Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First of all, I want to tell all those "I wish Peter Cetera was still in Chicago" fans out there, to let it go. I was a HUGE PC fan (still am) and this DVD made me realize that it was pointless to hold up hope that he would ever rejoin the band or tour with them. Let's face it, Jason Scheff has been with the band for 19 years! Which means that's how long PC has been gone. Time to move on.
Which brings me to this DVD. Up until now, I have purposely avoided listening to any post-Cetera Chicago live performances for fear of how I would react to Scheff's taking over for the leads on great signature tunes such as "You're The Inspiration", "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and "If You Leave Me Now". In my mind, I just could not imagine anyone else singing these songs other than Cetera. Well today, I decided to bite the bullet. I popped the DVD in and hoped for the best. And boy was I pleasantly surprised. Robert Lamm as always, delivers the goods. Is this guy one of the most underrated singer/writers in the history of rock? His voice is like a rock. So steady, never wavering. Take one listen to "Colour My World" and you'll swear you've been transplated to the 70s. The horns sound great here. It's a shame that Chicago is so famous yet no one can really recognize the faces other than hardcore fans. Pankow, Parazaider and Loughnane are crisp and clear and do all the horn arrangements exactly as you expect them. "Get Away" is simply awesome.
And then there's Scheff. For many Chicago fans, this man will forever be compared to Cetera. Well folks, I'm happy to say, the comparisons are over. He is his own singer with a unique, more edgier Cetera-esque voice (hope that makes sense). Sure he's no Cetera, but who is? There's no point belly aching about that. His vocals on "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" were spot on. The only problem I had was with "Inspiration". Not because it wasn't as good as Cetera's, but because it just wasn't that great overall. Very pitchy and he seemed to have issues hitting the high notes. He might want to work on that one a bit more. But as soon as you hear him sing "Questions 67 and 68", you'll be saying "Peter who?". It was that good; and the horns arrangement on the bridge was brilliant! It's a shame that no one requested any of Scheff's A-material such as "Will You Still Love Me" or "What Kind Of Man Would I Be". Those songs are totally his and cement his position within the band.
Perhaps the biggest suprise was guitarist/vocalist Keith Howland. His rendition of "If You Leave Me Now" was absolutely amazing. They also let him run with "Just You and Me" and I loved it. If you ask me, this guy deserves to be in the band credits and not just one of the "additional musicians" section. I would love to hear him take on "Inspiration". Chicago's gone through a lot of guitarists (ie DaWayne Bailey and Bruce Gaitsch), here's hoping that Howland stays with them for the long run. His voice is very soothing and a great fit for those slow ballads.
Finally I've read a lot of gripes about Bill Champlin's performance. I love Champlin and think he is an integral part of Chicago. I also don't see him as Kath's replacement... just a new fresh sound that was added in Chicago 16. However in this concert, he was a bit of a disappointment. I don't know if it's his age, or maybe he had some kind of sore throat, but he just wasn't hitting all the notes, especially in the upper register. At any rate, one less than stellar performance, does not a career destroy. Just try to imagine "Hard Habit to Break" without Champlin.
Overall, I loved the DVD. I'm giving it 5 stars because to me, a band after 35+ years is bound to sound a little weathered and tired. Well not these boys! Do yourselves a favor and buy it! Especially now from amazon since it's 50% off and only 10 bucks! Can't wait to hear what they have in store for Chicago 27!
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A&E NETWORK-LIVE BY REQUEST - DVD Movie
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