Chicago: Peter Cetera Won't Show Up For RRHOF

[erik]

Maybe Peter Cetera ought to explain point-blank what his problem is with the band that he fronted on so many of their hits:

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6867425/peter-cetera-chicago-rock-roll-hall-fame-induction

[sliderocker]

A big-headed ego would be my guess, although it could be any number of things between Cetera and the other members of the band. Cetera's comments seem to suggest he was okay with performing as long as all past and present members were allowed to be on the stage. But, then Robert Lamm indicated Cetera wanted to change the key on one of their earliest hits or play with his own band but not with Chicago - if that's true, what part of 'your band wasn't in Chicago so it wouldn't make sense for them to play?' would he not understand? It seemed like he was interested but wanted it done his way rather than it being a group effort. And that just reeks of big ego.

[Dianna]

Feb 9, 2016 0:24:59 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

A big-headed ego would be my guess, although it could be any number of things between Cetera and the other members of the band. Cetera's comments seem to suggest he was okay with performing as long as all past and present members were allowed to be on the stage. But, then Robert Lamm indicated Cetera wanted to change the key on one of their earliest hits or play with his own band but not with Chicago - if that's true, what part of 'your band wasn't in Chicago so it wouldn't make sense for them to play?' would he not understand? It seemed like he was interested but wanted it done his way rather than it being a group effort. And that just reeks of big ego.

Years ago I worked with a man I can't remember his name. Greg somebody or other( he was an account executive) he was also a musician originally from Illinois .. the Chicago area. he used to play horns with or for the group Tower of Power.. He also mentioned the group Chicago and worked with the group too.. said had a bad experience with Cetera said he was a real A hole.. that story always stood out because I would have never guessed that about Peter Cetera.

[Richard W]

Hell, to me (well, at least one version) is Peter Cetera's voice.

[erik]

However one feels about Cetera, it does make one wonder what Cetera has about Chicago, and just what took place that caused such a wide breach. It's very disappointing to me, though I wonder if Cetera hadn't had his ego stroked by the band's former producer David Foster, who dialed down most of Chicago's brass section on their 1980s records.

To me, this is kind of reminiscent of other times in the past where other bands haven't reunited onstage for their inductions because members have had, how shall we say, past issues with one another (though strangely all of the Eagles, past and present, including Don Felder, performed at their induction in 1998). Two years ago, of course, Kiss didn't perform at their RRHOF induction because Gene Simmons had to behave like the Trump-like narcissist that he is and not allow some past members to perform with him and Paul Stanley. Not that that would have mattered to me, because Kiss, when one takes away the pyrotechnics and the make-up, are really just a standard-issue heavy metal band.

[Deleted]

I personally think that Chicago's music fell off a cliff due to Cetera, but that's me..

[Richard W]

Feb 9, 2016 10:13:38 GMT -5 @robertaxel said:

I personally think that Chicago's music fell off a cliff due to Cetera, but that's me..

Not just you, Robert...

[sliderocker]

Feb 9, 2016 0:52:13 GMT -5 Dianna said:

Years ago I worked with a man I can't remember his name. Greg somebody or other( he was an account executive) he was also a musician originally from Illinois .. the Chicago area. he used to play horns with or for the group Tower of Power.. He also mentioned the group Chicago and worked with the group too.. said had a bad experience with Cetera said he was a real A hole.. that story always stood out because I would have never guessed that about Peter Cetera.

Cetera became the voice for the Chicago hits, and I think that allowed his ego to inflate big time but it doesn't work very well in any band in which you have multiple lead singers. Those other singers [may] have egos and feel their songs should be A-sides too, and it just gets harder and harder for the others to be considered. Record companies contribute to this, wanting to go back to the same singer or the same songwriter who came up with the hit. And for those who may have written or sung a song with the potential to be a hit, it's a blow to the ego when the record company says "We don't want your songs, we just want the hit making guy's songs."

[Richard W]

Then there's the case of Michael McDonald ruining The Doobie Brothers (for me). But that's another thread...

[cescpa]

However one feels about Cetera, it does make one wonder what Cetera has about Chicago, and just what took place that caused such a wide breach. It's very disappointing to me, though I wonder if Cetera hadn't had his ego stroked by the band's former producer David Foster, who dialed down most of Chicago's brass section on their 1980s records.

To me, this is kind of reminiscent of other times in the past where other bands haven't reunited onstage for their inductions because members have had, how shall we say, past issues with one another (though strangely all of the Eagles, past and present, including Don Felder, performed at their induction in 1998). Two years ago, of course, Kiss didn't perform at their RRHOF induction because Gene Simmons had to behave like the Trump-like narcissist that he is and not allow some past members to perform with him and Paul Stanley. Not that that would have mattered to me, because Kiss, when one takes away the pyrotechnics and the make-up, are really just a standard-issue heavy metal band.

