Chicago recalls the 'youthful exuberance' from historic 1971 Kennedy Center concert

On Sept. 16, 1971, Chicago christened the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as the first rock band to grace its stage.

Having opened eight days prior, the venue had welcomed classical acts and the soulful stylings of The Fifth Dimension.

But for more than two-plus hours that night, the lineup of Robert Lamm (keyboards/vocals), Terry Kath (guitar/vocals), Peter Cetera (bass/vocals), Danny Seraphine (drums) and the mighty brass/woodwind trio of Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone) and Walt Parazaider (woodwinds) regaled the crowd with 26 songs that showcased the band’s innovative tangle of jazz, pop and rock.

The show was recorded (Kath wryly alerts fans when it’s a good time to start recording their bootlegs, a verboten practice at the time) and recently released as the four-LP, three-CD “Chicago At The John. F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971).”

The concert is also notable for the live debut of “Saturday in the Park” – which the band would record for its “Chicago V” album a few days later – as well as epic versions of “25 or 6 to 4,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Make Me Smile,” spotlighting a head-spinning guitar solo from Kath (who died tragically in 1978 after a gun accident).  

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In a recent chat, Loughnane, 77, recalled memories of Kath and the show at the vaunted venue, as well as his pride in Chicago’s longevity (a physical release of their “Chicago & Friends: Live at 55” album, recorded last year in Atlantic City, arrives Nov. 22).

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Question: Why did you want to unearth this particular show after all of these years?

Answer: I’m not sure any of us remembered we had recorded it. We remembered playing it and it was a big deal, but it was in the midst of our frantic touring schedule, when we’d go out for three months, be home for three days, and then out for three months. I had forgotten how intensely we were working on new songs when we were playing shows. It was the first time we’d played ‘Saturday in the Park’ live. So were still throwing it back it forth and on that night, Peter sang more of the lead and a couple of weeks later we went into the studio to record it and Robert ended up singing.

Since that was the first time you played "Saturday ..." live, did you hear anything that helped shape what you would record?

I don’t think we put any deciding hats on when we were playing it. The track was definitely together. It was typical of Robert that when he would write a song, he would pass it along to different vocalists (in the band) to see which one would handle it most effectively.

What else do you remember about that show and playing the Kennedy Center?

The youthful exuberance we had back then. I remember that we were just focused on what was in front of us. I think that type of feeling remains today and started when we got together for the first rehearsal at Walt’s house and would just play and we liked what it sounded like.

Does it still make you sad it to hear Terry’s voice, especially in a concert setting?

It actually makes me more happy. I obviously miss him, but it was great to hear how he would prepare. You could hear him before he’d start singing doing a rhythm of what the tempo was going to be for the next tune. There was that leadership quality that Terry always had with us. When we would do long-winded solos, Terry had this ear piecing whistle that would permeate any volume on stage, which meant we had four and eight bars and then we would finish that up and go into the next section.

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The intro to “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” is extremely lengthy. Was Chicago prone to jamming in the early live shows?

It was definitely more organic and in some ways better, like in a jazz vein. But (with that song), the whole intro was written down and we play it the same way now. And when it comes to the solo I still play it the way you hear it on the radio. People are used to hearing it that way, so I stick with that.

The band is hitting the road Oct. 22 for a round of dates, but you recently wrapped another summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. What continues to make that such a great pairing?

Both bands enjoy playing with each other during the encore, but even on our separate sets we’re able to perform in front of each other’s fans. Some fans haven’t heard our stuff, and that’s why you come into every show thinking, I want it to sound as good as I can because some of these people might not have heard us before. Both bands have the capability to pull it off every night … I pinch myself often. We’re closing on 60 years and I wouldn’t doubt a tour for that anniversary.