Chicago and REO Speedwagon

I've been a real Fan of Chicago for 30 yrs, and I really love their music, I know for a lot of people that were expecting Chicago to play only their hits, were a little bit disappointed when they play their entire Chicago II album, for me was an opportunity to listen to a bunch of great musical songs live for the first time.Their sound was impeccable, REO was Ok.

Chicago just keeps re-inventing and getting better and better. The new singer Neil was the best since Cetera and possibly even smoother. The brass is still spectacular and Keith is great on guitar (not to say that Terry is not still missed). And what can you say about Lamm other than one of the best rock music writers of all times.

I wish REO had a longer set, they were who I went to see. But Chicago's new vocalist is a great improvement over the one we saw several years ago. You need to lighten up on your camera policy and be consistent. A point and shoot is a point and shoot no matter it's size. Older ones are bigger in size.

Have been an RS fan for many years, Chicago I like their hits (being honest). With most concerts you arrive after the start time as the bands never start on time (at least in my experience). A support singer was also listed so we thought 30 mins after the start is ok, em not. We caught the last 2 RS songs only (and the last one was a tribute to Tom Petty). The crowd was up and dancing, though, very cool. Lead singer had a hard time hitting the high notes -ah well, we all get old. 15 minutes later, after stage changed, Chicago came on and proceeded to play 45 minutes of 70's psychedelic crap, I couldn't take it so I walked out. They may have played some hits later but by then I was done. The location however was superb. The staff were super helpful and friendly and there were lots of them. Food and drink are expensive though.

Great to hear Chicago II in its entirety. Many songs are not typically played at concerts, which provided a unique chance to hear some classic songs!

Chicago has some great songs but never got to hear them until the last half hr of the concert, they played songs I never heard of for the first hr and the place was quite during that time,

Didn't play any greatest hits song only from 1album

Concord Pavilion always has great sound. REO Killed it. All you guys, having so much fun, so emotional, so many memories with your band. Chicago was good, but Robert Lamm, really, jeans and an old t shirt. C'mon man. Chicago has always been so professional. Is it the stress of all the musician changes or what? And the guitar player wearing a tank top, hairy arm pits and all. They were good, and the horn players rock it hard, and Lou Pardini, what can we say, superb. And the new singer, Neil, so awesome. They just lacked the Chicago greatness.

Show was disappointing...REO should have been the headliner. Chicago is a cover band today...musicians are ok but they just don't have the juice to headline.

As an early adopter of Chicago in 1969, I was pleased to hear the full 2nd album and a good selection from the 1st. The band was great although out of 10 men on stage, only 3 originals remain. Pankow is still an embarrassment to watch and I was disappointed that Robert Lamm's role is significantly reduced. A bigger problem was that it seemed Concord Pavilion now has a decibel limit? We were in reserved seats and the volume was much too low. Lastly, REO came running back out for an encore after a tepid 20 seconds of applause and then overran to the point that Chicago was not able to play an encore due to perhaps an imposed curfew? Hopefully next year they bury some axes and bring back Cetera and Serraphine for a 50 year anniversary tour. That might be nice. Otherwise, this was awfully close to a tribute band.

I got in line to get some food and beer 15 minutes before the concert was scheduled to start, but the line didn't move the entire time. When I looked behind the cashiers, I could see why. There was NO FOOD! I don't know if they simply ran out or just couldn't keep up with the pre-show demand, but either way there is no excuse for this. I ended up missing the first two songs from REO Speedwagon, which were my favorites, and that's even after I gave up on getting food. Poor planning!! I was disappointed with Chicago's choice to perform their second album in its entirety, in order. I'm a long-time Chicago fan and a musically sophisticated listener (I'm an accomplished amateur trumpet player). I even own the Chicago II double-LP! Even I find most of the songs from that album artsy and boring. I get why they wanted to perform music from that album, but was it really necessary to perform EVERY track, back-to-back? What I think Chicago lost sight of is that the audience that attends their concerts is there largely to re-live their youth, and their memories are triggered predominantly by their hit singles, not the artsy tunes. The vast majority of the audience has only ever heard their hit singles, or even if they are like me and have bought and listened to most of their albums in their entirety, still primarily want to hear their hit singles. Most of the audience are "seasoned" adults who paid a lot of money for these tickets and had day jobs to go to the next morning. I found it very inconsiderate on the part of Chicago that they waited until almost 10:00PM to start playing their medley of big hits. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have featured the music from Chicago II in the concert, but would it have been so difficult to have simply interspersed some big hits in-between the more artsy tunes?