Being a life-long CHICAGO fan, and (once the Internet was made available to me) a long-time visitor to CHICAGO band forums [actually for a short period of time was a "moderator" at one of the fan board incarnations] ... the story of Cetera's break from the band goes something like this ... the band's most prolific song writers (i.e., those with the most "hits" to their name) and thus reciepient of the greatest level of royalty income from records sales has been Robert Lamm (their original keyboardist, who wrote all of the "hits" that were on their debut album Chicago Transit Authority and V [their first No. 1], as well as the composer of 25 or 6 to 4, which appeared on their 2nd LP) ... James Pankow (their trombone player, and key horn chart arranger throughout their career, who wrote their first Hit Single to "Chart" from their 2nd LP in 1970 - Make Me Smile @ No. 9 - which then allowed the record company to go back and re-release singles off of their debut LP [written by Lamm] which were not "hits" upon their first offering to the public in 1969 ... and Pankow also wrote other Billboard Top 10 songs such as Just You & Me , I've Been Searching So Long , Old Days , Colour My World and who co-wrote Feelig Stronger Every Day ) ... and Peter Cetera (who wrote or co-wrote Top 10 Hits like If You Leave Me Now , Feeling Stronger Every Day , Wishing You Were Here ... and was the key song-writer and vocalist for their string of early to mid-80's "hits" that came from their LP's 16 aand 17) ...

anyway, this left the other two horn-players as primarily relying upon "touring income" to make their living ... and from 1969 through their hey-day in the mid to late 80's that band has toured almost constantly ... often at the expense of their personal lives and loved ones ... and could have led to such things as drug-use and "burn out" among its members throughout their careers ... most prevalent in the late 70's [which could have contributed to their great guitar player's - Terry Kath - accidental death in 1978] and early 1980's [which probably contributed to their bringing a new record producer for 16 - David Foster - as well as a new full-time band member & vocalist - Bill Champlin]...

anyway, at the time CHICAGO 16 and 17 had the band experiencing a resurgence of sorts ... notably led by Peter Cetera-penned songs (usually co-written with David Foster) ... and some of these songs de=emphasized the horn players' roles with the use of "synthesized" horns ... even to the extent that if you watch the video for You're The Inspiration , their saxphone player can be seen sitting down reading the newspaper while thre rest of the band is performning around him ...

anyway ... when 17 became the band's biggest selling LP ... and with the band's resurgence being led by Cetera's lead vocals and composing skills ... he "supposedly" took the opportunity to request that the band cut back on its touring schedule so that he could spend more time with his family , as well as be able to devote time to a solo LP project ... in the same vein that Phil Collins was doing with GENESIS at the time in the mid-80's ... if you also listen to "supposed" accounts by the remaining band members, Peter may or may not have made other "conditions" such as increasing his "cut" from the band's income sharing ... some of the band's members say that this was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak ... and some say that such a demand was not truly serious and was a negotiating ploy to try to get the band to agree to let him tour less and take another stab at solo LP's (his first solo LP which was released in 1981 prior to CHICAGO 16 , but in close proximity in time, did not fare well on the charts - some say that the record company did not want to promote it too highly at the risk of damaging the product that a Cetera-led CHICAGO could bring in for them) ...

anyway the band ended up firing Cetera ... or they agreed to disagree and "parted ways" ... but in the end ... his request to tour less and be able to pursue solo ventures was not agreed upon ...

at the time, only having newspaper releases as my sole source of information ... I was disappointed in Cetera (because I only heard the band's "version" of events) ... but as time went on, and having access to Internet sources and band fan forum sources of information ... and after hearing stories of how the remaining original band members (*primarily" the horn players) treated Bill Champlin's departure ... and their treatment of hired touring guitarist Dawayne Bailey throughout his tenure with the band ... I now tend to believe Cetera's version of events is closer to the truth than I do what the "horn player's" may have to say ...

I do also know that Cetera does have a reputation for being stand offish - not as fan friendly as one may like ... but at the same time, if you had his talent, and his track record of making "hit" Chart-topping music, and being able to work with the best-of-the-best producers and studio session players ... you might end up too showing a bit of an attitude once in a while ...and have not some of these same allegations been thrown at Linda now and then?

For my money ... i'll come down on the side of Cetera, (and Bill Champlin and Dawayen Bailey) ... and Linda Ronstadt ... before I give any credence to anything coming out of the mouths of CHICAGO's horn players ... these are the same band members who have made it their life's mission to tell the same story over and over, ad nauseam, of how Jimi Hendrix once told their saxophone player back stage that “Jeez, your horn players are like one set of lungs and your guitar player is better than me.” ... a quote that is prominently shown on the band's official web site ... but has been told so often that the story, has to some, reached a level of absurdity

[erik]

That is quite a huge story about that band, cescpa.

