Chicago has, over the course of its more than half century life, become one of the most acclaimed bands in the world. Having released more than 30 albums (some of which being compilation records and others studio recordings), the band’s music has earned it awards from Billboard magazine, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and Songwriters Hall of Fame. The band is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2016. It all started way back in 1969 with the release of the band’s debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The band celebrated the 55th anniversary of its release in November 2023 with a special two-night performance at Ovation Hall at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ alongside some other quite well-known current and up-and-coming acts. This weekend, that special concert event was released on a variety of platforms via Mercury Studios and its parent company Universal Music in the form of Chicago & Friends Live at 55.
For longtime fans and more casual audiences alike this recording will find plenty of appeal, in large part through its expansive set list. This item will be addressed shortly. While the set list (and the acts’ performances thereof) the lack of any insight into the landmark event in the recording’s companion booklet detracts from the presentation to a point. It is not enough to doom the recording, though. To that end, there is one more positive to note, that being the production, which will also be examined later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the recording. All things considered they make Chicago & Friends Live at 55 a work that deserves a spot among this year’s top new live recordings.
Chicago & Friends Live at 55, the brand-new live recording from Chicago, is a work that the band’s established audiences and more casual listeners alike will find appealing. The recording’s success comes in large part through its set list. Spanning 31 total songs, it lifts from no less than a dozen of the band’s core studio recordings, reaching all the way back to the band’s seminal 1969 debut record and all the way up to its 1988 album, Chicago 19. That still left eight albums from the band’s modern era but the band can be forgiven for that considering any limitations that might have caused the band to omit those records, all things considered.
As the recording’s title notes, the band was only one of the acts to take on the majority of its catalog. Fellow veterans Robert Randolph and Steve Vai also joined the concert, with Randolph tackling three of the band’s hits and Vai taking on a pair of those songs. Modern rock star Chris Daughtry offered his talents on a performance of ‘I’m a Man’ alongside Robert Randolph and by himself on ‘Hard Habit to Break.’ Pop star Robin Thicke takes on a number of the band’s hits while up-and-coming a capella act Voiceplay even continues to make a name for itself as it performs a small mini-set of Chicago’s songs (four in all). The band even welcomed bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram for a handful of performances, too. Each performer and act brings out the best of each song, giving audiences even more to appreciate alongside Chicago’s own performances. Keeping all of this in mind, the expansive set list that is featured in this recording forms a solid foundation for its presentation.
As much as the set list does to make Chicago & Friends Live at 55 enjoyable for audiences, it is not perfect. The recording’s companion booklet lacks any background in the form of liner notes. It is fleshed out, rather, by a series of pictures from the event. Pictures do help tell a story, but being this was supposed to be a celebration of not only Chicago’s landmark debut album but also of the career and history that spawned from that first outing more than half a century ago, it would have been nice to have some insight into all of this. The interviews included as bonus content do not do a lot to help with that cause, either. What’s more, that so many acts from across the musical universe came together to mark the occasion, it would have been interesting to know how all of that came about. Some work had to have been done to learn that story, which again, is sadly not shared. It would have been nice to have had at least that part of the story. To that end, the lack of any insight in the form of liner notes unquestionably detracts from the recording, but not enough to doom the whole.
Knowing that the noted concern is not enough to doom the recording, there is one more positive to note. That positive is the recording’s production. Throughout the course of the two-night concert, those behind the boards and cameras gave audiences the best seat in the house. From camera angles that put viewers right in the heart of the concert to the audio, which expertly balances the crowd noise with the band’s performance, to the work done in post-production, the result of that work is expert. It fully immerses audiences in the concert, making for a fully positive aesthetic. To that end, the production that went into this recording does just as much as the set list and the performances thereof to make for so much for audiences to appreciate. Keeping that in mind, the recording proves to be largely a successful offering for so many audiences.
Chicago & Friends Live at 55, the brand-new live recording from Chicago, is a work that will appeal widely among the band’s established audiences and more casual listeners. That is due in part to its expansive set list, which spans more than half of the band’s catalog of albums featuring new music. The performances thereof are of their own note because of the emotion and energy put forth in each performance. As much as the recording’s set list does to make the presentation engaging and entertaining, the lack of any background information in the companion booklet detracts from the presentation to a point. It is not enough to doom the recording but certainly would have helped the experience. Knowing this, the production that went into this recording both in house and post puts the finishing touch to the whole, giving audiences at home the best seat in the house. It makes the experience fully immersive. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of Chicago & Friends Live at 55. All things considered, it ends up being among the best of this year’s new live recordings.
Chicago & Friends Live at 55 is available now through Mercury Studios. More information on the recording is available along with all of Chicago’s latest news at:
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More information on this and other titles from Mercury Studios is available at:
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