The pair got back together in 2012 to make a fundraising covers EP for guitarist Slim Dunlap, who'd suffered a severe stroke. That led to their live return last year, and more shows are on the cards.

Westerberg tells Rolling Stone: "We were talking to Slim when he was in the hospital and I was like, 'Should we play?' And he said, 'Yeah, play.'" It's proved to be more fruitful than he could ever have imagined. "It's good to wake up and go, 'God, I'm late - I have somewhere to go,'" he reflects.