Chicago’s happy to play the classics, but they’re inspired to keep making new ones
ABBA, Hootie and the Blowfish and the Spice Girls are just some of the multi-platinum acts who have reunited. But don’t expect Chicago to join forces with longtime vocalist Peter Cetera.
“We’ve tried a couple of times to reunite with Peter,” trombone player Lee Loughnane says while calling from his Sedona, Ariz., home. “We reached out. We did all that we could. Apparently he doesn’t want to get back with us and that’s a shame but it’s also fine.”
It’s been acrimonious for Chicago and Cetera over recent years. When Chicago was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cetera, who left the band in 1985, didn’t perform with his former band mates.
“We would have loved to have performed with Peter but he declined to play with us,” Loughnane says. “It’s unfortunate but you have to move on. We have moved forward and everything is fine. We’re not going to stop just because of one person that obviously doesn’t want to be part of this.”
Chicago will perform March 26 at the Durham Performing Arts Center. The lineup includes original players who formed the band in 1967, like Loughnane, trumpet player James Pankow and keyboardist-vocalist Robert Lamm.
“We still love it,” Loughnane says. “We’ve lost a lot of people for a variety of reasons. A big reason people have left over the years is because of our schedule. We still tour quite a bit but it’s because we’re passionate about our songs. I never would have guessed that after 50 years together that we would still be out there playing as much as we do. We’re all about continuing, and the nice thing is that people still want to hear what we do.”
Such breezy, melodic tracks as “Saturday in the Park,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” remain fan favorites. “Those songs have a timeless quality,” Loughnane says. “We never get tired of playing the hits. The only issue is what hits we won’t play. We can’t fit everything into a set but we do what we can. We’re fortunate that we have such a problem.”
Chicago’s catchy soft-rock has enabled the band to sell more than 40 million albums, and the group has 20 Top 10 singles. Chicago could just ride a nostalgia wave, like its peers. But the group is compelled to craft more music.
“We’re probably going to record more music later this year,” Loughnane says. “A bunch of the guys are writing songs. We’re musicians. We’re driven to write songs. We’re still inspired. That inclination to make art has never left us. But we’re not the only ones at this age that continue to write and record. The ideas are still there. We might write and record Christmas songs. Who knows? We’ll do something.”
Details
Who: Chicago
When: 7:30 p.m. March 26
Where: Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St., Durham
Tickets: $50.50, $80.50 and $90.50
Info: 919-680-2787 or dpacnc.com