Chicago Chicago: VI Decades Live (Box Set) CD

Chicago has been a concert force for more than 50 years, thrilling its legion of fans with performances that never disappoint. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers celebrate their live legacy with a 4CD/1DVD collection of previously unreleased concert recordings, which includes several deep cuts that have never appeared on any of the band’s live albums.

CHICAGO: VI DECADES LIVE (THIS IS WHAT WE DO) was recorded between 1969 and 2014, including the band’s entire performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. The DVD features a concert that was originally broadcast on the German music television show Rockpalast in 1977. The set comes with a 24-page booklet illustrated with rare images selected from the band’s vast archive.

The first two discs are dedicated to Chicago’s headlining performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 28, 1970. It’s a snapshot of the band on the verge of superstardom and captures them in top form, playing songs from their first two albums – “Beginnings” and “Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon” – as well as “Mother” from their third album, which was unreleased at the time. The other two headliners on this 3-day festival were The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

The remaining discs include live performances selected from six decades, starting with a trio of songs recorded in Paris in 1969: “Poem For The People,” “25 Or 6 To 4” and “Liberation.” Other highlights include deep tracks like “A Hit By Varèse” (1973), “Takin’ It On Uptown” (1977), and “Forever” (1987), in addition to songs from Chicago’s 1994 big band tour: “In The Mood” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”

This is a new, unopened CD in its original packaging.