Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Chicago recently marked the 55th Anniversary of their seminal debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, by hitting the stage for ‘Live at 55’ – a celebratory concert for which the band were joined by a host of special guests.
Robin Thicke, Chris Daughtry, Judith Hill, Christine ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, VoicePlay and Robert Randolph all took part in the ‘Chicago & Friends’ event, which will be made available to stream in the UK on StagePlayer+ later this week, and worldwide from December 6.
Steve Vai was also invited to the party, and in an exclusive clip shared with Guitar World ahead of the stream’s official release, the electric guitar virtuoso can be seen injecting blues rock romp South California Purples with a healthy dose of his trademark soloing style
With his Ibanez ‘Flo III’ JEM in tow, Vai leans heavily on the whammy bar, rifling through box-breaking pentatonic licks and some ’board-spanning sleight of hand, before kicking on a Sustainer pickup that ushers in a wailing, wah-tinged finale.
“I was a teenager in the ‘70s, and a big fan of Top 40, besides Led Zeppelin and all the great rock stuff,” Vai says in a Live at 55 interview. “When Chicago hit the scene – or, at least, when I was aware of it – it just stuck out like nothing else.
“Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of their catalog, and it makes me feel 14-years-old again. It’s just a staple diet for most of us. It’s a gift.”
Live at 55 was captured at the Ovation Hall at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City over two nights earlier this month, and the forthcoming stream was produced by award-winning producer Barry Summers as part of the ‘Decades Rock Live’ concert series.
It will see Chicago and their special guests perform songs from the Chicago Transit Authority record, as well as never-before-performed tracks and unplugged versions of the band's classic tunes.
It also makes a rare collaborative outing for the famed blues/rock/funk fusion group, who, in their own words, aren’t known for performing on stage with guest musicians.
“This concert film is a unique approach to any of our previous live performances,” explains Chicago founding member Lee Loughnane.
“We very rarely play with guest artists, much less seven of them. It was very interesting to work with each guest and experience their interpretations of our music.”
Chicago & Friends Live at 55 will be available to stream in the UK on November 22 – and worldwide from December 6 – via StagePlayer+. It will also be released in various formats by Mercury Studios.