Awesome as usual. See Chicago every time they are in town.

I was hesitant at first in going, since they played together last year. Was I surprised! Hearing Chicago play the entire "Chicago 2" in its entirety just gave me so many memories of when I played them on the radio so many years ago (Being a former AOR junkie/DJ). On a technical issue, the big screen on the left was out of focus and distracting.

REO played all the old songs we know by heart. Great performance. Will likely see them again. Chicago played their 2nd album which few people remember. We came to hear the old hits and walked away disappointed. Won't see Chicago again unless they release play list in advance.

Reo Speedwagon was fun and energetic! Chicago was a drag and the crowd wasn t into it! I left after 30 minutes. Very disappointed. I m guessing they saved their hit songs til the very end. I would not recommend!

This is the 2nd year in a row we ve seen Chicago at the Concord Pavilion. Great show and great venue.

Reo was good Chicago was boring I will never go see them again Waste of time Venue was nice People working there were great

So many hits. Great musicians. A fun throwback. Loved it.

Both Chicago and REO were outstanding. GREAT performances! The sound mix, however, was questionable. The vocals were much too in your face making it hard to hear (at times) all of the other instrumentation that was on stage.

Seeing REO & Chicago still together was great. The sounds system absolutely sucked. Too loud, too distorted. It gave me a headache. See them at a smaller venue with a better quality sound system.

REO awesome as usual. Chicago started out slow but so glad we stayed till the end. It got so good. Best concert ever

REO was great. They rocked every song and everyone sang along. Chicago is talented but they bored everyone by playing every song off album 2 which left room for about 5 hits that were more popular ones. Leaving the audience begging for what they came for....the hits. I went with some friends and they were very disappointed.

If I'd have known Chicago was going to waste half of the concert plowing thru their 2nd album in its entirety, I would have shown up late or taken a break. To be fair, there are plenty of other acts who devote the first part of concerts to new material before getting to the hits. In my case I had my 21 year old son with me and was lukewarm about going to the event in the first place. The low tempo aspect of their 2nd album, which also relied heavily on horns to drive most songs, really created a downer after the high energy set of REO. I hope for their sake they change up the song list, otherwise it will be a short tour for them.

Neil donell was a recent addition you would never know

The venue was great. Seating and security was great. Reo Speedwagon was fabulous and was all about their fans. Chicago put everyone to sleep for the first 45 minutes. People actually were leaving way early. All instrumental and no hits, for way too long!!!

The Chicago/REO Speedwagon concert was fun. REO was great. Chicago started off with a bunch of songs no one knew, but then played all their hits. Love sitting on the grass for a concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion.

REO Speedwagon kicked off the show with a great hour of all hits even when lead singer Kevin Kronins s voice wasn t in top form but just before Chicago comes out they announce that they will be playing the entire Chicago 2 album (70min) in its entirety before they will do the rest of the hits. So most people were bored to death with unknown songs and a lot leaving before they even got to them, myself included.

Great bands from my past! They were every bit as good as they always were. The energy was so contagious and both bands kept the crowds engaged the entire show!

Very helpful staff. Got there early and they were very nice, let me know what time I could park, when the Terrace opened, how to find my seat. During the show, while REO Speedwgon played, I asked a security guard if he could take me closer to the front to take a couple photos, he was very obliging. Walked me half way to the front, let me take a few photos, and walked me back. I was seated in Section C, just above the floor, so I had good seats, but wanted some close up photos. Chicago was great, I've seen them before, set seemed rather long. And during the second half of their show the graphics started bothering my eyes, just too bright. I had to watch the rest of the show with my shades on. But hey, the music was great!

