Chicago to release 1971 John F Kennedy Center Washington DC concert

Unreleased concert showcases songs from the band’s first three studio albums

Chicago was one of the first groups to perform at the Kennedy Center after it opened in September 1971. That historic concert has been newly remixed from the original multi-track tapes by Chicago founding member and trumpeter Lee Loughnane and engineer Tim Jessup and will debut in an upcoming collection from Rhino.

Chicago At The John. F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971) will be available from Rhino.com on September 27th in 4 LP, 3 CD, and digital configurations.

This 26-track live collection was recorded on September 16, 1971, about a week after the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in the nation’s capital. For more than 50 years, the concert has remained unreleased except for the performance of “Goodbye,” which debuted in 2018 on Chicago: VI Decades Live.

The Kennedy Center performance includes more than two hours of live music by Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, Danny Seraphine, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, and Walt Parazaider.

The show explores all three studio albums that Chicago released since their 1969 debut. The songs span a range of styles, underscoring the band’s ability to blend genres seamlessly. There are rockers (“25 Or 6 To 4” and “I’m A Man”), ballads (“Colour My World” and “Beginnings”), jazz-influenced tracks (“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”), and extended song suites (“Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon” and “It Better End Soon.”)

The band would begin recording Chicago V a few days after the Kennedy Center performance. Released in July 1972, the album marked a significant evolution in the band’s sound and would become Chicago’s first No. 1 album. To get ready for the studio, Loughnane says the band road-tested some new songs in DC. “Case in point: we did ‘Saturday In The Park’ for the first time at the Kennedy Center show. You’ll notice that we hadn’t yet decided on who would sing the lead vocal. Also, Robert hadn’t written Part 2 of ‘Dialogue’ yet.”

Chicago is touring with Earth, Wind & Fire this summer on the Heart & Soul Tour. The band plays tonight in Camden, New Jersey, and will finish in Palm Desert, California, on September 7th.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn