Chicago is all set to tour the US this summer with REO Speedwagon. Chicago is planning to perform their entire Chicago II album live. It’s never been done before. They’ve played plenty of their songs in concert, but never an entire album. The breakthrough album had three singles which hit the Billboard Hot 100. It is a showcase for the iconic rock and roll plus horns sound which has made Chicago unique.
They’ll start on June 13 in Concord, California at the Concord Pavilion and end on August 12 in Detroit, Michigan at DTE Energy Music Theater. With 34 concerts scheduled at venues all around the country, there will be plenty of chances to see these legends live. Chicago is in their 51st touring year. Their live performances of their triple Grammy nominated double album will be amazing, and REO Speedwagon will roll with their greatest hits, too.
It’s not the first time the two rock giants have shared a double-bill over the summer. They’ve joined forces in the past. They shared record labels, friendships and what they both referred to as Midwest work ethic. Both bands had extraordinary success throughout the 1980s and 90s, too.
REO Speedwagon heads into the joint tour with Chicago on the heels of a concert schedule intermingled with Styx. REO frontman Kevin Cronin said that REO considers Styx to be great friends ever since 2000 when the two first toured together. Cronin had minor surgery in Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, which rearranged the REO and Styx schedule. But, the January procedure was routine, and he’s recovered and looking forward to the upcoming joint tours. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he noted that REO is “an Illinois band and proud of it”. He noted that REO is also looking forward to the tour schedule with Chicago; another band that calls Illinois its home.
Chicago’s frontman Robert Lamm told Chicago Media that it’s always great to share a stage with REO because the guys rock… just like Chicago rocks. He said that the upcoming tour will be a party with all of them together. The two multi-platinum bands are going to set down a new section of history together this summer.
When Chicago was first formed in 1967, they called themselves The Chicago Transit Authority. By 1970, they had shortened it. They started out with a political tinge and experimented with sounds until finally creating a distinctive sound including brass. The band has released 24 studio albums, 7 live albums, and 4 videos. They’ve been named as Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Artists and received numerous awards.
REO Speedwagon also originally formed in 1967 in Champaign, Illinois. They took their name from a flatbed truck called the REO Speed Wagon, which band founder Neil Doughty had studied in school at the University of Illinois. REO earned their Midwest fame by playing in clubs and bars in a hard rock style. In 2009, they released Find Your Own Way Home- the first digital downloadable game produced by a rock band. Their Hi Infidelity Album reached sales in the US over ten million copies in 2017. REO released 16 studio albums between 1971 and 2009.
So- what’s to expect from two stellar hard rock groups who call Illinois home? Some of the greatest music memories performed by the greatest rock and roll groups ever. They’re bringing their A-game greatest hits for fans, old and new. It should be a great summer.
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