Chicago's Classic Rocker The Drive 97.1 FM (WDRV) Makes 11th Year Anniversary Birthday Party An Unforgettable Night To Remember!

Last Friday, WDRV Radio (The Drive) proved that when it comes to hosting a live event, nobody does it better, period. What do you get when you combine a Hall of Fame opening act (Dave Mason) and a band with so many #1 classic hits that their apparent snub from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame can only be viewed as a gross oversight that will hopefully be rectified by a major pettition pending currently? You get Dave Mason + The Doobie Brothers at The Akoo Theater on a Friday night that will be remembered as one of the best nights of live music in Chicago history.

Mason, formerly of Traffic and for years a solo Icon himself, was the perfect opening act. Dave is so personable and having just turned 66, he could be your Uncle or someone's Grandfather, but the moment he starts crooning crowd pleasers like: "We Just Disagree," "Let It Go, Let It Flow," or begins ripping some of his bluesy, tasty guitar riffs the WDRV audience knew they were in for a real treat. Dave brought the house to it's feet with everyone joining in on his megahit: "Feelin' Alright" and still proved the old rocker had a Chicago based surprise up his sleeve, when he invited Chicago Blues guitar legend Lonnie Brooks onto the stage to join him in a (bootleg) version of the Jimi Hendrix/Bob Dylan classic: "All Along The Watchtower." Mason's satisfying set was well beyond the typical opening act warm-up as an adoring  crowd showered Dave with reverence and accolades.

Just when you thought it couldn't get better, "The Drive" marched out their headliner: The Doobie Brothers. One of my favorite games to play is to make a gentleman's bet on what song the headlining group is going to open with. Since my daughter just turned 13 and this was only her 4th major concert we decided to give her a pass, however, my girlfriend and I seemed to mutually agree that China Grove would be a great song to open the show with. We both stood corrected when Lead Singers Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons strolled to the front of the stage flanked by Bass player John Cowan and longtime Lead Guitarist and instrumental virtuoso John McFee and launched into a highly energetic, melodic, harmony filled version of "Jesus Is Just Alright." Speaking of highly energetic, Simmons ran around the stage like a man possessed, throwing his fist into the air in between crunchy guitar solos and raucious trade-offs with McFee and Johnston.

Rounded out by Guy Allison on Keyboards & Marc Russo on Saxophones, the Doobies held their bottom together by continuing to deploy their visually exciting "duel drummer" technique with Ed Toth and Tony Pia kicking major butt in unison. Russo hung back during the early portion of the set and ultimately had the audience eating out of his hand with searing solos on clasics like "Takin' It To The Streets" and "Long Train Runnin."

The Doobies proved why they are the best classic rock group of all time not to have been elected to the Hall of Fame (a dubious snub) Pun intended??? Johnston and Simmons underscored why they might be the most underrated songwriting duo in rock history as the crowd was essentially on it's feet for practically the entire concert. At one point, Simmons, Johnston, Mcfee (who was incredible in his own right) and Cowan rocked their guitars in unison (ZZ Top style) and the crowd was in a musical frenzy. The Doobie Brothers played with the energy of a new, rejuvenated band belying their rich history of a stunning 43 years! I mentioned to my daughter, Lauren Rose that in a "Battle of the bands," I'd pit the Doobie Brothers vs just about any rock group I'd seen in many a decade.

With the band stringing together so many memorable hits including:

"Rockin' Down The Highway" with Simmons flying all over the stage with McFee and Johnston cranking out the power chords in unison to "Take Me In Your Arms" (Rock Me) to bringing the house down with "Long Train Runnin'" and audience participation on favorites "Listen To The Music" and "Blackwater," it's no wonder that their Greatest Hits Album/CD has garnered The Doobies the prestigious Diamond Award for exceeding 10 million units for Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits.

WDRV hit a grand slam by bringing the Doobies back to Chicago in such an intimate setting where the audience was treated to a concert for the ages by invitation only. The brilliant collaborative team efforts of Jerry Schnacke, Greg Solk, Paul Webber, Kathy Voltmer, along with  quality lead-ins by Hall of Fame quality air-talents Bob Stroud and Bobby Skafish, proved while "The Drive" even in it's younger, decade plus history, will remain a broadcast force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Their 11th year anniversary concert will go down in the annals of Chicago rock history as one of our city's best ever.