Sold out for tonight, of course, months ago. The first pop music band of the ’60s that added brass to rock ‘n’ roll and opened up exciting new musical possibilities. Together since 1967 (!), the band still has a core of four original players. Today they still play the horn hits for which they remain best known as well as the power ballads produced by David Foster in the ’80s.
Tonight’s show will feature most of the following hits:
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Beginnings
Questions 67 and 68
I’m a Man
Make Me Smile
Colour My World
25 or 6 to 4
Free
Saturday in the Park
Dialogue
Just You ‘N’ Me
Feeling Stronger Every Day
I’ve Been Searching So Long
Wishing You Were Here
Call on Me
Old Days
Another Rainy Day in New York City
If You Leave Me Now (their biggest hit)
Baby What a Big Surprise
No Tell Lover
Alive Again
Love Me Tomorrow (the start of the power ballad years)
Hard to Say I’m Sorry
Stay the Night
Hard Habit to Break
You’re the Inspiration
Will You Still Love Me?
Look Away
What Kind of Man Would I Be?
I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love
You’re Not Alone
Stone of Sisyphus
Here in My Heart
……………………
The morning after: Incredible concert! The band was in great form. A number of surprises including a thoroughly entertaining tandem solo by drummer and conga player, featured solos by Lamm, Pardini and Scheff, the latter who nailed more nuances than on the original of “Will You Still Love Me for the Rest of My Life?”. As usual, the horn section awed and wowed with fantastic energy.
Yesterday was remarkable and lucky from top to bottom. As my daughter entered the Winspear hall, she was offered a ticket swap by the band crew row A, instead of row L, which is where we ended up, right in front! Amazing. Guitarist threw his pick to me and we high-fived with two of the horn players. It was like having a private concert put on by the band several feet away. That show was easily the best of the four I’ve seen of this deservedly legendary group. It will take a long time to come down from that show.
My good fortune had begun earlier yesterday with the arrival of two books and a letter signed by the late great Mavis Gallant and another signed book by my long-time Kinks’ ‘alter ego’ Ray Davies. This connection began in grade 10 when I first bought Kinks albums with songs on the LPs themselves attributed to R. Davies. (Saw Ray in the exact same spot–row A–at Winspear when he played here a few years back.) Monday was truly a red-letter day if ever there was one. Did I say I was a lucky man?
Chicago mantra: “Feelin’ stronger every day (You know I’m all right now)”
“Happiness is to be dissolved in something completely great.”–Willa Cather