REO Speedwagon was amazing - so energetic and they sounded fantastic!! These guys still have it. Chicago s performance, likewise, was on point. They were tight, sounded stellar and had energy for days seemingly. Even with all the activity on stage, those guys sounded just as good at the end of the night as they did when they started! My only complaint was the set list which dragged a bit in parts. But they finished with the hits which roused the crowd in the last half hour. The venue was great. It was my first time at The Forum and I was impressed by how comfortable the seats were and the cleanliness (end of the night was a different story!) and general set up.

They have withstood the test of time. Chicago is one of the all time greatest bands. Hands down. This is my third time seeing them and they still rock.

Great show. Was able get up close to the bands. Thank you to REO for the Tom Petty tribute.

This is the third singer in 5 years . I did like the last one better, but that's just me. Still a great show .

The concert was really good. After a lifetime of enjoying the bands on the radio it was great to see them live.

Great concert , Chicago played Chicago II live just what I wanted to hear.

The concert was amazing, even the warm up act Jeff T. was good. We had excellent seats and could see and hear things clearly. Both bands played new and also favorite hits.

This had to of been one of the worst concerts I ve been too

They play zero hits on this tour, just one album in its entirety. No one knew the music. No one was dancing or singing along. It seemed like half the audience left by the halfway point (including us). We went expecting a good time and were slowly lulled to sleep. Such a disappointment after wanting to see them live for years.

Great Show and Venue to see two Hall of Fame Bands.

Old school classic rock. Wonderful time. Had fun. *

Reo Speedwagon was amazing. Better than last year Disappointed in Chicago, this was my 3rd year seeing them and was kinda boring. Grew up listening to them and they did not play their top hits. One of my all time favorite band's just hope they can get back in the groove of everything.

REO put on a great concert, played all of the classics and played them very well. Chicago spent the first 1 1/2 hours playing songs no one has ever heard of. The crowd, which was loud and energized during REO, was quiet, subdued and about 40 % of the audience left before the concert finished. Loved REO very very disappointed with Chicago.

I like Chicago but did not expect them to play all of Chicago 2. I would have expected more of the popular songs and this album is way before my time I enjoyed the show but was not as motivated as I would like to been

Awesome concert, was like I was back in the 80 s again, like they have never aged... hope I m as active and energetic when I m that age... Great performance Gents, hats off to you all.

Venue is always hot and very muddy this time of year.

Chicago played too much trumpet especially in their first hour and it almost put me to sleep! But REO Speedwagon was awesome like always! The restroom lines are always too long & the food & drink prices are very expensive!

REO rocked and played all their hits. Sounded like the 70's. Chicago began slow then really picked up their menu of hits, played all of them. Great concert.

The REO speedwagon and Chicago concert was really good. The weather kept interfering the flow (we had so many delays and stops) and then Chicago couldn't sing all the songs in their sets - I assume because it was 11:00? How disappointing

Great time! Highly recommend this awesome concert!

So the seats were good seats, halfway to the stage under the cover, but these two lady's that worked there helping people to their seats stood in the aisle and were blocking my view to the stage, I asked them to move and explained they were blocking my view but they said no and just ignored my request. I don't see why they have to stand there the whole concert, at least sit in a chair so they don't block peoples view. Chicago was a bit misleading. Right before they came on stage they announced they would only be playing music off their Chicago 2 album. That was never talked about in the advertising for the concert, and Chicago 2 sucks. I went to hear the old songs. The new stuff sounds like fancy elevator music, my wife and I left after the 3rd song it was so bad. Reo Speedwagon gets all 10's though, they were perfect. So basically I just paid to see Reo Speedwagon. So experience was not the best for my first visit.

