Pine Knob has been a home away from home for many touring acts – none more so than Chicago, which played the theater 81 times during its first half-century, starting with a five-night stand in 1972. "Even with a band named Chicago, I've always felt that the audience at Pine Knob always held us in their hearts," says keyboardist Robert Lamm. "I just know I've always felt a lot of love from this audience." Pine Knob has seen Chicago through numerous lineup changes and hosted double bills with Earth, Wind & Fire, Huey Lewis & the News, the Doobie Brothers and more. During the `70s Chicago also played regular softball games against the Pine Knob staff, cutthroat affairs that the band recalls it usually won – albeit with minor injuries it would bring to the stage. "I think we got a little more concerned with the game than we did with the gig sometimes," trumpeter Lee Loughnane says with a laugh.
