New 'The Ides of March Way' Honors Jim Peterik's Band in Berwyn

A portion of Home Avenue in Berwyn was dedicated Sept. 12 as The Ides of March Way in honor of the group headed by former La Grange resident Jim Peterik.

The stretch of Home Avenue named—between Riverside Drive and Cermak Road—shares a location with Morton West High School, 2400 Home Ave., the site of many of The Ides of March early concerts. In fact, the band started in 1964 in a basement near Morton West and seven of the eight final band members attended either Morton West or Morton East High School.

The Morton West auditorium was the site Sept. 12 of a dedication ceremony. Dick Biondi, WLS-FM radio jockey, Msgr. Daniel Mayall of Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, and Berwyn city and school officials were among the speakers.

Band members also spoke and performed four songs: "L.A. Goodbye"; "You Wouldn't Listen"; "Eye of the Tiger"; and "Vehicle". "Eye of the Tiger" was co-written by Peterik and Frankie Sullivan, while both in the band Survivor, and became the theme of the "Rocky III" movie.

The band also performed an unannounced early hit "You Wouldn't Listen," to the audience at the nostalgic venue: The Ides of March held their last concert at Morton West before breaking up in 1973, and played a reunion concert nearby in 1990 at the Summerfaire festival.

Peterik, who grew up in Berwyn, lived in La Grange for many years, and now resides in Burr Ridge, is one of the four original band members—with Larry Millas, Bob Bergland and Mike Borch—who have been with the group since 1964. Six years later, the group added a brass section of Chuck Soumar and John Larson. Scott May and Dave Stahlberg complete the group.

The group originally was called "The Shon Dels," which was close to the name of a group headed by Tommy James. So the Berwyn band's name changed to The Ides of March, suggested by Bergland, who had been reading "Julius Caesar."