On Wednesday and Thursday, December 4 and 5th, Onesti Entertainment presented two generations of the phenomenally musically gifted Chapin Family and Band members in a spectacular holiday concert. On December 4, we attended the performance at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles. December 5th concert was at the Des Plaines Theater. Charismatic Ron Onesti, CEO of Onesti Entertainment, introduced the band by sharing a story from his youth. Harry Chapin at the Arie Crown Theater was the first concert he attended. The entertainer blew him away. Onesti connected with the audience with his genuineness and his good-natured demeanor. He led us in “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He acknowledged all the ordinary heroes in the audience by asking first responders, nurses, doctors, military personnel, teachers, and skilled laborers to stand and receive applause in thanks for their service to the community.
December 7, 2024, would have been Harry Chapin’s 82nd birthday. His was an untimely death. He was only 38 years old. On July 16, 1981, his 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer at Exit 40, New York, Jericho Turnpike on the Long Island Expressway. He was pronounced dead at Nassau County Medical Center. Harry Chapin left a long, impressive, enduring legacy behind. He was an internationally successful American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist. He was a Grammy Award-winning artist and Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee who sold over sixteen million records worldwide. Chapin and Bill Ayres founded the organization WhyHunger as philanthropists and hunger activists in 1975. Charity Navigator gives WhyHunger a Four-Star rating, encouraging you to donate confidently.
Chapin and Bill Ayres founded the organization WhyHunger as philanthropists and hunger activists in 1975. Charity Navigator gives WhyHunger a Four-Star rating, encouraging you to give confidently. Onesti said, “The Chapin Family breathes life into Harry Chapin’s music in every performance in a way that only his family could. To honor Chapin’s campaign to end hunger, the audience brought canned goods to contribute to the Irving Park Community Food Pantry. The Chapin Family Band stated, “To honor Harry, let’s continue his important work.”
The Arcada concert began with the iconic song “W.O.L.D.” The song tells the story of an aging Disc Jockey who abandons his family to chase his passionate dream, only to realize his regrets. Steve Chapin, the youngest Chapin brother, sang the top 40’s hit lyrics. When Tom Chapin, another brother, came out to play the guitar, harmonica, and sing, he embodied Harry’s resonant voice and passionate storytelling. The band members consist of both family members and original band members. Jennifer Chapin, Harry’s daughter, adds a soulful, jazzy voice to folk song renditions. While Abigail and Lily Chapin, Harry’s nieces, sing beautiful angelic harmonies, blurring the lines between country, rock, and pop. The stupendous Big John Wallace is one of the original band members on bass and vocals, as is the drummer, quick-witted Howard Fields, whose powerful percussion drives the band. I do not know who the new cellist is, but he was fabulous.
The song before the intermission was “Taxi.” As the first strain of notes was recognized, the audience enthusiastically went wild for this hit and his most significant poignant song, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Sandra Chapin, Harry’s wife, originally wrote this as a poem. Harry turned it into a folk-rock single that topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. The Chapin Family in Concert performs not only Harry Chapin’s Greatest Hits and Stories LIVE but also intermittently shares delightful, intimate details about Harry’s brief life.
This was my first experience at the impressive St. Charles Arcada Theatre, 105 East Main Street, built in 1926 by Dellora A. Norris and Lester J. Norris. Lester Norris, a commercial artist and Chicago Tribune cartoonist, designed the interior. Noted architect Elmer Behrens designed the exterior in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005, Ron Onesti, president of Onesti Entertainment Corporation, assumed ownership of its operations only. It is an 897-seat venue bringing performances typical of major city downtowns to St. Charles, Illinois. Free, convenient multi-level public parking is less than half a block away. The theater houses a restaurant, Merchandise shop, Pinball & Gaming Arcade, several bars, and a snack shop. Check out Arcada Theatre’s upcoming events if you missed this holiday production.
Photos Courtesy of: Onesti Entertainment unless otherwise specified
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Sounds like a great evening.