# Why does Chicago still exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362 "2007-05-16T19:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/1 "2007-05-16T19:52:00Z")
I mean the band. If they’d broken up in about 1976 I might be buying their records now. Instead I’m fantasizing about organizing a boycott to put them out of their misery. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/2 "2007-05-16T19:55:40Z")
We think it’s time for them to quit. Ah, but does anyone really know what time it is? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/3 "2007-05-16T19:55:43Z")
Somebody has to play the showrooms at Indian casinos. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/4 "2007-05-16T20:00:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Ah, but does anyone really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? Obviously not. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/5 "2007-05-16T20:01:22Z")
Someone, I can’t remember who, suggested that they only keep selling albums because they number them–“people think they have to own the whole set, like encyclopedia supplements.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/6 "2007-05-16T20:01:41Z")
I’ve wondered the same thing of Kansas, The Temptations, and many other bands, especially the ones that have no or maybe one original members left. The answer of course is money. They’re past their prime by decades but they can still get 4 figures for appearing at county fairs and city fests and D List venues, so that’s a lot more than they’d get from “Best of” album sales. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/7 "2007-05-16T20:02:41Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] Someone, I can’t remember who, suggested that they only keep selling albums because they number them–“people think they have to own the whole set, like encyclopedia supplements.” [/QUOTE] I remember that joke from the book _Paperback Writer_–30 years ago! ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/8 "2007-05-16T20:03:43Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] I remember that joke from the book _Paperback Writer_–30 years ago! [/QUOTE] Oh god. It’s worse than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/9 "2007-05-16T20:05:41Z")
I’m with you- Chicago pre-1976 is sublime. What happened in the 80’s I have blocked out. I can only imagine how bad their current output is. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/10 "2007-05-16T20:06:57Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I’ve wondered the same thing of Kansas, The Temptations, and many other bands, especially the ones that have no or maybe one original members left. [/QUOTE] AFAIK Chicago still includes four of the seven original members: all three horn players plus keyboardist Bobby Lamm. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/11 "2007-05-16T20:07:34Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Ah, but does anyone really know what time it is? [/QUOTE] 25 or 6 to 4? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/12 "2007-05-16T20:10:45Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] The answer of course is money. [/QUOTE] Brass band… skyrocketing scrap metal prices… _light bulb click_ ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/13 "2007-05-16T20:28:25Z")
I had no idea _Chicago_ was still performing, but hey, if I had a job that allowed me to sleep till noon, have orgiastic sex with teenage girls and get free drinks everywhere, and that paid well on top of it, I’d be kind of reluctant to retire. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/14 "2007-05-16T20:35:59Z")
I think the orgiastic sex with teenage girls stopped a while ago. I thought this was about Jordan retiring. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/15 "2007-05-16T20:37:26Z")
I remember an old _Rolling Stone_ interview where Michael Stipe swore REM would break up in the year 2000, so they wouldn’t keep staggering through the motions, like, um, Chicago. Ultimately, one of those two bands will open for the other. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/16 "2007-05-16T20:55:39Z")
I saw them last summer on a double bill with Earth, Wind and Fire. They did only old stuff (as did EW&F) plus the two bands played a set together. It was really, really good. But then again, they played nothing from their Air Supply phase. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/17 "2007-05-16T21:43:17Z")
Perhaps someone can form a band called “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” and put an end to Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/18 "2007-05-16T21:47:38Z")
_I heard my mama cry I heard her pray the night Chicago died_ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/19 "2007-05-16T22:11:29Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] The answer of course is money. They’re past their prime by decades but they can still get 4 figures for appearing at county fairs and city fests and D List venues, [/QUOTE] What about puppet shows? ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362/20 "2007-05-16T22:31:09Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] I remember an old _Rolling Stone_ interview where Michael Stipe swore REM would break up in the year 2000, so they wouldn’t keep staggering through the motions, like, um, Chicago. [/QUOTE] I’m too lazy to look up a cite, but didn’t Jagger say once that he’d rather die than still be singing _Satisfaction_ when he’s (God forbid) 40? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chicago-still-exist/404362.md?page=2)