Few rock bands can brag about still touring with original members after nearly six decades, a cavalcade of personnel changes, more than two dozen albums and 20 Top 10 singles.
Chicago can.
Now in their 58th year, the Windy City band blew through Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday night to deliver a storming set full of horns, soaring vocals and many, many years of well-known songs to the UPMC Events Center.
Still making their presences known onstage are original members Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Robert Lamm. They’ve surrounded themselves with a dynamic lineup of musicians who can enthusiastically blow, smash and wail their way through the current tour’s 30-song-strong setlist.
Chicago has gone through plenty of phases throughout their storied history, from the jazzy, poppy, funky rock of their early years to an era of smash-hit power ballads. The set mingled those upbeat horn-laced tunes and the quieter guitar-focused slow songs, with a couple of covers thrown in for an extra dash of spice.
Kicking off appropriately with the song “Introduction,” the band took up the whole stage — literally and figuratively — with vocalists, horn players, percussionists, guitars and keyboards. And each member got a moment in the spotlight for the explosive opener that ran through time signatures and solos, showing off the group’s versatility.
They promised to try and play each and every song the crowd wanted to hear, and they undoubtedly succeeded in that mission.
The band moved from breezy ’70s-style protest song “Dialogue Pt. 1 and 2” to the guitar-and-synth-driven “Alive Again,” each with strong vocals and those ever-present trumpets and trombones that never faltered. The smooth, mood-lit “Call on Me” felt even more retro.
They slipped in absolute classic ballad “If You Leave Me Now” before ending the first of two sets with 1970’s “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon,” a lengthy suite that swayed through several movements. It was especially memorable for its silky flute solos, high-flying vocal performances and those bombastic horns.
After a 20-minute intermission (so that band members could literally catch their breath, I can only assume), drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. got the crowd sitting up in their seats as he rolled the band dramatically into “Old Days,” a song about nostalgia that is at this point nostalgic in itself. While glimpses of their recognizable songs showed up in the first half, the second set was a real trip through the Billboard charts.
Some of those songs were their breezier, funkier early staples, including an entrancing performance of “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” that started with a punchy opening and then strolled coolly through the verses, setting toes audibly tapping throughout the venue.
But there were also songs from the band’s “second evolution” that really got the crowd singing and cheering, especially for the opening keyboard notes of “You’re The Inspiration.” The 1984 song was co-written and originally sung by Peter Cetera, but current vocalist Neil Donell did Cetera proud with long-held notes and impassioned delivery.
An inspired cover of Jackie Wilson’s 1967 classic “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” got folks down on the floor grooving, followed by an incendiary version of “I’m A Man” by the Spencer Davis Group. Midway through that number, Reyes and fellow percussionist Ramon Yslas got to take control of the stage in a ranging, lengthy solo that built to an impossibly fast, scorching climax. By the end, the crowd was on their feet and cheering.
They cooled off a bit again with “Just You ‘N’ Me,” and returned to the ’80s ballads for “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” the designated phone flashlight song of the night. Guitarist Tony Obrohta’s evocative solo really elevated the slow-dance staple.
Before closing the pre-encore set with “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” they brought the audience to their feet once again for “Saturday in the Park,” one of those feel-good summer songs that even heated up the quickly chilling November night.
But even after a good two hours of playing, the band looked like they were having the time of their lives and didn’t let up for the one-two punch encore of “Free” and the enigmatic classic rock radio darling “25 or 6 to 4.” Much like the first song of the concert, the closer was a showcase of each band member’s talent and how well the mix of original and newer members work in sync.
Before the show started, evergreen songs by artists like Janis Joplin and the Doors played over the PA system as attendees around me swapped glory days concert stories about seeing Led Zeppelin and the Eagles. It’s fair to say that Chicago has blown their way into the classic rock pantheon shoulder-to-shoulder with those giants — and after seeing them perform almost 60 years in, deservedly so.
Alexis Papalia is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at apapalia@triblive.com.
