Chicago breaking in Tropicana’s relaunched theater

The band Chicago will perform at 8 p.m. today through Sunday at the Tropicana.

It seems just and right that the Tropicana picked a group that’s been around longer than its old showroom to relaunch the venue this weekend.

The Trop showroom first came on line in late 1973, about the time “Just You ’N’ Me” was in the top 10. It has now been converted into a theater with raked rows of movie theater-style auditorium seating, with new sound and lighting for Chicago to break in.

The venerable jazz-flavored rock band had an incredibly prolific run of 14 studio albums within its 15-year heyday of 1969 to 1984.

That laid the bedrock for decades to come, even as its recorded output dropped to nine albums (including Christmas stuff) since 1986.

The Chicago catalog is still formidable when it comes to putting together a two-hour show.

“We’re always kind of up against, ‘What do we play and what do we leave out?’ ” singer Robert Lamm once said.

“You have to give respect to the audience that comes to see you, whether they’re coming for the first time and want to hear all the hits, and the ones that come each year and want to hear something different.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.