Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (December 4, 2024)
Back in Chicago circa 1967, a group of musicians came together to form a new band. When they needed to name this group, they looked at a map, saw it said “Chicago”, shrugged and said “good enough!”
Okay, I made up some of that. The band that became Chicago started as the Big Thing in 1967, changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority and used that as the title of their first album in 1969. After the actual Chicago Transit Authority threatened legal action, they shortened their moniker to “Chicago” for another self-titled album in 1970 and the rest is history.
More than five decades later, Chicago continues to function as a band. To commemorate their 55th anniversary, they played two November 2023 shows at Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall, performances compiled into this release called Chicago & Friends: Live at 55.
A massive 31-song setlist mainly concentrates on the band’s “classic years”. The show opens with a big blast from that 1969 debut, as we get “Introduction”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, “Beginnings”, “Questions 67 and 68”, “Listen”, “South California Purples”, “Poem 58” and “I’m a Man” as the concert’s first eight performances.
1970’s <>Chicago - commonly called Chicago II - brings “Make Me Smile”, “Colour My World”, “Now More Than Ever”, “In the Country” and “25 or 6 to 4”. Off 1971’s Chicago III, we locate “Free”.
When we look at 1972’s Chicago V, we get “Dialogue Part 1 and 2” and “Saturday in the Park”. No, the band didn’t skip Chicago IV, as their fourth album came from 1971’s live Chicago at Carnegie Hall.
1973’s Chicago VI boasts “Just You ‘n Me” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day”, while 1974’s Chicago VII provides “Call On Me”, “(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long”, “Mongonucleosis”, “Wishing You Were Here” and “Happy Man”. From 1975’s Chicago VIII, we get “Old Days”.
Chicago IX acted as a 1975 “greatest hits” set, and we locate “If You Leave Me Now” from 1976’s Chicago X. The concert skips 1977’s Chicago XI but delivers “Alive Again” from 1978’s Hot Streets, apparently the band’s only album of originals to abandon the numbered format.
As we shift to 1979’s Chicago 13 - so long, Roman numerals! – we hear “Street Player”. The show avoids 1980’s Chicago XIV - hello again, Roman numerals! – and 1981’s Greatest Hits Volume II becomes the de facto Chicago XV.
1982’s Chicago 16 - so long again, Roman numerals! – features “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and 1984’s Chicago 17 offers “Hard Habit to Break” and “You’re the Inspiration”. After nothing from 1986’s Chicago 18, 1988’s Chicago 19 gets represented by “Look Away”, the band’s third and final number one US single.
Note that this release drops three performances from the original concert. It omits two Christmas songs as well as a cover of the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour”. Setlist pages include “To Be Free” as part of the show as well, but it appears under the “Make Me Smile/Colour My World/Now More Than Ever” part of the show.
Chicago 55 comes packed with musical guests. Guitarists Robert Randolph, Steve Vai and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram appear for some songs, and we also find vocalists Robin Thicke, Chris Daughtry, Judith Hill and a capella group VoicePlay for a few tracks. All show up for the “25 or 6 to 4” finale.
Due to my age, I don’t remember a world in which Chicago wasn’t on the hit parade, and the 1970s songs that permeate this concert acted as part of my young life. That said, my overriding memory of Chicago stems from their 1980s hits.
And that left me with a negative view of the band for roughly 40 years. People loved ‘em, but I found those 1980s singles to sound sappy as all get out.
That attitude hasn’t changed. I didn’t care for those ballads in my youth and they work no better for me now.
A viewing of Chicago 55 demonstrates that I shouldn’t toss out the band’s entire discography with the drippy 1980s bath water, however. While I wouldn’t claim earlier Chicago truly rocks, they show more edge than their singles imply.
This material continues to hold up well. As a result, the show’s first half satisfies more than does its second segment since the latter leans heavily on the ballads.
When Chicago goes for the more rocking material, they do satisfy, and this means that of the various guest stars, the three guitarists fare best. Regular lead player Tony Obrohta seems more than able to handle these parts on his own, but Randolph, Vai and Ingram all add flavor nonetheless.
I feel less positive about the added vocalists, though most seem unobjectionable. As with Obrohta, I don’t think usual lead singers Robert Lamm and Neil Donell – the latter a replacement for original tenor Peter Cetera – need others to pick up the slack for them, but I don’t mind the inclusion of Daughtry, Thicke and Hill.
On the other hand, I actively disliked the four-song mini-set that involved VoicePlay. Basically a Boy Band in pretentious garb, their members oversing all the tunes and also stick us with drippy patter like “Do you love us? We love you!”
My dudes, no one in the audience showed up to see you. Accept your place as special guests and don’t pretend you’re the draw.
Outside of the annoying VoicePlay segment, I mostly enjoyed Chicago 55, and the tunes receive good treatment. Donell acts as a credible Cetera impersonator, and we get solid musicianship and vocals across the board.
No one will mistake Chicago for a thrilling live act, as they lack a lot of Really Big Show. I admit some chatter from any of the three original bandmembers would’ve been nice, but at least the music sounds good.
In addition, director Brian Lockwood avoids the temptation to “spice up” the proceedings. Parsons gives Chicago 55 an enjoyably “meat and potatoes” feel, one in which he eschews quick-cutting or gimmicks and keeps crowd shots to a minimum.
Does Chicago 55 change my decades-old disdain for the band? Yeah, to some degree, as it reminded me they made a lot of music better than those ballads I so loathed in my youth. The concert offers a good career overview.
