Chicago
At the Lynn Auditorium, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $57-$97. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
Robert Lamm, a singer, songwriter, and keyboardist for the veteran pop-rock collective Chicago, has never visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, but pretty soon he’ll have a compelling reason to go. After more than 20 years of eligibility, the band responsible for a diverse range of hits — “25 or 6 to 4,’’ “Saturday in the Park,’’ and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is’’ are among Lamm’s contributions — will be ushered into the Hall on April 8.
Before that, Chicago comes to the Lynn Auditorium on Friday. We caught up with Lamm by phone from his home in California to chat about the induction, his love of fellow inductees N.W.A, and the touring life.
Q. Artists don’t generally make music to get accolades, but they certainly must be nice when they come — and the Hall of Fame in particular, after being eligible for so long.
A. Yeah, it was good news and it was actually very unexpected. We had sort of moved on from even thinking about it, so it was a surprise. We’ve been very grateful for yet something else lovely to happen in our long career.
Q. Do you know who will be inducting you yet?
A. The Hall pretty much dictates everything. There are some things I know and some I don’t, and that’s one of the things I don’t know. At some point they tell us. [Laughs] It’s still months away. Where we’re at now is they’ve asked us to give them an idea of the kind of things we’d be willing to donate for the permanent exhibit.
Q. When they asked you that question, were there items that immediately sprang to mind that you think of as emblematic of the band?
A. Over the years I’ve kept a lot of things that I was just keeping because they meant something to me at the time. And frankly, we have three grown kids, so I was already thinking about what happens with that stuff — do they want it? And they all want some parts of the archives. But the things that, surprisingly, the Hall of Fame was interested in was stage wardrobe. During the ’70s it was a very sort of flash era, so there was a lot of really groovy clothing, and I never kept that stuff. I either gave it away or threw it away by the time the ’80s rolled around. [Laughs] I don’t have that stuff, but I wish I did. I think I might have a pair of shoes or something. [Laughs]
Q. Has there been a definitive decision on whether Peter Cetera will be joining you to perform? At the time of the announcement it seemed possible, but there have been mixed signals since.
A. Honestly, I have no idea.
Q. But you would welcome him if he decided he wanted to get up and sing?
A. I’ve always felt that way.
Q. Have you picked the songs for your set? How do you represent such a disparate body of work?
A. I think our manager Peter Schivarelli has negotiated a few songs that the Hall wants. I won’t give it away, but you can use your imagination.
Q. My imagination tells me that you have to play “25 or 6 to 4.’’
A. [Laughs] I thought “25 or 6 to 4’’ would be a suitable song for the jam at the end, because there’s usually a lot of guitar players wandering around. Also, that particular song has been sampled and used a number of times by rap and hip-hop artists, and because N.W.A is also being inducted, I thought they might feel comfortable with that song. It might serve everybody’s purposes well. So we’ll see what happens.
Q. Speaking of N.W.A, are you a fan of your fellow class of inductees Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, and Steve Miller?
A. Of all them, absolutely. I’ve always been a big fan of what Dre does, and now even more so after seeing “Straight Outta Compton,’’ seeing the story of their evolution.
Q. Did you all know Cheap Trick from back in the day knocking around Chicago?
A. Never met ’em. We had the same experience with REO [Speedwagon] when we toured with them a couple of years ago. We all basically grew up in the same neighborhoods, and we had never met them. Which is, I suppose, a good thing — everybody was too busy for 40 years.
Chicago
At the Lynn Auditorium, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $57-$97. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
Interview was condensed and edited. Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com.
