Haslam, who emigrated to the Delaware Valley in 1991, reacted to the query with what might be termed hostile indifference, making it clear that such a project held no appeal for her. Haslam recently recalled that conversation while chatting on the phone about the group's reunion tour, which hits Glenside's Keswick Theatre for a sold-out show Sunday and Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City Oct. 17.

"I probably said the word, 'never,' " she said with a chuckle. So, Annie, have we learned any lessons from the brief East Coast tour that kicked off Tuesday in Annapolis, Md.? "Yeah," she said with another playful laugh. "Never say 'never.' You never know what is going to happen tomorrow."

At the time of that earlier interview, Haslam professed disinterest not only in Renaissance but in any kind of singing at all. She was immersed in her painting (her otherworldly, deeply spiritual style has been described by one art dealer as "dream expressionism").

In addition, she had lost her stomach for the business end of the music business, something with which all professionals must deal. And she had recently survived breast cancer. But, as she admitted, one never knows what a new day will bring.

Haslam's journey back began with a 2008 call from guitarist Michael Dunford, who was the band's principal songwriter.

"He said, 'I know you're going to say no' . . . I said, 'No!' " she remembered.

Despite her vehemence, she offered the only condition that would make her change her mind: that the band's 1970s manager, North Jersey-based concert promoter John Scher, oversee the project.

"It took a while, but Michael got to John [who said], 'I was thinking about your band last week.'

"So we said, 'Let's do it,' and we're doing it."

As it turns out, Haslam and Dunford are the only band members from the group's heyday on the tour. (Renaissance began in 1969 as a blues-rock act led by Keith Relf of the Yardbirds.)

The other players, she explained, were invited to participate but "are not really in the music business anymore."

Nonetheless, fans can expect faithful representations of the group's sonic signatures: Haslam's crystalline vocals delivering thoughtful, image-rich lyrics over a foundation of precise instrumentation and song structures that owe more to Mozart and Mahler than Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix.

And while some purists may be disappointed by the absence of the names they know from the LPs, Haslam insisted that the personnel changes are positive.

The new musicians - keyboardist Rave Tesar, bassist David J. Keyes, keyboardist-vocalist Tom Brislin and drummer-percussionist Frank Pagano - have resumes filled with names like Bruce Springsteen, Yes, Meat Loaf, Smashing Pumpkins and Bette Midler.

More to the point, they, and modern technology, allow the unit to do things in a live setting that weren't possible decades ago.

For instance, Haslam pointed out, the development of digital equipment means keyboards can faithfully reproduce the sound of orchestral string instruments. And because three of the four instrumentalists sing, the multi-tracked harmonies of the original albums can finally be recreated in concert.

She added she was especially concerned that, having enjoyed total independence as a visual artist through the years, she would be uncomfortable in a group dynamic. Her fears, she learned, were baseless.

"Everyone in the band has such a wonderful personality," she said. "We just blend so well. It's a pleasure."

Because no one was sure of what the demand would be for a Renaissance reunion, the current tour is sticking to a handful of towns that embraced the band in the '70s.

But to hear Haslam tell it, the Taj Mahal date that wraps up the excursion probably won't be the last.

"We're getting e-mails from all over the world," she noted. " 'When are you coming to Belgium?' 'When are you coming to France?' 'Please come to Seattle.' This is happening every day.

"So if this goes well, it looks like we're ready."

Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, 7:30 p.m., sold out. Trump Taj Mahal, Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue, Atlantic City, N.J., 8 p.m. Oct. 17, $49, $39 and $29, 800-736-1420, www.ticketmaster.com.

Chuck Darrow has covered Atlantic City and casinos for more than 20 years. Read his blog http://go.philly.com/casinotes.

E-mail him at darrowc@phillynews.com.

And listen to his Atlantic City report Saturdays at 1:25 a.m. with Steve Trevelise on WIP (610-AM).