In any case, I am probably one of the very few here who thinks that this band deserves induction, because, if we are at all honest about the birth of rock and roll in the first place, jazz itself has to fit in there as an instigator--and even more so during the musical experimentation that took place in the 1960s. Although Blood, Sweat, and Tears beat Chicago insofar as being the first rock band to have a large brass section, Chicago just had such a tremendous run of hits that so prominently featured the brass players (the album-length version of "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" on Chicago 16, which adds "Get Away" on the end, is a later example, among the more classic ones from 1969-75). It's just a shame that Cetera has to behave in this fashion just as that band is getting its props (IMHO).

[goldie]

Great synopsis. Outside of Linda, Eagles and the Beatles I know little about the inner workings of most of these groups. Chicago is almost like TWO groups when you think about it. I like both of them but probably like the Cetera era a bit better. Same boat when preferring the Michael McDonald era of the Doobies.  I think though when it comes to honoring at specific events like the Grammys or RRHOF  they should all come together and take their bows.  It is only for one event and shows poorly on any one individual that becomes a prima donna.  Life is too short.  Even Glenn and Bernie settled things before Glenn died.  It has to feel good to be Bernie now and to have had that peace of mind.  Why not honor everyone's contribution by just doing the right thing?

[erik]

Quote by Goldie:

I think though when it comes to honoring at specific events like the Grammys or RRHOF they should all come together and take their bows. It is only for one event and shows poorly on any one individual that becomes a prima donna. Life is too short. Even Glenn and Bernie settled things before Glenn died. It has to feel good to be Bernie now and to have had that peace of mind. Why not honor everyone's contribution by just doing the right thing?

Yes, Glenn and Bernie likely more than made up in time for the Eagles' own 1998 induction; and Bernie has been there for the Eagles on a number of their "farewell" tour performances. But I think it's because they realized that what went on in the 70s was the end result of so much pressure and so much exposure to, how shall we say, artificial stimulants. They were both really grown men by that time. I only wish that was the case with Cetera and Chicago.

[cescpa]

this recent article was posted on a CHICAGO fan forum

Here’s a little advice for anyone entering into negotiations with former Chicago frontman Peter Cetera: It’s probably a bad idea to suggest that he take a “chill pill.”
That’s our takeaway from a note Cetera recently posted at his official site, in which he told a little more of his side of the story regarding his on-again, off-again (and ultimately permanently off) plans to reunite with Chicago at the group’s upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. As Cetera sees it, his many efforts to come up with a workable solution for the show fell on deaf ears — and were disrespectfully dismissed by his former bandmates.
“Every idea or suggestion I offered about how it could work musically was either rejected or changed by the show’s producers,” wrote Cetera. “Together with the fact that while I sent those same emails to the group, the only reply I ever received back from them was a very snarky ‘Take a chill pill, dude!’ Whoa! Really?”
Cetera, who left the band after 1984’s bestselling Chicago 17 and went on to score a handful of solo hits, has gotten comfortable calling the shots in his career, and despite 30 years apart, he and the remaining founding members in the band evidently still rub one another the wrong way. “At this point in my life,” he continued, “I don’t care to reintroduce the same negativity, misplaced egos and petty jealousies I left behind years ago.”
Recommending that fans come out to see him with his current solo band if they want to watch him perform, Cetera offered a measure of understanding for anyone who hoped to see a Rock Hall reunion. “Many of you will be disappointed and that’s understandable. Quite frankly, I’m disappointed as well,” he admitted. “There comes a time when you need to make a decision based on what’s best for you without worrying about the consequences, and this is that time.”

link to the article Cetera

[Lo]

Ok, perhaps Cetera's version does have credence. However, life is short. He deserved to be recognized in spite of any differences with band members. I had the unfortunate opportunity of meeting him here in Nashville at the Opry Mills movie theatres about 14 years ago. I did not care to approach him because I am not a fanatic about idolizing anyone. I say his girlfriend coming from the bathroom. I quietly and quickly told her to let him know I appreciated and loved his music and his voice. She told me to "tell him, that he would be delighted to hear that. He was at the concessions stand with his youngest daughter. I walked up to him, said a quick, hi and that I loved his music from Chicago blah blah. No more than 3 minutes. He said "thank you" without even making eye contact. I quickly left, thinking what a prick. He was clearly dismissive. Heck, wasn't like he was Michael Jackson. Left an impression. He is a pompous jerk thinking more highly of himself than he ought to.