Chicago rocks Nashville

The following review was originally published in the Columbia Daily Herald newspaper on July 26, 1998.

By Tim Wood

Starwood Amphitheatre saw the best of the old guard and a flash of the new on July 15 as Chicago, Hall & Oates and Billy Mann rocked the venue for four hours.

The bands showed three degrees of rock and roll success: Billy Mann, on the strength of a hit single "Beat Myself Up," is striving to "move up from a van to a Winnebago," as he jokingly told the crowd of several thousand fans.

Chicago and Hall & Oates graduated to buses and headliner status long ago. Hall & Oates offered classics such as "Maneater" and "Rich Girl" interspersed with new cuts from their 1997 release "Marigold Skies." Chicago, the final act on the bill, took care of business with a hit-filled 17-song set that satisfied its long-time fans but offered little new music.

Mann performed an acoustic set, backed by another guitarist and a percussionist who helped out with background vocals. There was a feeling that you had walked around a corner of a busy city and run into these three guys playing on the street. They put the fans at ease with their enthusiastic, yet relaxed playing.

Mann has written with legendary songwriter Carole King, who played piano and sang backup vocals on three songs of his most recent album, Earthbound. He finished the show with "Beat Myself Up," a catchy tune that just might get him into that Winnebago.

Hall & Oates presented a slick set of vintage 1970s-80s songs as well as the Marigold Skies selections. The band never wavered from its trademark "blue-eyed Philadelphia soul" sound. Daryl Hall put an incredible amount of energy into each song. John Oates' vocals and tasty guitar playing was the perfect compliment to Hall's vocals.

They were ably backed up by a band that featured T-Bone Wolk on bass and Charlie DeChant on saxophone, percussion and keyboards. DeChant, dressed in a flamboyant purple suit, seemed to take over the show at the end, playing one saxophone solo after another with gusto. But it was Daryl Hall's show, and he handled the spotlight like a veteran.

Chicago brought a fair amount of energy to the stage, kicking things off with a funky version of their 1972 hit "Dialogue (Parts I and II)." The show that followed was performed with precision and energy and was certain to please the legion of fans Chicago has accumulated over a 31-year career in which they've sold 120 million records.

But to some extent, Chicago is a victim of that very success. With more than 50 released singles and 20 top 10 hits, the band has a large catalog of songs from which to choose. The band has essentially two generations of fans - those who grew up on the classic, "rock band with horns" sound of "25 or 6 to 4" and "Saturday in the Park;" and the second generation, who were hooked by the ballad sound of songs like "If You Leave Me Now" and "You're the Inspiration."

The band has not released an album of new music since 1995. It recently finished recording a Christmas album for release this fall and plans to record another album in early 1999. The lack of new music in recent years might explain why, with the exception of two songs, every selection was from 1984 or earlier. One exception was "In the Mood," from Chicago's musically excellent (although low selling) 1995 "NIght and Day" big band album. The other new song was "All Roads Lead to You," one of two new songs on "Heart of Chicago 1967-1998, Volume II," the band's second greatest hits compilation in as many years. "All Roads" is another ballad, although it differs from the 1980-era ballads in that it has an edgier sound and the horn section is present and accounted for. The live performance seemed stronger than the recorded version, sparked by the vocals of Chicago's trio of lead singers, Bill Champlin, Robert Lamm and Jason Scheff. The song currently is headed up the adult contemporary charts, much like "Here in My Heart," a single from last year's compilation which reached no. 1 on the AC charts.

Lamm teased the audience by telling them the band had considered playing something from the Christmas album. Other than a few lines of "Jingle Bells" played by trombonist Jimmy Pankow, it was not to be. The inclusion of something new besides "All Roads" could have made a good concert even better. Another option would have been playing "Show Me a Sign," a lively, uptempo Pankow tune that is the other new song from this year's compilation album.

The show also could have benefited by showcasing more of the band's individual talents. There was the obligatory Tris Imboden drum solo; but Scheff's bass solo intro to "I'm a Man" was tantalizingly short. Champlin, arguably the most versatile musician in the group, was banished to the back of the stage, surrounded by keyboards and smothered in headphones. Some more of Champlin's soulful vocals would have helped.

But on the songs they did play, Chicago was a tight, musically strong unit. The horn section, whom Jimi Hendrix once described as sounding "like one set of lungs," nailed its parts. Howland re-created the guitar sound of the old songs well, and added a contemporary feel. Scheff brought a funky, aggressive bass sound to the mix.

Overall, Chicago took care of business, as fans flooded to the front of the stage during Imboden's drum solo and danced away the rest of the show.

Chicago may be trapped by its success, but it's hard to argue with it. But perhaps with new music on the way, Chicago will stop beating itself up with slavish devotion to the music of its past.