Review by Shawn Perry
On the surface, Chicago and REO Speedwagon on the same bill may seem like a mismatch. Then again, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and REO Speedwagon played together back in 1977, so who knows. (Note: Rainbow pretty much blew the doors off the hinges before REO took the stage.) One thing the two share is an incredible catalog and impressive record sales in the 20th century (REO in the 80s, Chicago in the 70s and 80s). In Nashville, both bands broke out the hits for a full house braving the humidity and thirsting to rock.
Getting things off to an auspicious start, singer and songwriter Michael Tolcher took the Ascend stage and attempted to win over the incoming audience members. It’s a tough gig to engage the masses while they’re gathering up edibles, libations, and looking for their seats. Armed with only an acoustic and a microphone, Tolcher gamely strummed through his songs for 20 minutes, drawing scattered applause for a straightforward read of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and his own “I Love You More Than Beer.” The catchy title on its own sent mild shock waves up to the lawn seats.
REO Speedwagon’s set was already primed for the band while Tolcher was on stage, so they popped up on stage 15 minutes later and launched right into “Don’t Let Him Go,” the opening salvo from the group’s multi-platinum 1980 opus Hi Infidelity. They would go on to perform four more songs from the career-changing record, with singer Kevin Cronin telling the audience that the band’s lives haven’t been the same since the album turned the struggling Illinois hard rock band into a melodic, radio-friendly unit.
Seasoned road dogs, the players hit their marks with precision and second-nature pizzazz. In addition to taking the lead vocals for all but one song, Cronin played rhythm guitar for most of the night, and tinkled the ivories for a show-stopping “Keep On Loving You.” Lead guitarist Dave Amato, an REO member since 1989, stayed within the confines of the hooks, but asserted his might on the six-stringer and double-neck when the opportunity arose. “Tough Guys,” “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” and “Keep On Loving You” were all showcases for the guitarist’s handiwork.
Bassist Bruce Hall, who’s held down the spot since 1977, and drummer Bryan Hitt, another recruit from 1989, provided a rhythmical bedrock without much deviation. The band’s lone original member, keyboardist Neal Doughty, is pretty much the driving force of the band without making it obvious. His keyboard work is really the gravy on the meat and potatoes rock REO Speedwagon play. Without him, they’d be just another working-man, guitar-oriented, mid-western band in search of an identity.
After all the favorites were “rolled out,” along with Cronin’s numerous stories and tidbits about Nashville, the band completed their 67-minute, 13-song set with an honorable stab at Tom Petty’s “Listen To Her Heart.” It’s hard to lose an audience when you throw in a Petty number, and REO kept it on pace, in a lower key, and left the stage to a rousing ovation.
From the outset, it was a completely different show with Chicago. The 10-piece group is down to three original members — Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane — and they haven’t had a big hit in over 20 years. That doesn’t negate the fact that they’re consistently, without a break, the longest touring rock band in the world (at least they said so) with 36 studio albums to pull songs from. Tonight, they spent the first half of the show on one album, the band’s seminal sophomore effort, Chicago II.
Longtime fans of the band and the Grammy-nominated album — as few and far between as they may have been on this night in Nashville — likely picked up the combined, front-line attack of Pankow’s trombone, Loughnane ‘s trumpet and Ray Herrmann’s saxophone that punctuate the opening “Movin’ In” right through the epics “Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon” and It Better End Soon.” The horns are the heart and soul of Chicago, and that didn’t go unnoticed with the musically inclined Nashville crowd. Whether or not the photos from the 60s that flashed up intermittently on the stage backdrop got much attention is beside the point.
Still, some of the interludes fell flat with many of the less seasoned fans. “25 Or 6 To 4” might have been the most recognizable song of the lot to this point, and it seemingly set the tone for the rest of the night, which comprised the band’s numerous commercial radio hits of the 70s and 80s. Nevertheless, playing Chicago II in its entirety signified the band’s historical importance and worthiness of induction into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 2016.
Keyboardist Lou Pardini took on the monumental task of singing the lead vocals originally recorded by the band’s founding guitarist Terry Kath. Likewise for Neil Donnel, who handled those Peter Cetera tenor highs on ballads like “If You Leave Me Now” and “Just You ‘n’ Me.” While it would be easy to call out the differences between the original singers and the current singers in Chicago, it really comes down to the horns and the songs that make or break the authenticity of the band calling itself Chicago these days. No one was complaining from where this writer stood.
A big highlight of the night occurred during “I’m A Man” when drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. and percussionist Ramon Yslas went off with a colorful, multi-faceted drum and percussion showdown that was as visually entertaining as it was musically inspiring. Meanwhile, Keith Howland played it close to his chest, staying in the pocket, with the occasional breakout solo. He may be the best guitarist the band has had since Kath (there have been many who have tried).
Lamm, who came out from behind his boards and strapped on his Roland AX-7 Midi Controller Keytar throughout the night, took the lead on “Saturday In The Park,” and cell phones lit up the amphitheater before a slice of “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” had everyone on their feet for the final victory lap. The show ended just shy of eleven, and the streets of Nashville filled with patrons scrambling to their cars or rides for a momentous exit, smitten and brightened up by a fine evening of music.
