Chicago Brings Horn-Driven Classics to Ruoff Music Center on Windy Cities Tour

On a warm August evening in central Indiana, the distinctive brass lines that have defined Chicago for nearly six decades filled the open air at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville. The band’s signature blend of rock, jazz, and pop—anchored by that unmistakable horn section—still stands apart in today’s music landscape, where few acts carry such a deep catalog of radio staples into their sixth decade of touring.

Chicago closed out the co-headlining bill with Styx on August 2, 2026, as part of the Windy Cities Tour, the first joint outing for the two groups that both trace their roots to the same Midwestern city. While Styx opened the night, Chicago took the stage about 9:05 pm and delivered a set drawn almost entirely from their most enduring material, but with two covers from the days when they were just getting started.

They wrapped up just under two hours with a dazzling show. Their vocal bench is deep, and borrowing a page from Rod Stewart, there was a very nice addition of four beautiful women violinists.

A Legacy Built on Horns, Hits, and Endurance

Formed in Chicago in 1967, the band first appeared as The Big Thing before becoming Chicago Transit Authority and finally shortening the name to Chicago. The original lineup featured Robert Lamm on keyboards and vocals, Lee Loughnane on trumpet, James Pankow on trombone, Walter Parazaider on woodwinds, Terry Kath on guitar, Peter Cetera on bass, and Danny Seraphine on drums. Their self-titled debut double album in 1969 introduced a sound that mixed rock energy with jazz-influenced brass arrangements, and the group never looked back.

Over the years Chicago sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and placed multiple albums and singles at the top of the charts. Billboard once ranked them the highest-charting American band among its Top 125 Artists of All Time. Hits such as “25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday in the Park,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Beginnings,” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” became permanent fixtures on classic-rock and adult-contemporary playlists.

The band has toured every year since its founding. Founding members Robert Lamm and James Pankow stepped back from the road in recent years because of medical issues, leaving Lee Loughnane as the sole original member still performing onstage. The current touring ensemble keeps the classic horn sound front and center while introducing newer voices to the material longtime fans know by heart.

Current Touring Lineup

• Lee Loughnane – Trumpet, Vocals
• Ray Herrmann – Saxophone
• Nick Lane – Trombone
• Walfredo Reyes Jr. – Drums
• Ramon “Ray” Yslas – Percussion
• Tony Obrohta – Guitar, Vocals
• Eric Baines – Bass, Vocals
• Carlos Murguía – Keyboard, Vocals
• Justin Avery – Keyboard, Vocals
• Rudy Cardenas – Lead Vocalist

Rudy Cardenas joined as lead vocalist in June 2026, making the Noblesville date part of his early stretch with the band. The horn section—Loughnane, Herrmann, and Lane—continues to give the songs their familiar punch, while the rhythm section of Reyes Jr., Yslas, and Baines provides the drive that has always underpinned Chicago’s live shows.

The Setlist in Noblesville

Chicago’s portion of the evening followed a familiar path through the catalog, according to the setlist reported for the Ruoff date. The performance opened with an introduction and “Dialogue (Part I & II),” then moved through “Alive Again,” the ballad “If You Leave Me Now,” and the multi-part “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” sequence that includes “Make Me Smile,” “So Much to Say, So Much to Give,” “Anxiety’s Moment,” “West Virginia Fantasies,” and “Colour My World.”

Later highlights included “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Old Days,” “Beginnings,” a cover of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” and “I’m a Man.” After percussion and drum features, the band continued with “Just You ’n’ Me,” “Street Player,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry / Get Away,” “Saturday in the Park,” and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day.” The encore brought “Free” and closed with the hard-driving “25 or 6 to 4.”

Closing Notes from the Night

Even with substantial changes to the lineup in recent years, the core elements that first drew listeners to Chicago—the layered horns, the strong vocal harmonies, and the steady parade of recognizable songs—remained clearly present in Noblesville. The Windy Cities Tour pairing with Styx gave audiences a double dose of classic rock that both bands helped define decades ago.

Anyone who values the brass-and-rock sound that Chicago helped popularize will find the current touring version still delivers those familiar arrangements with energy and care. The songs have outlasted many shifts in personnel, and the live presentation continues to give longtime fans and newer listeners a chance to hear them performed by a working band that treats the material with respect.

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