Editing MC5 (section)

===1992–2024: Reunions, final years, and ''Heavy Lifting''===
The first public reunion of the band after their recording years as a group was as a four-piece, at a performance celebrating the life of the late Rob Tyner, a concert event at the [[The Fillmore Detroit|State Theatre]] in Detroit on February 22, 1992. The event was heavily attended, and included [[The Rationals]], Scott Richardson of [[SRC (band)|SRC]], [[The Romantics]], [[Dee Dee Ramone]], [[The Cult]], and other musicians. The band on this evening was unbilled, but their appearance had been rumored—Wayne Kramer was the only group member advertised—and the set lasted about thirty minutes. The recording of this show remains unreleased.

In 2002, the well-received documentary ''[[MC5: A True Testimonial]]'' made its film festival premiere.<ref name=Margasak>{{cite web |last=Margasak |first=Peter |title=The MC5 Movie You May Never See |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-mc5-movie-you-may-never-see/Content?oid=915326 |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=April 29, 2004 |accessdate=April 5, 2010 }}</ref> 2003 saw the three surviving members of MC5—Kramer, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson (Smith had died in 1994)—performing as the MC5 at the [[100 Club]] in London<ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin|last=Perry |title=Michael Davis interviewed about MC5 reunion |url=http://thebeaverdialogues.blogspot.com/2006/11/mc5.html |publisher=[[The Beaver (newspaper)|The Beaver]] |date=November 28, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2010 | location=London}}</ref> with Fred "Sonic" Smith's place temporarily being taken by [[Nicke Andersson]] of [[The Hellacopters]], vocals by [[David Vanian]] of [[The Damned (band)|The Damned]], [[Lemmy]] of [[Motörhead]], [[Ian Astbury]] of The Cult, and singer Kate O'Brien, as well as seeing Charles Moore and Buzzy Jones reprise their roles in the brass section from the ''High Time'' album.

In 2004, the band set out on an extensive world tour using the name DKT/MC5 (DKT being an [[acronym]] for Davis, Kramer, and Thompson). As with the 100 Club concert, a host of special guests joined them on tour such as [[Mark Arm]] of [[Mudhoney (band)|Mudhoney]], Nicke Royale of The Hellacopters, [[Evan Dando]] of [[The Lemonheads]], [[Marshall Crenshaw]], [[Deniz Tek]] of [[Radio Birdman]], [[Lisa Kekaula]] of [[the Bellrays]], and others.

[[File:MC5 & Lemmy, Download Festival 2005.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|MC5 and [[Motörhead]]'s [[Lemmy Kilmister]] in 2005. L-R: [[Wayne Kramer]], [[Dennis Thompson (drummer)|Dennis Thompson]], [[Michael Davis (bassist)|Michael Davis]], Lemmy, and [[Gilby Clarke]].]]

In 2005, MC5 stabilized into a new lineup, consisting of Kramer, Thompson, and Davis, with Handsome Dick Manitoba, vocalist of the 1970s New York punk band [[The Dictators]], singing lead, along with [[Gilby Clarke]], formerly of [[Guns and Roses]], playing rhythm guitar. This lineup continued to exist until Michael Davis' death in February 2012, upon which the group disbanded.

In May 2006, Davis injured his back in a motorcycle accident. In August 2007, Davis joined the [[Lords of Altamont]] on bass. He also founded and led the Michael H. Davis Music Is Revolution Foundation, dedicated to supporting music education programs in public schools. In 2009, Kramer founded the independent initiative [[Jail Guitar Doors|Jail Guitar Doors, USA]] with [[Billy Bragg]] and Margaret Saadi Kramer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a494613/wayne-kramer-on-jail-guitar-doors-we-have-no-shortage-of-prisons.html#~pmhQHCmUjY7sof |title=Wayne Kramer on Jail Guitar Doors: 'We have no shortage of prisons' |website=[[Digital Spy]] |date=July 2013 |access-date=24 August 2015 }}</ref> In 2011, MC5 was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/mrrl-hall-of-fame/358-mc5|title=MC5|author=OJ Advertising|website=Michigan Rock and Roll Legends}}</ref> In February 2012, Davis died of liver failure at the age of 68.

