peace”. Since then, the two artists have shared the stage on isolated occasions without returning to a regular concert schedule. Their most recent joint appearance was at their 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, when U2’s The Edge introduced them at the ceremony.
At that event, the duo performed “Would I Lie to You?”, “Missionary Man” and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”. It offered audiences a rare chance to see them together again. Stewart was also asked about their personal contact. He said Lennox lives in Los Angeles, while he divides his time between Nashville and his facilities in the Bahamas, and they no longer speak as often.
He recalled exchanging more emails and having more frequent conversations in the past, with contact noticeably reduced over the last two years. Dave Stewart did not accompany that observation with a claim of personal conflict. He also gave his impression that Lennox now regards the Eurythmics era as part of the past, noting the absence of projects such as a documentary about their shared history.
These remain Stewart’s interpretations, without an accompanying statement from Lennox confirming her position. The interview came around his solo release “The Way It Was Back Then”, issued on October 30. He continues making music, while the Eurythmics catalogue remains an important part of his creative identity. His comments convey a wish for more shared concerts and a belief that the time for a major return has passed.
