By Tim Wood

Celebrating its 35th anniversary with yet another tour and another greatest hits collection, Chicago just keeps on rockin'.

The eight-piece ensemble, featuring four members who have been there from the beginning, played a fast-paced, enthusiastic concert at AmSouth Amphitheatre in Nashville on Aug. 10.

Chicago has not released an album of original music since 1991 and has released just two new recordings in the past 10 years, neither of which was represented in this concert.

So, a Chicago show is mostly a greatest-hits festival, but the band works to add variety to it set list.

Numerous Chicago standards were featured in the show, including standards as the Ballet (including Make Me Smile and Colour My World), If You Leave Me Now, Just You and Me, Searchin' So Long/Mongonucleosis, You're the Inspiration, Beginnings, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is and Hard For Me to Say I'm Sorry.

The show was broken up in mid-set with a nice acoustic set. Robert Lamm, Keith Howland and Tris Imboden were the core of the acoustic set. It started with the horns playing "Canon" from Chicago III. That was followed by the horn introduction to "Here in My Heart," a hit from the 1997 "Heart of Chicago" greatest hits plus 2 collection. Then Bill Champlin and Jason Scheff performed the song as a duet, with both playing acoustic guitar and singing.

Robert Lamm did a version of "Another Rainy Day In New York City." Lee Loughnane did a nice lead vocal job on "Happy Man."

The band seemed enthusiastic as they pumped out the hits in this fast-paced concert. There was no intermission per se. The band lineup varied. For example, at one point the four "new" members - Champlin, Imboden, Howland and Scheff -did "Look Away." The four original members took a break.

Tris Imboden pumped out a fine drum solo. The band rocked hard on "I'm a Man" and the show closed with "Free" and "25 or 6 to 4." A huge American flag was unfurled as the backdrop for the final two songs.

This concert tour features the debut of guitarist Keith Howland on lead vocals. He sang lead on "If You Leave Me Now," "Just You and Me" and "Old Days."

It was the best Chicago concert I've seen since 1995. The band was enthusiastic and seemed to genuinely enjoying themselves.

Yes, they are "Feeling Stronger Every Day" and showed it to a near sell-out crowd.