First of all, I want to commend REO Speedwagon. They were AMAZING. Like wayyyy better live then I ever would've imagined. Second of all, I've been waiting my whole love to see Chicago live and it was everything I hoped it would be. The ONLY downside to the show was there were a couple times where the diehard fans were like "what is this? Why are they playing this stuff we don't know?" But man, when they played their classics it was on point! I even cried during one of them because I was so excited I finally got to see them! Awesome concert! I will be sure to go see them again someday!

REO Speedwagon and Chicago were great, shame we are getting old and it will come to an end. Chicago fan since 69!

Chicago and REO Speedwagon despite the rain/ lightening delays. The show must go on and they delivered!

Concert was AWESOME. Mother Nature however, wasn't. The concert kept getting delayed due to a storm but we can't control that. Otherwise it was a great show.

Both bands put on an awesome show !REO Speedwagon was so full of energy and enthusiasm as if it was their only concert and I couldn't believe that I was standing in front of Robert Lamm on Chicago! I couldn't applaud hard enough or loud enough for both of the Bands! I'm so glad I got an upgrade to be close to where I can see their faces and know that they were enjoying playing as much as I'm enjoying listening!

Saw Chicago maybe 44 years ago, Boston Garden? This was my 5th time, they were as good as EVER! On my feet dancing 50% of concert - at 95°! And first REO; loved them/the ENERGY! I'd go again this weekend if the groups were playing. (If Robert Lamm ever needs a 5th wife tell him I'm very willing ♡)

REO SPEEDWAGON really brought it!!! They were AWESOME!!!!!

My husband and I attended our first concert at the PNC Music Pavilion to hear REO Speedwagon and Chicago. Parking was easy and we quickly got in and out. Our seats were great (Section5 row T). We had good views of the stage. REO was extremely loud. We were not expecting this. It really hurt. Guess we are getting old. We love Chicago but they started slow with many unfamiliar songs. Overall it was an enjoyable evening.

Great show! Great seats! If you have not seen this band live you have missed it!

Love both REO and Chicago! They always make sure you are entertained!!!

REO Speedwagon was in top form, put on a hell of a show. Chicago had an all new lineup since I saw them last. Was worried about it at first, but their performance was top notch as usual.

While well I m happy that Chicago is still producing new songs and they are as strong as ever with talent and chops, I wish they could have interspersed their new music with the old favorites that we recognize instead of playing the entirety of the new album of unknown songs in the first half. They remain one of my favorite bands and REO rock the house with favorites .

Reo Speedwagon has put on a very good show both times I have seen them.

I realize audience feedback at the concert is important to the act, but an act gets what they deserve. Chicago seemed (to me) arrogant with their stage persona. Some of the front performers seemed to urge an applause, when IMHO, one wasn t warranted. The first 5-10 songs must ve been before my time, because I didn t recognize ANY OF THEM, until 25 or 6 to 4 . To be honest, until THEN, I was considering leaving\u2014and we were on the 6th row... center stage, and at approximately $180/ticket, I figured it had to get better. I m FROM Chicago, and was a huge fan of the songs I did know, which FINALLY came along in their set.

Didn t care for Chicago s \u2018Grammy performance which took most of the first hour they played, but once they started playing their \u2018hits , they rocked the house. REO Speedwagon was better than expected.. all in all it was a fun night.

I went to the concert expecting to tolerate REO Speedwagon waiting for the concert. REO was amazing. Chicago was great too...I could have done without listening to all of Chicago II. I would have given the venue 5 stars if I hadn t had to wait so long to get in. Doors should open an hour before the concert, not 30 minutes IMHO.

Second time I ve seen Chicago this year, third time in my life. Best Performance EVER. REO Speedwagon is better than they ve ever been. Kevin Cronin s energy, and Bruce Hall s Skill make REO what they are. I hope I am BLESSED to see this show again. Loved It.

