Reconstructed Sweet maps summer comeback plan

A reconfigured version of British glam-rock icons Sweet [ tickets ] will hit the road this summer behind bassist/vocalist Steve Priest, one of the band's original members.Now based in Woodland Hills, CA, the new Sweet lineup--which, in addition to Priest, features vocalist Joe Retta, Stuart Smith on guitar, keyboardist Stevie Stewart and drummer Richie Onari--will kick off the outing June 12 in Los Angeles. The group has so far lined up 11 dates over the summer months, including several appearances at music festivals in Canada. Details are below.Formed in the late '60s in England and originally known as The Sweetshop, the group enjoyed a run of chart success in the early- and mid-'70s, with hits including "Ballroom Blitz," "Fox on the Run," "Action" and "Love is Like Oxygen." The band's most well-known configuration--featuring Priest, lead singer Brian Connolly, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker--split in 1979, leading to a large number of lineup changes over the years.A pair of brief reunions followed, most recently in 1990. Connolly died of liver failure in 1997, and Tucker passed away from leukemia in 2002. Scott has toured in recent years with his own version of the band, Andy Scott's Sweet.The group's final studio album, 1982's "Identity Crisis," was recorded after Connolly left the band.