Conversation with the Biggest Chicago Fan I Know

The band Chicago was formed in 1967 and has won multiple Grammy awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

They’ll be performing several area shows this Summer. New Jersey performances include Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Friday, July 25th, and Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Saturday, July 26th.

If you listen to my show regularly, you’re familiar with Suzy Cerone. She’s a News and Traffic Reporter for Total Traffic.

Suzy is the biggest Chicago fan I know. I thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with her, and find out how much of a “Chicago Geek,” as she calls herself, she really is.

However, she says she would not consider herself the biggest Chicago fan as she references her friend in Texas. This fellow Chicago superfan has gone to New Zealand, Paris, and multiple states to attend a Chicago concert.

Suzy has been to about two dozen shows, which she says is “small potatoes” when it comes to the band’s true fans. However, she can say that she's met every band member, but her favorites are Jimmy Pankow and, especially, Robert Lamm.

She says, “When Jimmy got made, he got a double dose of personality. He is like the Energizer Bunny, he is just amazing. It’s like he’s in a trance or something when he’s performing.”

Check out my chat with Suzy here...

Suzy undeniably admits that Robert is her number one favorite band member. When I asked her, “Why Robert?” she said, “Oh gosh, have you looked at him? He’s very handsome, very talented, there’s something about him, he’s like a renaissance man.” Suzy doesn’t remember what she said when she met Robert, “My heart was pounding.”

Her favorite piece of memorabilia, “I just acquired two years ago. I saw Chicago in Port Chester, New York. Robert Lamm is playing guitar [during] Beginnings, at the end of the song, he looked at me and he tossed me his guitar pick.” That is her “Holy Grail,” and she keeps it on her nightstand.

Suzy’s fandom began when she was just a tween, and her first live Chicago experience was in concert with the Beach Boys in June of 1975 at Madison Square Garden.

So, what’s the best show she’s ever seen? Her favorite is “Any of the Las Vegas convention shows because they know we hardcore fans are in the audience.”

There’s a Chicago fan club, and if you’re a member, you’re notified about the annual two-day convention in Vegas, where the band does a residency.

The convention is limited to two hundred people who enjoy the convention, a chat with the band, and a private show.

For tickets to upcoming shows or anything else Chicago-related, Suzy points out that the website is “Chicagotheband.com.”