Courtney Love Hints at Possible Hole Reunion Tour With Melissa Auf der Maur
A potential reunion of the influential alternative rock band Hole may be on the horizon after frontwoman Courtney Love posted a cryptic teaser on social media suggesting the group could return to the stage.
Love sparked speculation earlier this week when she shared an Instagram video featuring former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. The clip was set to “Malibu,” one of the band’s best-known songs from their 1998 album Celebrity Skin. Alongside footage of Auf der Maur twirling in a flowing black dress, Love tagged the bassist and wrote in the caption, “So do we tell the kids about the tour.”
Auf der Maur responded in the comment section with a teasing message that read, “It starts with eternal love…,” further fueling speculation among fans that a reunion announcement could be imminent.
Love followed the post by sharing another image on her Instagram Stories: a photo taken at the Chateau Marmont pool featuring Love, Auf der Maur, and Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson. The picture dates back to the period shortly before the release of Celebrity Skin, the album that marked the commercial peak of the band’s career.
While no official tour dates have been announced, the posts represent one of the most direct public hints in years that Love may be open to reuniting with members of the group.
The possibility of a reunion has circulated for decades. Hole originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989 and became one of the most recognizable bands of the 1990s alternative rock movement. The group’s raw sound and confessional songwriting helped define the era, particularly with the release of their breakthrough 1994 album Live Through This.
Following Live Through This, Hole reached even broader audiences with Celebrity Skin, which featured a more polished rock sound and produced several radio hits, including “Malibu” and “Celebrity Skin.” The album earned multiple Grammy nominations and remains one of the defining records of late-1990s alternative rock.
Despite their success, the band’s lineup changed frequently, and internal tensions ultimately led to their breakup in 2002. Their final tour during that era, the Beautiful Monsters Tour, was co-headlined by Marilyn Manson.
Hole briefly returned between 2009 and 2012, though that version of the band featured a completely different lineup assembled by Love. The earlier classic lineup, particularly the collaboration between Love, Auf der Maur and Erlandson, has rarely reunited publicly since the original breakup.
In past interviews, Love has often dismissed the idea of a reunion. During a 2021 conversation with Vogue, she said a comeback was unlikely and joked that her manager asked about the possibility every year in the same way he occasionally asked about a reunion involving Led Zeppelin.
For that reason, the recent social media posts have surprised many longtime fans who assumed the band would remain inactive.
The renewed speculation comes at a moment when several projects connected to Love and her former collaborators are receiving renewed attention. Earlier this year, the documentary Antiheroine premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film explores Love’s career, controversies, and influence on the alternative music scene.
Meanwhile, Auf der Maur is preparing to release a memoir titled Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A ’90s Rock Memoir, scheduled for publication on March 17. The book chronicles her early life in Montreal and her path through the 1990s rock scene, including her time performing with Hole and later touring with The Smashing Pumpkins.
Love also recently made a surprise appearance in London with the cover band the Coverups, a project led by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. During that performance, she hinted at a return to Hole, telling the crowd, “Later, I’ll be back in Hole.”
Whether the latest social media teasers represent a full reunion tour or simply playful nostalgia remains unclear. However, if confirmed, a tour featuring Love and Auf der Maur would mark the most significant revival of Hole in more than two decades and a rare opportunity for fans to see members of the band’s most celebrated lineup perform together again.
