JJ & JoAnne talk to Chicago's Lee Loughnane about DTE Concert & more

·10 min·1 clip

Chicago's Lee Loughnane reveals how the band's 50th anniversary box set kept him busy during the pandemic lockdown.

The episode opens with hosts JJ and JoAnne congratulating Lee Loughnane on Chicago's 50th anniversary, though Loughnane clarifies it's actually the anniversary of their Carnegie Hall project. Loughnane explains he spent 10 months during the pandemic working with engineer Tim Jessup to produce a 16-CD deluxe box set from those Carnegie Hall concerts, even building a studio for the project. The hosts praise Chicago's longevity and welcoming nature, with JJ recalling being made an honorary band member years ago. Loughnane discusses his trumpet background, starting on a Bach Stradivarius model and now playing a Selmer Claude Gordon model trumpet, named after Canadian virtuoso Claude Gordon. The conversation turns to Chicago's influence across generations, with JJ sharing how he discovered the band through high school marching band performances of "Saturday in the Park." Loughnane reflects on the band's unexpected 50-year career and the joy of returning to live performances post-pandemic. When asked about Chicago's numbered album titles, Loughnane reveals the practical origin: the accounting department needed to differentiate albums after the band simply named each one "Chicago." He clarifies their first album was actually called "Chicago Transit Authority" (CTA), a double album. Loughnane recounts Chicago's early days in 1967, when they initially dressed as a Vegas show band before Terry Kath ripped his suit coat off during a performance at Barnaby's in Chicago, prompting an immediate shift to t-shirts and a hippie aesthetic. Regarding their 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Loughnane expresses that the band had stopped expecting it but enjoyed the ceremony. The episode concludes with plans for JJ to attend Chicago's July 25th concert at DTE Energy Music Theater (also known as Pine Knob), where he'll bring a friend with Down syndrome for his first concert.

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