CHICAGO / HALL & OATES

PINE KNOB CONCERT
Clarkston, MI
June 27, 1998

This is both a concert review and commentary concerning the Chicago / Hall & Oates Concert this past June 27. To begin with, both Chicago and Hall & Oates put on an excellent show in front of a packed house. And, some things occurred with Chicago that this observer has rarely seen. The set lists are as follows, starting with Chicago, who came onstage second, after Hall & Oates opened.

The Chicago set list was as follows:

Dialogue
Make Me Smile
Colour My World
You're The Inspiration
Free
Here In My Heart
If You Leave Me Now
Feelin' Stronger Every Day
Saturday In the Park
All Roads Lead To You*
Just You 'N Me
Beginnings
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
I'm A Man
Hard To Say I'm Sorry
In The Mood
25 Or 6 To 4

* = From the Heart Of Chicago: 1967 - 1998

Mostly your usual ballads, but there are also some rockers in there. But, it was an excellent set list and had quite a bit of variety. Chicago of late has done a much better job of mixing it up with the songs they perform live, and the shows are much more exciting.

The Hall & Oates set list, and an excellent one, was:

Romeo Is Bleeding*
Out Of Touch
Say It Isn't So
She's Gone
Time Won't Pass Me By*
Promise Ain't Enough*
One On One
Sara Smiles
Throw The Roses Away*
I Can't Go For That
Maneater
Rich Girl

* = From the current album Marigold Sky

THE GOOD, THE NOT SO GOOD ...
AND WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED

Hall & Oates

I did not find too much fault with this performance. One thing I believe they could have done is come out with something more up-tempo (a song they did not do, such like "Private Eyes", might have fit the bill. I just felt that hardly anyone got into �H & O part of the concert until near the end. I�will discuss all of this later in this commentary / review. Hall & Oates also did a good job of trying to interact with the fans, by talking about some of the songs they were playing, and about the new recording, Marigold Sky. What I can say is Hall & Oates deserved a better reception all the way around.

As far as the actual performance itself, one thing really stood out in my mind: the woodwind player is really good! And I loved the way they handled the opening of the song they did for their encore "Rich Girl". It was different from what I have heard on the radio. These guys are not afraid to change their songs somewhat for variety and to try to connect with the fans.

As I will point out a little later, if I were a performer, I would want to have the fans standing, cheering, and having a real good time getting behind me.

Chicago

These guys are one of the very best at encouraging crowd interaction, and feed off this themselves in their performances. This was a little more animated than my most recent Chicago concert before this, in 1995. And, I have to admit, I was much more excited at this one than at their 1995 Pine Knob show.

As for the show itself, I honestly believe Bill Champlin put on one of the best efforts I have ever seen him do. He truly stood out in my mind in a band in which everyone was really on top of their form. If he is unhappy in Chicago, he sure did not show it. I believe his gritty, bluesy, but soulful style works real well with "Dialogue", "Free", "Make Me Smile", and "In The Mood". In "In The Mood", Bill was picking out people in the audience while singing, saying stuff like "Are you in the mood?" I loved it!

Jason Scheff �was his usual excellent self. Come on, Chicago, is there any way you would be willing to consider reworking some of your songs a bit to fit Jason's singing style a bit more? I would like to see Jason sing more like himself rather than like Peter Cetera. And why not include more of Jason's songs in your set list? I love "What Kind Of Man Would I Be", and best of all, his rendition of "Night & Day".

Keith Howland continues to impress me on guitar, and I would like to see him become a full-fledged member of the band, and�would like to see Chicago encourage him to be a part of the songwriting, if possible. He really does have a lot of Terry Kath in him, and fits in very well with everyone else.

One final thought on Chicago: Walt Parazaider has come up with a way of holding a note on a saxophone for an extended time, up to near a minute. This concert was the first time I had ever seen Walt do this, and it totally surprised me. In the song "Free", in the middle part of the song, he held this one note, and it did not occur to me what a feat that really was until they went back into the song, I was totally surprised! And, Walt introduced one of the stagehands, who helps him with his woodwinds, who is from the Detroit area. A really nice gesture, Walt! (NOTE: it has been brought my attention that this gag has been going on at all their shows. It is still nice to involve one of their stagehands, even if it is B.S.)

All the guys were really on this concert, but those were the things that really stood out in my mind as far as performances go.

Robert Lamm said a couple of things I really wish he would not have said. First, he mentioned that the band was considering playing a song off their upcoming Christmas recording, but decided not to because of it being mid-summer. I would have liked to have heard it anyway. He also was saying about 2/3rds of the way into the set that they had a lot more songs. "We are Chicago, right?" There were not that many songs left.

PINE KNOB AS A VENUE:

I have made it no secret that Pine Knob is not my favorite venue to see someone like Chicago. I would prefer a setting where people can stand up, cheer on the band, and not have to worry about people complaining. The first time I visited Pine Knob was to see Chicago back in 1983, and circumstances were much different back then. Just about everyone in the pavillion were standing from the very start, and the atmosphere was electric right to the end. To me, that is what a rock concert should be. And no one feeds off the energy better than Chicago. And I really miss it.

It is not fair, though, to expect everyone to standing up, cheering, all the time.

However, in fairness to the current management, who also own the Detroit Pistons and the Palace Of Auburn Hills, they have made many positive changes in the venue. They have added large color TV screens for the people on the lawn (although you can still the performers without much problem). They have also beautified the grounds with flowers, and have done a nice job of maintaining the grass, including the lawn seating. It is a far more beautiful setting than when I first visited in 1983. The stage area is much more attractive as well.

And, the setting is very intimate, considering they have a pavillion section and a lawn section.

However, I do have some criticism, and I will try to be constructive about it.

Parking: This is perhaps the biggest area the Pine Knob management needs to address. They had the signal people near and at the end of the parking lot, but it was so congested in the parking lot itself. It would be nice to see them work on directing traffic within the parking lot area.

Concessions: More than a bit expensive. But, what I would have liked to have seen is the concessions people bring up pop, water, or whatever else they sell besides beer. It may not hurt to even have them bring up some hot dogs, like they do at sporting events. I'm sure it can be done in a�way so that it is not disruptive.

I definitely believe my experience at Pine Knob was much better than in 1995. There is still a ways to go, but I now believe that Pine Knob is headed in the right direction.

This column will be updated quarterly - every three months.

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