| Venue: Chicago Theater, August 19, 2003 Appears here as submitted to Hall & Oates Archives on 5-16-04 |
| "Chicago Concert" |
| I've just returned from Chicago after attending Tuesday night's Hall & Oates concert at the beautifully restored Chicago Theater. This was the second time in as many years, that I have traveled to Chicago to see my favorite duo perform. As usual, Daryl and John and the band did not disappoint their fans. My friend and I went to the theater around 11:30a.m. the morning of the concert, and were lucky enough to hear Daryl, John, and Kenny Loggins rehearsing "This Is It", which turned out to be one of the encore songs that evening. We weren't allowed in to watch them rehearse, but we did stand in the lobby and listen. I have to admit that I wasn't to thrilled about having to sit through 80+ minutes of Kenny Loggins, but from the first song 'till the last, Kenny was just plain excellent. At one point, he and his lead and bass guitar players sat on the edge of the stage, and played a few songs, and asked the audience to participate. My favorite of those songs was "Celebrate Me Home". Kenny had all the women singing one part, and the men another. His duets with Richard Marx & Josie were an added treat for us. As for Daryl, John and company, I have to say that the crowd wasn't as enthusiastic, as last year's crowd.. It wasn't until "Maneater", that everyone stood up . Although, Daryl did get a standing ovation at one point and we did help singing along to "Sara Smile" and a few others. I thought that Daryl's improvising at the end of "Forever For You" was so well done. Daryl Hall is the master of lyrical improvisation. You had to feel Jeff's frustration and feel sorry for his guitar tech trying to fix the problem with Jeff's guitar. The problem was resolved and John looked over at Jeff and asked if it was ok and Jeff nodded yes. Daryl seemed very up,, smiled a lot and his dancing was great (that happens to be one of my favorite parts of the concerts). John seemed a little more serious that night ,but at one point he acknowledged the people in the balcony and said thank you several times to the audience. Daryl worked his magic on "Cab Driver" and gave a plug for the song "if you listen to the right radio station." There was a big smile on his face as he made that statement. During the encore, as Daryl, John & Kenny sang "This Is It", Daryl let out a primal scream and I noticed that John smiled at that. It might have been planned to do only three songs for the encore, but I was in the first row in the pitt, right up against the stage, and heard Daryl say to the other guys, "should we do one more? Let's do one more." Then they played "Hot Fun In The Summertime." for us. Fabulous way to end a concert on a warm summers night. I have to add, that I was also at the backstage door when John & Daryl came out to get into their waiting suburbans. I thought both of them were very gracious taking the time to sign autographs. They were already in their vehicles and signing autographs through the rolled down windows with some of the fans blocking the suburbans from leaving. Daryl's vehicle had to stop at the corner for a red light and some chased the car! I came away from the concert with another night of good concert memories and an evening shared with two of the most talented musicians to grace the music industry. I eagerly await my next Hall & Oates experience. |
| Copyright 2003, Roberta Schloesser |
| Concert Reviews by Roberta Schloesser |