Chicago in the early ’80s via the band’s website. Cetera is third from left.
Update (1/5): Cetera indicates he wants in. Click here for Best Classic Bands’ most recent coverage.
“Wishing You Were Here?” Former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera has been teasing his fans with a series of messages on his website regarding whether he’d be joining his former bandmates when the classic rock legends are formally welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 this spring.
On December 23rd, he wrote: “I will make an an important announcement on this site after the New Year that will shock the WOOORRRLLDD! Ok, maybe not the world but at least maybe parts of the USA and Canada! Ill [sic] have a statement that will come from me and me only regarding my participation in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Best Classic Bands reported that Chicago’s Robert Lamm indicated that Cetera “has emphatically declined.” Click here for that story.
However, on December 30th, Cetera wrote: “I’m getting ready to post my reply to the Hall of Fame about my participation for the show. It should happen within the first week of the new year. Tell your friends, relatives, Romans and of course countrymen. see ya, P”
Writing on January 3rd, he indicated that he’d be appearing today (January 4th) on “Mark in the Morning” on Southern California’s Classic Rock 100.3: “I’ll… talk about my decision on the RnR HoF induction ceremony! Whoopdee Doo!”
So what’d he say? Basically, “Love Me Tomorrow.” This time, Cetera teased the radio audience. When host Mark Thompson offered his congratulations, Cetera replied: “Thank you, Mark! Congratulations on what?” When Thompson talked about Chicago’s Hall of Fame election being “deserved and delayed by 20 years,” Cetera agreed: “Well join the club because that’s the way many of us feel.”
Thompson: “The question is: obviously Chicago is going to perform. Are you going to join them?”
Cetera’s answer: “Well you know what? I am going to reserve any comments on that until tomorrow” indicating he’d “have my definitive answer on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” as yet another message on his website.
So will Cetera perform at the induction ceremony? All we can add: “Baby, What a Big Surprise.”
Here’s the band during what some have called their jazzy, live peak. This performance at Tanglewood in 1970 features a blistering guitar solo by Terry Kath and Cetera on lead vocals.
13 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationPete will be lucky to have any fans by the time this nonsense is over. Pretty pathetic, actually.
Yeah, this is a comment from a long-time fan of his since the seventies. His silly self-important nonsensical behavior about the hall of fame is really showing himself to be an arrogant nitwit.
Gotta say, I agree with you. Big fan of his for decades. Notwithstanding, what a pathetic spectacle he’s making of himself.
Agree with Jake and Gromit. My hunch is that Cetera will join his former bandmates–otherwise, he’d just deny it. His arrogance won’t allow Lamm to make the announcement for him. Now just gotta get Seraphine back in.
Pete Cetera is acting like a total moron. What a self-absorbed doofus.
He’s Peter Cetera, he can do and say what he wants. Congratulations Peter and all of the Chicago boys.
My fear is that he’ll do it but only if he gets a say in the song selection and this is just not the venue for If You Leave Me Now or Hard To Say I’m Sorry. What I’ve been dreaming of is that Chicago would do Dialogue with Peter singing live along with video of Terry, a la Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole. Something that really honors how great they were. Wonder if Peter could keep his ego in his pocket long enough to do something like that? I’m not going to play this game and go to his website, I’ll wait until I read about here or in the news.
Just posted on his website (yes, with tomorrow’s date)
January 6, 2016
Hello Everyone! I’ve just sent this mail to everyone involved. Hopefully it will answer all the questions concerning my participation in the Hall of Fame induction..Thanks
Hello Robert, Danny, Lee, Walter, and James. I’m sending this to you and Danny since yours are the only email addresses I have. Please forward this to everyone.
First off, congratulations all around on this long overdue honor. While our fans believe we should have been inducted years ago, they find it harder to believe that we haven’t even been nominated in all that time. Oh well, we are now!
All the credit goes to those who voted for us in overwhelming numbers during the recent poll. They alone deserve our thanks for finally making this happen.
I know we all look forward to speaking that evening and I’m sure we all wish that Terry was there to join us. That can’t happen unfortunately, but I have one thing that can.
As a finale, we can walk onstage together one last time as a group, I’ll strap on the bass, and we can do 25or6to4 in the key of E. I believe it would make for one fantastic Hall of Fame moment and satisfy those who have always wanted some sort of reunion.
Along with your current members, I would also like us to invite past members Laudir de Oliveira, Donnie Dacus, Kenny Cetera, Chris Pinnick, and Bill Champlin to join us up there as well on the song. They’ve all contributed to the legacy of the group and I think this would be a fitting way to honor them.
In the end, this should go a long way towards healing old wounds and showing solidarity on that night. At least I hope so!
See you all in Brooklyn, Peter
Thanks, Eric. We had already advanced the story here (but good catch about the mixed up date):
http://bestclassicbands.com/peter-cetera-offers-to-play-chicago-hof-induction-1-5-16/
He forgot to mention the person who actually played a big role in their success to be recognized for the first time and that’s their original producer JAMES WILLIAM GUERCIO.
Guercio actually built a recording studio for them to record high up in the Rocky Mountain.
This one? 😉
http://bestclassicbands.com/caribou-ranch-was-a-rocky-mountain-recording-high-5-8-15/
Yes! That one!
Me thinks Cetera is nothing more than a self absorbed buffoon. In the end, he’s only hurt himself not being there!