This past Saturday I got to experience the joy that is the music of Chicago at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center. Chicago is one of my top two favorite bands of all time (the other is Toto), and the boys did not disappoint. What made the concert extra meaningful was sharing it not only with the beautiful and talented Donna, but my two eldest, amazingly talented kids, both of whom are musicians as well, and one of whom is a brass player. I should note that, with one exception I could see, my early-20s kids were the youngest people in the venue — I fear we are all getting old.
The band is exactly as old as I am, but the original members still in the group left it all on the stage — they were energetic and sounded phenomenal. They played almost exclusively their old stuff — by which I mean Chicago 17 and earlier. They did grace us with a preview song from the upcoming album, which I will be getting as soon as it drops.
My only criticism — but it’s a big one — is on the tech side. I don’t know if the problem was human error, or electronic snafus, but the mix was terrible. The vocal harmonies and melodies, while all there and spot on musically, were not balanced at all, and a great deal (maybe most) of the time it was difficult to hear the lead voice, much less the words. I knew all the words to all the songs, so that helped, but for those who aren’t as fanatical as I, it would have been very frustrating. Heck, I was frustrated. Their current lead singer has a good set of pipes, but when he sings in the lower register he was almost inaudible, and in the upper register he was harsh and overwhelming (not in a good way). Guys, get a compressor/limiter and use it. You can borrow mine. Also, the lighting cues were rarely on — sometimes it took 15-20 seconds for the spots to find the soloist of the moment. It was a real shame that such a marvelous performance was substantially degraded by sound and lighting issues.
Despite that, it was an amazing night with some amazing musicians. I would pay a great deal in a heartbeat to see them again, provided they got a new technical engineer. Can’t wait for the new album.
They made me smile. A lot.
