Here come the summer reruns

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Interviews, performances

No, Mr. Springsteen, you're not in Ohio
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Singing monk to quit metal band

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Get down tonight
This summer, concert bills are loaded with late ‘70s rock bands, all conjuring images of bandanas, bongs and Camaros. To name a few: Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Loverboy, Blue Oyster Cult, Styx and REO Speedwagon. Seriously!

What’s great about older acts hitting the road is that we can finally see all those bands we were too cool to dig way back when you were concerned with being cool. For all those kids who skipped class and blasted the above listed bands in the school parking lot, it is now okay to see K.C. & the Sunshine Band.

Remember “Disco Sucks!”? Turns out, a lot of it didn’t. K.C. & the Sunshine Band was/is a solid funk and R&B combo with great songs. Deep in your heart, you know you loved “I’m Your Boogie Man,” “Keep It Comin’ Love,” and of course, “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty.” Tie on your bandana and see the above bands if you must, but K.C. is guaranteed a better booty shakin’ time.

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And if you get a chance, don’t miss the Village People either.

25 or 6 to 4
Then there are the musicians who don’t seem like nostalgia because they never stopped working. Bruce Springsteen and his Seeger Sessions Band are playing sold-out arenas this summer, as are Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their 30^th anniversary tour.

While not as overwhelmingly popular, Chicago falls into this category as well. Founded in the late 60s, Chicago is one of the few rock outfits to never break up or even take an extended break. Casual fans may have assumed the group dissolved soon after the departure of front man Peter Cetera, who sang one of the bands most famous hits, “If You Leave Me Now.” Despite a few personnel changes however, four of the six founding members remain, and Chicago continues to record and tour.

Chicago is also one of the first and few bands with a regular horn section, creating a signature sound whether playing jazz, the ballads the band is known for, or old standards. A live horn sound also makes for a great live show in any decade—whether, as the song goes, it’s Saturday in the park … or at 7 a.m. Friday morning on the “Today Show.”

New York-based writer Helen A.S. Popkin is an accomplished hairbrush vocalist, and can be seen this summer on the Living Room Tour.

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