REO Speedwagon was fantastic. Chicago, however, left something to be desired, since they only played 2 or 3 of their hits (the ones that made them famous) toward the end of the concert. We grew up in the '80's & tore up the dance floor, rocking it out w/ their Greatest hits, like "Look Away", "Love Me Tomorrow", & "Hard Habit to Break" & romantically slow-dancing w/my husband to hits like "You're The Inspiration" & "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" just to name a few. Now they did play a few of their hits @ the end, but we would've liked to hear more of their hits from the '80's all through the concert. They mostly played songs from their 1st & 2nd albums, of which were b4 our time.

Great fun\u2014-wonderful venue\u2014HOT, til the sun went down\u2014fabulous treatment of people with physical disabilities

What can I say... REO Speedwagon was amazing!! Great show!! Chicago was pretty good too... but REO Speedwagon was what we went to see.

It's always great reminiscing with Chicago. They were the first concert that I ever went to see in 1973 at 13 years old. Some members have changed but they are still outstanding. REO was the perfect venue to pair up as opening the show. Really enjoyed myself!

Great show and good seats. This was a gift and my husband and I enjoyed it.

102 sets were awesome for the price. Straight up center. Far enough back to see over head but not too far from the stage! Ie been seeing Chicago there since 2001. I brought my Mom during her cancer for 6 years and now she gone I still go and she's with me in spirit. Chicago was my first concert as a child from my elder siblings, my shirt was 10 times my size but I never forgot. To have brought my Mom to her first ever concerts, Chicago and Rod Stewart, first in her lifetime before she died was a miracle and while she was there she didn't hurt and lived again. I wish I could take my father pain away like that but he hate crowds! I might get him to country music before he's gone too!

Had an awesome time ! Reo rocked the house abd chicago did fanastic !!

Went to see REO Speedwagon and Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois and again in Dallas, Texas with my best friend and enjoyed every minute of the show. Best band ever!

Chicago/ REO Speedwagon was a great night of music!

Great performance by REO , wish they would have played some older stuff like Keep Pushin, or Son of a Poor Man, but overall great acoustics and they haven t missed a beat! Chicago was so good it brought tears to my eyes from the memories!

I liked REO but Chicago was very awesome. They sounded so good on stage, when I closed my eyes I could swear I was listening to a recorded version of the song. That is just how good they sounded.

Loved loved loved REO. Enjoyed the second part of Chicago but not a fan of brass instruments.

Love a completely enjoyable evening listening to one of the all time great bands

Reo Speedwagon was very disappointing. Music was so loud you could not hear the lead singer. Whereas Chicago was absolutely incredible!

They played entire Chicago II album as it was up for an award. It was a few old hits but many people left as it s a double album .. very long, and all songs were not hits at all. If you are a die hard Chicago II fan then yes. If you want to hear the hits? No. We were all so disappointed. We were not there for REO and assumed we d know two or three songs but ended up remembering all but a couple of them. They played hits. That s what most folks are there to see an old band for. So that was fun, nostalgic. Chicago was such a disappointment unfortunately. We would loved to have felt emotion and been brought back by our favorites. We got a few, then left high and dry. And wow how I miss the original voices. They never replaced the deep soulful voice lost oh-so-long ago, so Color My World (on Chicago II, thankfully) was not the same. And none can do Peter Cetera but Peter Cetera. But it would still be nice to hear the songs. Missed opportunity to please the decades-long fans of the favorites.

Chiage plays 15 songs or so from Chicago II. Then they take intermission and play 4 or 5 hits. REO has people out of their chairs...Chicago put them asleep.

A great opening by REO Speedwagon at Coral Sky Amphitheater! Full of energy and they played to the crowd. Coral Sky is a fun place to catch a concert and they do a great job getting traffic in and out of the venue. Then came Chicago - what were they thinking. The opening set was awful, and most of the second, the idea of playing their second album all the way through makes you wonder who is calling the shots with the band. They lost the crowd, people were leaving and carrying on their own conversations with very little attention being paid to the music. It was actually painful to endure. A bit self indulgent. They finished with some music people actually wanted to hear but my wife and I agreed that will be it for purchasing Chicago tickets. We had very much enjoyed last year's show with the Doobie Brothers in West Palm but we can't take a chance they will pull a stunt like this again. Bottom line is that was one of the worst (if not the worst) concert I have ever attended. Get your act together and play what people want to hear.

