He recalled joining the band in 1988, releasing their first album in 1992 and starting to work on Tragic Kingdom in 1993 while they were in college.
“What I remember most is that despite the challenges, it was a very creative and magical time,” he said. “Gwen, Adrian, Tony and I had real chemistry as bandmates and collaborators, and we discovered our voices as we wrote & recorded those songs together. I appreciate the friendships and camaraderie we shared in those years. We were passionate about our music, and the fact that Tragic Kingdom has touched so many people around the world is beyond what I could have ever imagined.”
“Sometimes great things fall apart, which is a shame,” said Dumont. “Yet here we are, 25 years later. It is what it is, & I keep trying to make peace with that. I’m especially grateful to all those who helped us along the way, and most of all to those of you who enjoyed Tragic Kingdom and came out to the shows over the years. I’d love to do one more No Doubt tour, but it feels like that ain’t gonna happen. It’s bittersweet. In any case, what great memories, thanks all.”
On her own Instagram account, Stefani shared another old No Doubt snapshot and simply wrote, “thanks for 25 years.”
“We had no idea what was going to happen when we were writing these songs,” Kanal wrote on his post about the group’s classic album. “Through all of the fun and challenging times, we were just a group of friends on a mission to express ourselves musically. Sometimes It felt like it was us against the world but our love for our band got us through it all.”
“Every part of this album was real as f—,” he said. “The writing, the recording, the touring, the shows, doing press. All filled with joy, rawness, discovery, excitement, heartache, exhaustion, gratification and beauty. No amount of time that passes will diminish the things we accomplished and experienced together.
“To everyone that embraced Tragic Kingdom and made it a part of their lives, you have my never ending appreciation and gratitude. You guys are incredible. You gave us the fuel to continue creating, keep playing, write more songs and release more albums. Happy 25th Tragic Kingdom to us all,” he said to their fans.
Young agreed in his social media tribute to Tragic Kingdom: “25 years ago today, we released Tragic Kingdom. We had no idea that our lives were about to dramatically change as a result. Thank you to those who have shared this crazy and spectacular ride with us! Knowing that this record has touched so many of your lives makes the recognition of this day that much more special!”
Look back at Billboard‘s track-by-track review of Tragic Kingdom, which was originally published in honor of another milestone, its 20th anniversary.
