Midway through REO Speedwagon’s set, an older gentleman wearing a vintage tour t-shirt leaned over and jokingly asked, “Are you old enough to know these guys?”
I was born 14 years after REO Speedwagon released Hi Infidelity, but certainly old enough to appreciate the band’s influence on rock and roll and overall body of work, especially that chart-topping record. And frankly, that’s the only credential needed to enjoy REO Speedwagon’s co-headlining summer tour with Chicago. As Kevin Cronin revealed more than halfway through the set, they were playing “meat and potatoes rock and roll,” which is a synonym for just the hits. They clearly knew just what most fans were looking for from a classic-rock show.
Even after nearly a half-century, REO Speedwagon sounded strong after they ran through one fan favorite after another. “Don’t Let Him Go,” the band’s opening track and the first of many songs from Hi Infidelity, was an early highlight. Cronin and co. sauntered around stage, smiling back and forth at each other and the crowd, before meeting up at center stage for the bridge before the final chorus. REO Speedwagon exudes an overwhelming amount of charisma. Even Bryan Hitt, who’s been with the band since 1989, showed some flair and gave fans in the front a wink whenever he made eye contact with them from behind his raised drum set.
Listening to the many hits from Hi Infidelity, including “Keep On Loving You,” “In Your Letter” and “Take It On the Run,” it’s no surprise as to why the album was so popular in 1981. And why it still remains a staple among classic-rock fans today - it just received the Diamond Award for official U.S. sales of over ten million copies.
Amongst all these hits, including the few from “You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish,” REO Speedwagon still found time to pay tribute to the late great Tom Petty, who led the greatest American rock band of all time according to Cronin.
“Ever since last October, we’ve been playing this next song every night to tribute to our friend, colleague and American rock and roller Tom Petty,” Cronin said before REO Speedwagon finished with “Listen to Her Heart.”
The party continued with Chicago, who performed their entire second album in full before running through a slew of crowd-pleasers. At times it was difficult to tell when one song ended and the other stopped, perhaps by design as the band was fighting a time crunch with severe thunderstorms circling the area. Although under the Pavilion, you were oblivious to this. Chicago kept the audience’s eyes glued to the stage, especially James Pankow, who stole the show as the band’s frontman. The trombonist danced and grooved, often stepping to the edge of the stage to stick the instrument’s slide in the faces of those who sat (or stood) in the front row. He, along with vocalist Robert Lamm and trumpeter Lee Loughnane, were the only original members on stage.
Chicago sounded as solid as ever though. “25 or 6 to 4” provided the peak in the set, as one would expect, and drew the biggest reaction from the audience. While the audience was made up of fans, who probably grew up with Chicago at some point, there were a few teenagers in attendance. And even the youth stood up to appreciate a song that’s been a mainstay on the radio for over 20 years. The song served as an introduction to the encore, which featured a few of Chicago’s most loved tunes, but it also served as a reminder as to why the band is so legendary. After 50-plus years Chicago can still pack a Pavilion and give fans exactly what they’re looking for.