Awesome show! Chose to sit up the hill and it was the best sounding show. Nice and cool for a hot summer night and no one walking over us.

It was excellent! very good organization It is a safe and pleasant place. Easy and free parking. Many people working willing to help you. We really enjoyed the show! REO very good ... CHICAGO Great!

Chicago was phenomenal. The sounded as good as they always did. I would definitely see them again. We did not like REO Speedwagon. Not that we didn't like the group, it's just that their bass was much too loud. It made watching them unpleasant. We ended up going to the concession area during their performance to escape the bass. It was unfortunate as their music was pretty good.

The venue was good. My only complaint was $20 beers. That's really, really excessive. Each act (warmup - Michael Tolcher, REO, Chicago), started on time. REO Speedwagon has lots of songs that I like. They have a good stage show. My only complaint was that the audio mixing was bad. It was mixed very heavily in favor of instruments, and the the treble was so loud that some guitar work hurt my ears. Chicago's audio mixing was good. As a matter of fact, it sounded just like hearing them on the radio. When Chicago played their hits, I enjoyed them. However, they decided to play the album "Chicago 2" in its entirety first, then do their standard hits. Maybe die-hard fans love that album, but I was bored out of my mind for the first 50 minutes. I think most of the audience felt the same, because everyone sat quietly until they played their first hit (last song on that album).

The show was great. However, I could have done without Chicago's first set. It was a snoozefest but the second set was amazing! Reo Speedwagan was great too!

I was not that familiar with REO Speedwagon but there were some songs that I recognized. I went to the show to see Chicago and they were fabulous. They played all their greatest hits. They sounded just like the original recordings. If you love their music, you would love this concert. It could not have been better.

The concert was great. but I purchased four tickets for my wife, son, his wife, and me. The week before my wife fractured her ankle, and my daughter in law had an intestinal problem, so my son and I went alone. We really do like our wives, but it seems my son and I have been attending alone for quite a while, and the time we finally found a concert they liked, Murphy took over...

Reo was awesome. Chicago played an album that I wasn't completely familiar with but the songs I did recognize where awesome.

I saw REO in their hey-day in the late 70s ... this is not them. Through the distortion, I could make out the tunes, but it was pretty bad. One song I don't know, sang by the bass player, had a long intro-talk which not a word could be understood. Kevin Cronin was his usual self, but the same old dialog ... Rock n Roll will keep you young forever! Thanks Kevin. Chicago ... 70% of the songs I had never heard before and, franky, weren't very good. They are doing this Chicago II thing ... I guess I don't know that album, but Chicago ended well, sounded pretty good, but most of it was ... so so. Meh ......

REO was really great. Chicago was good but would of rather heard more popular songs. Instruments were a little loud and couldn't hear the singer as well for both bands.

Reo Speed wagon were good but Chicago kept playing songs I dont think many people were familiar with.They could of done a better job.

Wonderful evening! Great performances, especially Chicago!!

Unhappy that Chicago took 1hr and 20 minutes to play music that I have never heard before

High energy show with amazing music! Not disappointed at all!

I ve seen Chicago before.. and they never disappoint!

It wasn't that REO was playing bad. I've been a musician for 50 years. I'm convinced, that judging from the enthusiasm the band was playing with, the sound must have been good on the stage. But the sound was terrible in the audience. Must be poor sound personnel/sound man. I was in section 7 row H. My girlfriend decided to take a walk to the back because there were some friends of ours sitting out in the grass. When she got back there, people were sticking pieces of napkins and tissues in their ears. So it wasn't just me. Then when Chicago came on, the sound was fine. Chicago was great as always, even with the recent personnel changes.