Greetings Everyone:
Last night, I saw Chicago at the Greek. It was my second time to see them
and it was totally different. The first time was at Anaheim Stadium in the
mid-1970s when they toured with the Beach Boys. I was there for the latter.
Not being a real fan of theirs, I was wondering if anyone on the list was
familiar with their history. They put on a decent show, I'd give it a 7 of
10. Some real toe-tappers and the obligatory drum solo by a drummer from
Laguna Beach.
The lead singer sure sounded like the original main vocalist, but wasn't. It
was weird. However, he didn't play a major role in the concert, except
singing, and playing guitar. When introduced, the name wasn't familiar. The
keyboardist, who seemed to be an original band member, said he was from San
Diego. He also introduced Champlan (sp?) who I do recall, joined the band in
the early 1980s. I always assumed he was from the Sons of Champlan - who
made some good music in the 1970s. There was an awesome guitarist, a guy
young enough to be the original band members' son. He was very easy on the
eyes and his name was Keith from Richmond, VA.
Anywho, there seemed to be several original band members there - mostly the
brass players and one keyboardist. They were treated with reverence and each
had a moment in the spotlight. I thought it was cool that they donated 1,500
tickets to Los Angeles firefighters, police department, and the Red Cross as
a tribute to those in NYC. There were some emotional moments.
I just don't know a thing about this group and was wondering if any of my
dear correspondents knew much about them. They seem to be touring as a
*corporation* hiring new employees as needed. But, I did see some of the
original magic they created.
No regrets,
Coyote Rick
Casa Alegre
Hollywood, California
