CHICAGO AT PNC BANK ARTS CENTER IN HOLMDEL
It’s a Thursday. The date is July 15th, 2021. The venue is PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Other than the venue undergoing some awesome remodeling, what was so different about this Thursday? How about being the first show back at this venue since the shut down due to the previous pandemic?! Not only was I excited to be back to shooting concerts, but when I learned it was also the first show back at PNC, it just added that much more thrill to the night! Who better to kick off a historic night like this than the legendary act Chicago?!
Chicago has been rocking the airwaves since the late 1960’s, and they are continuing to do so nearly 6 decades later. When you want to experience music filled with a wide range of instruments and a band that has over 40 top hits, this is the act you have open a historic night! The band has gone through some line-up changes. They currently still have 3 of the original members - Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow. With these three and the current line-up, the tunes sounded just as amazing as the first time I heard them! Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I always had bands like Chicago, Genesis, and Neil Diamond playing in the parents’ cars. Since I was a young kid, music was always something that I would become glued to. Being able to see these guys in 2021 and now actually shoot them live was definitely a night I will remember for myself, and for my parents, as they have always been die-hard fans.
What a show! With the energy in the crowd, and the energy thrown in to the crowd, it sure as hell felt great to be back! These guys can rock and put on a show just as well as the young groups out there! Experience always helps, but when you have the talent and you have been rocking for several decades, how could the show not rock? From the stage setup, to the lighting, to the band moving literally all over the stage -everything was perfect! James Pankow and Lee Loughnane were literally moving right stage to left stage and back to center stage; running up the back riser and coming back down to rock with the fans. Pankow made sure to show the love and interact with the crowd, throwing out some fist pounds and high fives. In between songs I would take a quick look at the crowd and was actually surprised to see such a mix of an older generation and younger one. Everyone was up and rocking the second the band hit the stage.
Let me also mention that we were one of 2 shows to have the lovely Isabela Nanni as an opening act. A simple acoustic set with herself, her acoustic guitar, and her fellow band mate on a Cajón. She had a beautiful voice singing some beautiful songs.
After over a year of no live shows, this could not have been a better way to get back into the scene. Chicago, thank you for an amazing show and thank you for still rocking it after all these years!