Despite the moniker, the rock group Chicago has important ties to New York City; it was where the band from the Windy City recorded their now-classic debut album, The Chicago Transit Authority, 56 years ago. That double record launched a legendary career built on mostly horn-powered rock and pop hits -- among them "25 or 6 to 4," "Make Me Smile," "Saturday in the Park," "If You Leave Me Now" and "You're The Inspiration" -- that continues to this day.
Fittingly, Chicago, which is currently led by original members Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane and James Pankow, returned to New York this past Wednesday for a sold-out show at the Beacon Theatre, where they played two hours' worth of their hits and more. The concert coincided with the recent reissue of Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits on its 50th anniversary, and now includes additional songs from the band's 1969-1980 period.
The show opened with the aptly named "Introduction," from 1969's The Chicago Transit Authority album, which reminded the audience members of Chicago's early progressive jazz-rock roots before they evolved into Top 40 hitmakers. After that, it was an evening of wall-to-wall favorites such as "Dialogue (Part I & II)," "Old Days," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Beginnings," "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Get Away" and "Hard Habit to Break."
They also performed the entire "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" suite (originally from the 1970 album Chicago, also known as Chicago II), which featured "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World," and unveiled a deep cut, Mongonucleosis," from Chicago VII. The band's encore ended the show on an exuberant note with raucous "Free" and, of course, the blistering rocker "25 or 6 to 4."
Though the die-hard fans at the Beacon might have wished Chicago had played an additional favorite or two of theirs, they would be very hard-pressed to complain about this satisfactory overview of the band's catalog. Each member from Chicago's present lineup shone through during those two hours -- among them trumpeter Loughane, trombonist Pankow and woodwinds player Ray Herrmann; lead singer Neil Donell, especially on "You're the Inspiration"; drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. and percussionist Ramon Yslas for their solos on "I'm a Man"; and guitarist Tony Obrohta, who delivered some fiery riffng on "25 or 6 to 4."
Just before the concert began, a giant video screen behind the stage showed every Chicago album the band has released in reverse chronological order, featuring the famed logo (at last count, it was 40 albums). It's a testament to the band's longevity and decades' worth of hit songs -- all of which were on full display at the Beacon show.
Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon: Make Me Smile/So Much to Say, So Much to Give/Anxiety's Moment/West Virginia Fantasies/Colour My World/To Be Free/Now More Than Ever
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (Jackie Wilson cover)