[[File:MC50 - Fabrik Hamburg 2018 02.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|MC5 performing in 2018. L–R: [[Wayne Kramer]], bassist [[Billy Gould]], vocalist [[Zen Guerrilla|Marcus Durant]], drummer [[Brendan Canty]] (obscured by Durant), and guitarist [[Kim Thayil]].]]

In May 2018, Kramer announced the MC50 tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ''Kick Out the Jams'', with a lineup including himself, plus rock stalwarts [[Kim Thayil]] and [[Matt Cameron]] of [[Soundgarden]], [[Brendan Canty]] of [[Fugazi]], and [[Doug Pinnick]] of [[King's X]], as well as [[Zen Guerrilla|Marcus Durant]] and [[Don Was]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lewry|first1=Fraser|title=MC5 announce UK and European tour dates|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/mc5-announce-uk-and-european-tour|work=Louder|date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> Pinnick was eventually replaced by [[Faith No More]] bassist [[Billy Gould]]. Thompson did not take part in the MC50 tour, which concluded in [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]] in February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-22 |title=MC50 in Christchurch, New Zealand |url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/mc50/2020/horncastle-arena-christchurch-new-zealand-5b985bbc.html |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Setlist.fm |language=en-gb}}</ref>

In 2022, Kramer announced that a tour under the banner of ''We Are All MC5'' would take place that spring, and that a new MC5 studio album with veteran producer [[Bob Ezrin]] would also be released later that year<ref name="auto1"/> with original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson playing on two tracks.<ref name="auto2"/> Joining Kramer on "The Heavy Lifting Tour" is singer [[Brad Brooks]], guitarist [[Stevie Salas]], bassist [[Vicki Randle]], and drummer Winston Watson, who replaces originally named drummer [[Stephen Perkins]].<ref>[https://www.michiganradio.org/show/stateside/2022-04-05/mc5s-wayne-kramer-talks-punk-politics-ahead-of-new-album-tour MC5’s Wayne Kramer talks punk, politics ahead of new album, tour] - ''Michigan Radio''. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.</ref> In addition to San Francisco Bay area singer-songwriter Brooks, [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] Salas is a former advisor of contemporary music at the [[Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian]], Randle is known as the first permanent female member of [[The Tonight Show Band]] from 1992 to 2010, and Watson performed 400 shows with [[Bob Dylan]] from 1992 over five years of his [[Never Ending Tour]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1382183/plotsummary|title=Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey (Video 2009)|website=IMDb |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> In 2023, Kramer announced that the new album would be released in the spring of 2024.<ref name="auto3"/>

On February 2, 2024, Kramer died after being diagnosed the previous month with pancreatic cancer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/02/02/mc5-wayne-kramer-cause-of-death-pancreatic-cander/|title=Wayne Kramer, co-founder of Detroit rock band MC5, dead at 75 from pancreatic cancer|first=Evan|last=Rosen|publisher=New York Daily|date=February 3, 2024|accessdate=February 3, 2024}}</ref> In April 2024, [[John Sinclair (poet)|John Sinclair]], who previously served as MC5's manager and who was also instrumental in the band's political activism, died as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/john-sinclair-former-mc5-manager-dead-1235958404/|title=John Sinclair, Former MC5 Manager and Counterculture Activist, Dies at 82|first=A.D.|last=Amorosi|publisher=Variety|date=April 2, 2024|accessdate=April 5, 2024}}</ref>

In April 2024, the MC5 was selected for induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in the musical excellence category.<ref name="rrhof24">{{cite web |title=2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees |url=https://rockhall.com/2024-inductees/ |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=22 April 2024 |date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="hofgreene">{{cite magazine |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2024 Class |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rock-hall-fame-2024-cher-ozzy-osbourne-dave-matthews-band-mary-j-blige-1235007784/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=22 April 2024 |date=22 April 2024}}</ref>

Thompson died of a heart attack on May 8, 2024, at the age of 75.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCollum |first=Brian |date=2024-05-09 |title=Dennis Thompson, MC5 drummer and 'last man standing,' dies at 75 |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2024/05/09/dennis-thompson-mc5-drummer-obituary/73629138007/
 |work=[[The Detroit Free Press]] |access-date=2024-05-09}}</ref> The MC5's final album, ''[[Heavy Lifting]]'', was posthumously released on October 18, 2024.<ref name="auto4"/>