Wednesday, October 2, 8 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
With the band's formidable list of credits and accomplishments including five Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and status as one of the best-selling music acts of all-time, the pop-rock musicians of Chicago bring the group's legendary sound to Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 2, its 52-year repertoire including such chart-topping smashes as “If You Leave Me Now,” “Look Away,” and “Hard to Say I'm Sorry.”
Formed in 1967 in its titular Illinois city, the band initially called itself the Chicago Transit Authority – releasing its debut album under that moniker – before shortening the name to Chicago in 1969. The self-described “rock and roll band with horns” blended rock with elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music, and its original lineup (with boasted such Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees as Peter Cetera, James Pankow, and Robert Lamm, the latter still with the group) began writing songs with politically charged lyrics, later moving to a softer sound and generating several hit ballads. Chicago had a steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and in September of 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the group at number 13 in a list of the top 100 artists of all time for Hot 100 singles-chart success. In 2015, Billboard also ranked Chicago ninth on the list of the hundred greatest artists of all time in terms of Top 200 album chart success, and the ensemble currently stands as one of the longest-running and most successful rock groups in history, second only to The Beach Boys in Billboard singles and albums chart success among American bands.
To date, Chicago has sold over 40 million units in the U.S., with 23 gold, 18 platinum, and eight multi-platinum albums to their name. With its list of iconic hits including “You're the Inspiration,” “Will You Still Love Me?,” “What Kind of Man Would I Be?,” “Hard Habit to Break,” and “I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love,” the band has had five consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 20 top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and in 1974, Chicago made history by having seven albums – its entire catalog at the time – on the Billboard 200 simultaneously. The group was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, and according to the Web site Second Hand Songs, Chicago's legacy included its smash “If You Leave Me Now” having been covered by nearly 100 recording artists from around the world.
Chicago plays locally at 8 p.m. on October 2, admission is $29.50-126, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
