Chicago and Friends: Live at 55 from Decades Rock Live

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Submitted by Dennis Russo on Mon, 12/16/2024 - 23:14

Chicago and Friends: Live at 55 from Decades Rock Live and Mercury Studios is a DVD/2CD set recorded at the Ocean City Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to commemorate the band’s 55th anniversary and the release of their legendary, multi-platinum-selling album Chicago Transit Authority (of which I have not one but three copies, having worn two of them out over the years!). It contains hits from that album and throughout the ages—many years and many hits—some as well known and familiar as members of your own family, and others that will have you going, “Oh yeah, I forgot all about that song!”

The band, still replete with three of the founding members, along with other exceptionally talented artists who make up the current lineup, and a bevy of phenomenal guest artists, makes—and made—this concert one for the ages!

I love DVD/CD sets because they give you the opportunity to listen to the music without visual distractions and let your mind’s eye imagine the performance unfolding before you. On a good stereo system, the illusion of the “in-the-room-with-you” experience is easy to achieve—especially when the recording is top notch, as is the case here. I could pick out every performer in front of me (and there were a lot of them), and the instruments sounded so real I could almost reach out and touch them. One song features an extended drum solo between two drummers, Walfredo Reyes Jr. and Ramón “Ray” Yslas, who played not only traditional drum sets but various other percussion instruments as well. I could easily differentiate between all of them as they played alone and together across their “places” on the soundstage before me. The vocals, too, were exceptional, especially Judith Hill’s and Neil Donell’s. In saying that, I don’t want to take away one iota from the incredible singing of all the other performers, band members, and guests, because that would be a terrible injustice—they were great. It’s just that, to me, Judith and Neil were the top of the top shelf.

As far as guitar players go, you’d have to search long and hard to find a better set of guitarists performing in one concert. Tony Obrohta (with the band since 2012) and guests Steve Vai, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Robert Randolph are phenomenal musicians. I find that so important because Chicago once boasted one of the best guitarists ever to pick up the instrument in founding member Terry Kath, who tragically died in 1978. All of these players honor him and do him justice with their performances.

I mentioned earlier that the lineup for this concert still has some of the original members—three, to be exact: Robert Lamm (keyboards and vocals), Lee Loughnane (trumpet), and James Pankow (trombone). Let me tell you, it’s as if they’ve lost nothing. Hearing them play—and play they did, with energy, feeling, and excitement—is something many much younger performers today could only hope to achieve.

And for those wondering how certain songs originally sung by Peter Cetera would sound without him—because he has such a distinctive voice and singing style—Neil Donell (vocalist with the band since 2018) delivers mind-boggling performances. He sings those tracks as if they are being played straight off a record. There were moments when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I kid you not—other than nostalgia purposes, I didn’t miss Peter. Neil doesn’t miss a beat; he is that good!

On other songs, the guest artists blew me away with how they both made the vocals their own and simultaneously paid homage to the originals. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible performances by VoicePlay, who sang mostly a cappella in an “unplugged” setting. Stunning, to say the least.

After listening to the two CDs, I watched the slightly more than two-hour concert DVD. Wow! Seeing the performance while tying the two experiences together raised my enjoyment to a whole new level.

The concert was filmed beautifully. Camera angles throughout were spot on—they did a great job of working the stage, highlighting individual performers and guests when appropriate, and keeping wide angles to showcase the entire band and guests as they performed (as many as ten performers at a time during the finale). This also allowed me to appreciate the trippy, prog-style video screens that played in the background. A couple of times, the camera focused directly on the screens, showing scenes that looked like something you’d have seen on MTV back in the day when they actually showed music videos. Very nostalgic and cool. I liked the fact that guest artists’ names appeared onscreen as they performed, so I didn’t need to reference the packaging—a nice touch for someone like me, who knew some of the guests but not all of them.

One thing the DVD has over the CDs is the performance of VoicePlay. On the DVD, you see them sitting with band members around a campfire (and to my old eyes, it looked like a real fire—it may very well have been!). As each member sang their portion of the song, the camera zoomed in on them before pulling back out. While we don’t see the stage transition into and out of this campfire setting, it was still a wonderful segment, complemented by the visual setup—a show within the show. As mentioned earlier, they sounded amazing, and the songs they sang fit their style perfectly, giving me a whole new perspective on songs I already loved.

Colors throughout were vibrant and never washed out by the stage lights. What blew me away the most, though, was the energy of the entire band. This was not just a group playing hits and leaving the stage. No way. Every member performed as if they wanted to be the very best for the audience—and they were! The crowd ate it up like candy, and so did I. I had to stop and remind myself that some of these performers were well into their 70s. To perform at this level is simply incredible to see and hear.

The DVD/2CD set also comes with a small booklet tucked inside the sleeve. It features nice photos of the band and guests, along with a bit of info about the concert. The DVD includes a bonus feature showing interviews with the guest artists, presented in a nice 1960s/early-1970s style.

Sitting back and trying to decide my favorite tracks, I couldn’t do it. Every song—and I mean every song—all 30 of them—sounded wonderful, were performed wonderfully, recorded wonderfully, and filmed wonderfully. I’ve known most of these songs for so long that trying to pick a favorite would be like naming your favorite child. I just can’t do it—I love them all!

This concert came alive in my home, and for any fan of Chicago or the guest artists, this set is a must-have. In today’s busy world, it’s rare for me to sit and listen to two CDs or watch a two-hour concert without interruption. But this set held me glued to my stereo and my TV in the most wonderful way. That’s what a great concert should do, and this one absolutely did.

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