The Chicago Experience at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- September 28.
Saturday, September 28, 7 p.m.
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
A popular group of touring Chicago musicians, both figuratively and literally, play the Timber Lake Playhouse on September 28 when the Mt. Carroll venue hosts a night with The Chicago Experience, the tribute artists' repertoire taking audiences from the early hits off Chicago Transit Authority’s 1968 self-titled album, including “Beginnings” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, through the 1980s smashes including “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re The Inspiration."
Formed in 1967 in its titular Illinois city, Chicago initially called itself the Chicago Transit Authority – releasing its debut album under that moniker – before shortening the name 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 placed Chicago ninth on the list of the 100 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 more than 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. Additionally, 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 includes its smash “If You Leave Me Now” having been covered by nearly 100 recording artists from around the world.
Performing as The Chicago Experience are nine gifted Windy City musicians with decades of professional experience between them: Brian Hemstock (lead vocals); Ron Brandt (guitar, lead vocals); Eric Caliendo (lead vocals); Tim Rutter (bass guitar, vocals); Paul Wood (keyboards); Adam Cowger (drums, percussion); Terry Viano (trombone); Steve Frost (trumpet, flugelhorn); and Jim Massoth (saxophones, flute). According to the Metropolis Theater Review, " They sound better live in concert than Chicago themselves."
The Chicago Experience performs their Mt. Carroll engagement on September 28, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $25-30, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
