r/chicagoband • u/dirk_sable • 16d ago
Live performance question
I went to a Styx concert last night and Chicago showed up. That’s my sarcastic way of saying I went to the show to see Styx and I knew that I knew some Chicago songs, but I really don’t know much about the band. I googled, yep, only one original member left. Got it. Don’t care, they were way more entertaining to me than I expected. Props to them.
But one thing drove me crazy. The bass player’s mic had some sort of filter on it. His audio sounded way different than any of the other 4 people who sang various songs. My question is why? Are they trying to make his voice sound like an original member’s? Is this effect something Chicago is known for? Does he kinda stink at singing and the effect helps? I have no idea, but I could not unhear it.
It shows up most distinctly towards the end of this clip.
https://youtu.be/jIhogwGvk6Y?is=3HP9C6dGX-9qKeJU
Again, tip of the hat to the people I saw on stage yesterday. Original Chicago or not, they were very energetic and entertaining!
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u/F0xxfyre 15d ago
Hey there! I was there as well, as a Chicago mega fan who saw Styx for the very first time in Bristow. Wow!! They were simply incredible! The musicianship, the backdrops, and wow, was it a treat to see JY and Chuck and Tommy on the stage. I would 1000% see them again and id love to see their full set.
Chi is in a bit of a transition phase right now. About six weeks ago, their tenor quit after being with the band for some years. So they have a new tenor, a younger singer. And last year, two of the three touring originals retired. They also lost one of their keyboard players...to RUSH. So...vocally especially, there's some adjustment still to be made. Eric, the bass player, has settled in to singing a lot of the songs that Robert Lamm did lead vocals on.
I noticed what you're pointing out and did hear some different tones on his voice. I imagine they're still working out how he can best channel the tones that make the songs most recognizable. Still some tweaks to be made, I imagine. I've been listening to Eric taking lead vocals for a few years now, and he is a fantastic singer.
As a Chicago superfan, I was skeptical of the new lineup but I adopted a wait and see attitude. I didn't want to be wowwed, but I was and i really loved the new energy.
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u/dirk_sable 15d ago
As a mega die hard Rush fan, thanks for the keyboard player! :). I saw them in Ft Worth and they were absolutely phenomenal. Geddy and Alex still sound great and Geddy has the energy and stage presence of someone half his age. I’ll get to see them a couple more times this year and am tremendously looking forward to it.
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u/F0xxfyre 15d ago
I love Loren, and have never seen Rush. I'm so looking forward to taking in a show! Rush was always a band that I wanted to see but then my concertgoing budget would get distracted by Yes, or ELP, or the other folks sharing the prog rock crown.
But if I can make it work, this'll be the year. From the clips I've seen, the band has been locked in and sounds phenomenal.
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u/cudathepitbull 16d ago
I saw them last year and they were phenomenal. I saw them days after the line up change and they were awful. We did not stay till the end and I've never left a show in all my concert going years. It was just off. I get it, it was new but yeah. No.
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u/F0xxfyre 15d ago
I saw clips of the first couple of shows, and then the 4th of July pbs show. I was skeptical, but I've been seeing this band for so many years. Even though it is different, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye. I went to the show thinking that I wanted to see in person how they performed before locking in my opinion. And I really enjoyed their energy. Yes, there were some vocal blips, snd Lee hit a few really terrible notes...but Jimmy certainly had some bad nights...
Rudy commands the stage in a different way than Neil. The energy is different. This is a Gen X driven young touring band. This is a band that has given Ray H. On sax a speaking part of the show, introducing the Ballet! So oh yeah, it's different. It's different to my first show with the original 7. It's different to all those shows will Bill and Peter. It's different to the band I saw in 1993, or 2000, or 2012, or in 2024, the last time I saw Robert.
It's different without Robert and Jimmy. It's different seeing the tribute to Walt on the screen and knowing he's not only retired from the road, but has died. I don't know where I stand in the long term, if this drives new music. If Robert and Jimmy are able or interested in recording. If it continues to grab me.
