Post by rachel on Jun 13, 2008 12:33:54 GMT -5
Chicago
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, FL
March 11th, 2008
Review by Meghan Kearney
I don’t know if it was 60-year-old James Pankow’s uncanny ability to twirl his trombone as if he was a baton twirler in a college football halftime show, or Jason Scheff’s perfect vocal duplication of Peter Cetera, but the goodness of this concert made me feel like the generation gap between me and 95% of those around me was non-existent. I’ll admit at first, I was thinking “man these old folks must be wondering how much my mom paid me to be here,” but after the pseudo-intermission and a return with the drop of a giant American flag and the song “ Free,” I won’t lie, I was standing up and dancing along with the crowd.
Luckily for me, I grew up listening to Chicago with my mom, and even some of my friends in a period around my eighth grade year, so I knew a pretty good amount of what I was dealing with. Since the band was formed in 1967, only four original members remain. This is not including part of the bands claim to fame (or at least how I remember them most), their vocalist Peter Cetera. But the guys who’ve replaced that section of vocals, do a pretty d**n good job, especially considering how unique a voice Cetera has.
During this nearly two and a half hour set I was graced with nearly all of the band’s best, including all but one of my favorites, that being “Will You Still Love Me?” Hanging behind the band, a giant jumbo-tron switching between the bands logo and flashy colorful patterns slide-showed through snapshots of Central Park during the bands big hit “Saturday In The Park.” They didn’t neglect to play their super ballads “You’re the Inspiration” and “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and couples all over were smooching and giving each other googly eyes. The drummer, Tris Imboden, who’s been with the band for eighteen years now, slammed through an unbelievable drum solo after the first half which awarded him a standing ovation from the entire theater. And at the end of the night, and my mom telling me at least 40 times if she didn’t hear “her song” she’d die, the guys ended with “25 or 6 to 4.” At this point there wasn’t a single person still sitting. After the last musical break down the band remained for a team bow to the audience and marched off stage with the packed theater still standing in celebration. Even myself.
The show was quite an experience for me, and the first legendary concert I’ve really ever been to. And for being such a fan of Peter Cetera, and going in there a little pessimistic about these new guys, I’ll have to say I was very impressed! And for the record, the “old folks” weren’t really that old, I see myself in their shoes twenty years from today. Now, back to emo music!
Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, FL
March 11th, 2008
Review by Meghan Kearney
I don’t know if it was 60-year-old James Pankow’s uncanny ability to twirl his trombone as if he was a baton twirler in a college football halftime show, or Jason Scheff’s perfect vocal duplication of Peter Cetera, but the goodness of this concert made me feel like the generation gap between me and 95% of those around me was non-existent. I’ll admit at first, I was thinking “man these old folks must be wondering how much my mom paid me to be here,” but after the pseudo-intermission and a return with the drop of a giant American flag and the song “ Free,” I won’t lie, I was standing up and dancing along with the crowd.
Luckily for me, I grew up listening to Chicago with my mom, and even some of my friends in a period around my eighth grade year, so I knew a pretty good amount of what I was dealing with. Since the band was formed in 1967, only four original members remain. This is not including part of the bands claim to fame (or at least how I remember them most), their vocalist Peter Cetera. But the guys who’ve replaced that section of vocals, do a pretty d**n good job, especially considering how unique a voice Cetera has.
During this nearly two and a half hour set I was graced with nearly all of the band’s best, including all but one of my favorites, that being “Will You Still Love Me?” Hanging behind the band, a giant jumbo-tron switching between the bands logo and flashy colorful patterns slide-showed through snapshots of Central Park during the bands big hit “Saturday In The Park.” They didn’t neglect to play their super ballads “You’re the Inspiration” and “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and couples all over were smooching and giving each other googly eyes. The drummer, Tris Imboden, who’s been with the band for eighteen years now, slammed through an unbelievable drum solo after the first half which awarded him a standing ovation from the entire theater. And at the end of the night, and my mom telling me at least 40 times if she didn’t hear “her song” she’d die, the guys ended with “25 or 6 to 4.” At this point there wasn’t a single person still sitting. After the last musical break down the band remained for a team bow to the audience and marched off stage with the packed theater still standing in celebration. Even myself.
The show was quite an experience for me, and the first legendary concert I’ve really ever been to. And for being such a fan of Peter Cetera, and going in there a little pessimistic about these new guys, I’ll have to say I was very impressed! And for the record, the “old folks” weren’t really that old, I see myself in their shoes twenty years from today. Now, back to emo music!