A Re-Visit with one of the area's best entertainers.
Report and Photos by Mario Salazar.
On January 15th, I had the opportunity to once again get together with one of Chicago's longest-running and most succesful rock bands. Their name is Infinity. They started out as a Journey Tribute act back in the 80s but over the years have added more variety to their ever-evolving song repertoire to please their ever-growing fan base. Today, their setlist includes classic arena rock hits and some current crowd favorites. I've always liked these guys but had been a couple of years since I'd seen them, so when asked to help out with promoting a benefit show for Terry Bucki, - a local family man and friend of the band's who is battling cancer -, I jumped at the opportunity to not only help a noble cause as did Infinity and 2 other bands (Jamilya & Major Woody), but also to see the guys again and see what was new with the band.
Changes were very evident in some aspects. The band's lineup recently changed with the addition of Lance Tuula on lead guitar/vocals. In addition to their standard arena rock variety, the band's setlist included more party-type songs from the likes of Three Dog Night & The Beatles among others. Even though it was a bit late in the season, the band opened the show with a Christmas instrumental from TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) to very loud cheers, and also performed a Led Zepellin medley which was really cool and had everyone on their feet singing and chanting along. Whether these repertoire changes are actual additions to the band's show or they were a special performance for this benefit remains to be determined. The thing I like about Infinity is their consistency in putting on not a good, but a great show every time. They really enjoy what they do and it is contagious, as the crowd really gets into it and a lot of things that may seem (or actually are) corny in some scenarios, work just fine for them.
Their 90-minute set was very entertaining and included all the things you've come to expect from an Infinity show, -the Journey and REO Speedwagon sing-alongs, pretty girls in the audience, people dancing -ocassionally onstage-, smiles everywhere. The band, made up by Bob Biagi on vocals / guitar, Kevin Willison on guitar / vocals, Jim Cairo on bass, Dennis Zarobsky on keyboards / vocals, Vince Ribando on drums and the new guy, Lance Tuula on lead guitar, were on top of their game musically and visually. Guitarist/Vocalist Willison said of Tuula's addition "...he's injected so much energy into the band, this is REALLY fun!". And that he did. Tuula was energetic, incredibly fun to watch and has the musical chops to stand his own ground.
All in all, this was a fun show. Infinity is one of those bands that whether is a club or a summer festival, you're almost always going to have a great time. Behind the instruments, they're good guys and are in my opinion one of the best all-around bands in Chicago.
My rating for Infinity after this show (out of 5):
For additional information on the band, visit them online at www.infinity2k.com
I now leave you with some photos from the show. Enjoy and see you next time.
My rating for Infinity after this show (out of 5):
For additional information on the band, visit them online at www.infinity2k.com
I now leave you with some photos from the show. Enjoy and see you next time.
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A Re-Visit with one of the area's best entertainers.