Sure the incredible three pronged horn section pumped air molecules for all they were worth and even filled the stage with nifty choreography, but when it came to singing those smoochie ballads, let alone the ball busting rock of the climactic '25 or 6 to 4', it left a void that they worked manfully to fill all night.

The 9 piece band alternated vocals seamlessly, though it was often difficult to appreciate who was singing what. Jason Scheff made the most of his lead vocal parts often sounding uncannily like Peter Cetera, though by the time of 'You're The Inspiration' the band's cream was in serious danger of curdling.

And almost in spite of the surfeit of radio friendly ballads, Chicago managed to strike a neat balance between their musical history, their innate musical excellence and the MOR hits which so obviously struck a chord with their crowd.

Chicago has always been a band with a musical duality at its core. Originally there was the ground breaking jazz rock of Chicago Transit Authority, but there was always a softer side as evidenced by the early in the set, 'Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is' with its glistening harmonies and stellar horns.

You can add dance to that dichotomy as 'Street Player' pulled the band in the direction of Earth Wind & Fire. But after a succession of soft rock outings and ballads, some of which veered dangerously close to muzak, Robert Lamm seized the moment with some unexpected irony to lever in their million selling 'If You Leave Me Now', telling us that the band was basically a jazz rock combo until the song ruined it all.

Having waited 40 odd years to see Chicago it also came as something of a shock to realise that the percussion heavy 'I'm A Man' received less recognition than some of the ballads. In the event, it disappointingly became a top heavy vehicle for an overblown drum/percussion duet.

But tonight was really all about a career best for the fans and in that respect Chicago didn't disappoint, bringing six part harmonies to bear on 'Searchin So Long' and some Eagles style harmonies and a startling trumpet motif from Lee Loughnane on 'Baby, What A Big Surprise'.

And as the set finally gathered some much needed momentum with the breezy 'Saturday in the Park' the band finally threw off the shackles on 'Get Away', bringing the faithful in stalls to their feet.

The 2 song encore of 'Free' and '25 or 6 to 4' made everything that went before worthwhile. The horns pumped, the rhythm section thundered, the percussion kicked in and damn it all, the band rocked liked you'd always hoped they would.

Unbelievably after a 2 hour show it was still only 9.50pm and the crowd headed home presumably for their cocoa, it was that kind of night.

Review by Pete Feenstra

Photos by Noel Buckley