51 years and counting: Chicago is hard habit to break

Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, has played hits through six decades. Chicago, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, has played hits through six decades.

By Alan Sculley May 9, 2018 5 min read

If you go

› What: Chicago› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.› When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 16› Admission: $69.50, $84.50, $99.50 and $149.50› For more information: 423-757-5580

Last year, members of Chicago got together for a celebratory dinner to mark their 50th year as a band.

That sort of longevity puts Chicago in a very exclusive club of the few 1960s bands still on the scene – the Rolling Stones, The Who and a handful of ’60s pop acts playing perhaps with their frontman or key songwriter as the only remaining key band member.

“We’re the ones that have worked every year,” trumpet player Lee Loughnane said in a phone interview. “The Stones haven’t even done that.”

The fact that Chicago has not only endured, but thrived, for 51 years and counting is not lost on Loughnane.