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Last November 17 and 18, Chicago celebrated the 55th anniversary of debut album Chicago Transit Authority at Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall (within the massive Ocean Casino Resort) with two marathon concerts touching on every facet of the band’s long career.  Now, the film of those concerts – featuring a number of special guests including Steve Vai, Robert Randolph, and Judith Hill – is coming to a variety of formats almost one year to the day, on November 22, 2024.  Mercury Studios will release Chicago & Friends’ Live at 55 on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, 4K UHD, 2CD, 3LP, digital audio, and digital video.

Recorded before a collective audience of over 10,000, the concerts from Decades Rock Live producer Barry Summers welcomed Vai, Randolph, Hill, Robin Thicke, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and the a cappella group Voiceplay.  Both solo and with their guests, Chicago – anchored by original members Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, and James Pankow, and also featuring Ray Herrmann, Neil Donell, Walfredo Reyes, Jr., Ramon “Ray” Yslas, and others – skipped through large swaths of the band’s discography.  Touching on the band’s various eras of freeform jazz-rock, pop, and power ballads, they offered such rarely-played songs as “South California Purples” and “Poem 58” (both with Vai), “Mongonucleosis,” “Street Player,” “Happy Man” (with Voiceplay), and “Listen.”  Of course, plenty of big hits were performed, too, such as “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is,” “Beginnings,” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away” plus “Saturday in the Park” (with Thicke), “Colour My World” and “Make Me Smile” (with Ingram), “You’re the Inspiration” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” (with Hill), “If You Leave Me Now” and “Look Away” (with Voiceplay), “Hard Habit to Break” (with Daughtry), and “25 or 6 to 4” (with all).

The 2-1/2-hour film (which previously was screened in theatres for a limited engagement and also seen on Public Television in an abridged version) preserves almost all of the original concert setlist save a couple of Christmas songs and a cover of The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour.”  Lee Loughnane comments in the press release, “This concert film is a unique approach to any of our previous live performances.  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.”

All formats of Live at 55 will be released by Mercury Studios on November 22.  You’ll find the track listings and pre-order links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Chicago & Friends, Live at 55 (Mercury Studios, 2024)

4K UHD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / Mercury Studios
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / Mercury Studios
2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

1. Introduction
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
3. Beginnings
4. Questions 67 and 68
5. Listen (with Robert Randolph)
6. South California Purples (Short Version) (with Steve Vai)
7. Poem 58 (with Steve Vai)
8. I’m A Man (with Chris Daughtry & Robert Randolph)
9. Dialogue Part 1 and 2 (with Robert Randolph)
10. Call On Me (with Robin Thicke)
11. (I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long
12. Mongonucleosis
13. Street Player
14. Make Me Smile (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
15. Colour My World (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
16. Now More Than Ever (‘Smile’ Reprise) (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
17. Alive Again (with Judith Hill)
18. Old Days
19. Hard Habit To Break (with Chris Daughtry)
20. Wishing You Were Here (with VoicePlay)
21. Happy Man (with VoicePlay)
22. If You Leave Me Now (with VoicePlay)
23. Look Away (with VoicePlay)
24. Just You ‘N’ Me
25. Hard To Say I’m Sorry / Get Away
26. In The Country (with Robert Randolph)
27. Saturday In The Park (with Robin Thicke)
28. Free
29. You’re The Inspiration (with Judith Hill)
30. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day (with Judith Hill)
31. 25 or 6 to 4 (with all guest artists)

Bonus Feature on DVD/BD/4K: Interviews with Chicago and all guest artists

3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Side A

1. Introduction
2. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
3. Beginnings
4. Questions 67 and 68
5. Listen (with Robert Randolph)

Side B

1. South California Purples (Short Version) (with Steve Vai)
2. Poem 58 (with Steve Vai)
3. I’m A Man (with Chris Daughtry & Robert Randolph)
4. Dialogue Part 1 and 2 (with Robert Randolph)

Side C

1. (I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long
2. Mongonucleosis
3. Street Player
4. Make Me Smile (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
5. Colour My World (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)
6. Now More Than Ever (‘Make Me Smile’ Reprise) (with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram)

Side D

1. Call On Me (with Robin Thicke)
2. Alive Again (with Judith Hill)
3. Wishing You Were Here (with VoicePlay)
4. Happy Man (with VoicePlay)
5. If You Leave Me Now (with VoicePlay)
6. Look Away (with VoicePlay)

Side E

1. Old Days
2. Hard Habit To Break (with Chris Daughtry)
3. Just You ‘N’ Me
4. Hard To Say I’m Sorry / Get Away
5. In The Country (with Robert Randolph)

Side F

1. Saturday In The Park (with Robin Thicke)
2. Free
3. You’re The Inspiration (with Judith Hill)
4. Feelin’ Stronger Every Day (with Judith Hill)
5. 25 or 6 to 4 (with all guest artists)