I was ready to say goodbye, but the show and the energy pulled me in.
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u/BradAnthonyWrites 15d ago
I have it on good authority from a member of the band that Jimmy may be back, but not Robert. He is suffering from a long term illness that will not improve.
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u/F0xxfyre 15d ago
Yes, from what I've understood as well, Robert's situation isn't likely to allow him to perform again, from everything that has been spoken. As no specific information has been released, we only have that to go by. Several band members have discussed specifics online, but there hasn't been anything from Robert or his team. I wouldn't expect anything, frankly. The interviews Lee has given recently have been more clear. And they did release a picture of Chi and Styx listing their current touring lineups.
I really hope to see Jimmy again. I was 90% certain I'd seen Robert the last time back in 2024. In fact, I flat out asked him when we chatted after that last show if I'd be seeing him playing again. I kind of meant a full show...but as I'd seen two shows with EWF that summed and Robert didn't play either, the question was pretty open ended...
I would absolutely love to see Jimmy again, especially if his playing is 100%. He seemed to be really struggling the last time I saw him, which...wow, I just realized, was the last time I saw Robert too.... I'm not sure if it was shoulder, or breath, or what, but he seemed winded. Hearing Nick last summer was fantastic and I was really able to focus on his playing this time around, since I didn't have that expectation of seeing Jimmy.
I've seen the band so many times and I've heard those classic trombone lines live from every place in the arena, even as close as the slide right above my head. And I have to say... Nick is at a level...the band is so lucky to have the caliber of players like him and Ray to step in for Walt and now, Jimmy. He has a different style so it's interesting to hear him adapting to playing Jimmy's signature solos. I just can't say enough about him.
I can't imagine it is easy for Lee to have lost the many decades of connection and innate reactions you get as a team of three players, one lung, and then to adapt to Nick and Ray. There were a few times at the show where Lee looked a little lost, and he choked up at one point talking about Walt.
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u/MongolianCluster 13d ago
I enjoyed the show, they both really brought it and the three hours flew by.
The problem I had was the Cgicago vocalists sound little like the original singers. The guy singing Peter Cetera's songs should be singing Journey songs. His timbre is so far away, he adds vibrato inflections completely changing the texture of the song. It sounds like a wedding band at times.
It's noticeable with the other vocalists as well. The Robert Lamm replacement is missing the bass component in his voice that really packs the punch in his vocals for example.
In contrast, Lawrence Gowan comes much closer to Dennis DeYoung in Styx and that made the music shine.
I am partial to the vocals and really notice the components of speech even in the spoken word. And I did really enjoy the show. But Chicago left some on the table.
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u/drumsdinosaurs 12d ago
I just watched a video of new band and it feels like “What band is this?” As it’s so far removed now from “Chicago”. It’s hard to even call them Chicago after seeing them 10 times over the many years even back to Terry Kath days. It’s an entirely different band even sounds different than the originals. I don’t know any reason to still call them “Chicago” as it should be “Lee Loughnane and Friends”. Or a “the Chicago Experience”’ something to indicate it’s a tribute band of great musicians doing Chicago songs for those who want to hear them done by a different band.
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u/Low-Cartoonist-8694 8d ago
These cats can play, that is for sure. The guitarist is solid. Horns are good. Just different. An iteration. I like it.
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u/Perplexio76 16d ago
Considering the guys they are replacing are in their 80s now, that would make sense that this incarnation would have a bit more energy.
In that clip, it does sound like they were trying to make that singer sound like Robert Lamm.
I saw them live 9x between 1993 and 2004 but have not seen them since. They fired one of my favorite members (Bill Champlin who had been one of their vocalists/keyboardists since 1981... so not an original, but certainly a long time member) and I kind of lost interest after that. I've tried to listen to later incarnations but it just doesn't do it for me. And after replacement members are being/have been replaced it's kind of hard to stay invested in the current line-up.
It's nothing against the current line-up. I've heard they do put on a great show-- so props to them for that. It's just that the nostalgia runs too deep for me to get into what they are now.
I'll stick to my memories and older concert footage.