Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Now that Blood, Sweat & Tears’ beginnings date back nearly 60 years, it’s understandable the groundbreaking jazz meets psychedelic band doesn’t have any original members, but its legacy is in the extremely capable hands of many world-class musicians put together by co-founding drummer Bobby Colomby.

The longest tenured player thus far is keyboardist Glenn McClelland, who initially entered the fold in 1987 and remains part of alternative rockers Ween, while the latest lead singer, Keith Paluso, was hand-picked off “The Voice” and has lovingly followed in the footsteps of David Clayton-Thomas since 2019.

Alongside the numerous other members acquired during the last decade or so, Blood, Sweat & Tears demonstrated an expert mastery of the group’s multi-platinum material on opening night of the entire “Past, Present, Future” Tour at the landmark Genesee Theatre.

In fact, this particular date was history-in-the-making as it not only included a complete concert by the headliners, but also marked the first-ever collaboration featuring guest Jason Scheff, singer, songwriter and bassist for Chicago from 1985-2016.

Though that classic songbook would eventually be on display, Blood, Sweat & Tears began with a horn-saturated blast through the likes of “Go Down Gamblin’,” “I Love You More Than Ever” and a radical reworking of Traffic’s “Smiling Phases.”

All the while, the guys were on fire, breathing fresh life into “Lucretia MacEvil,” “Hi-De-Ho,” “And When I Die” and “Spinning Wheel,” to name a few, often soloing extensively and playfully battling one another.

Without a break, the audience got nearly a whole second show when Blood, Sweat & Tears served as Scheff’s backers, an ideal pairing if there ever was one given their parallel lineages and similar approaches to experimentation, especially as the 1960s turned into the ‘70s.

Together, they were truly “Feelin’ Stronger Everyday,” and the man who replaced Peter Cetera particularly earned his stripes throughout “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” “Saturday In The Park” and “Just You ‘N’ Me.”

Scheff was just as equipped to handle later ballads, such as his personally popularized “Will You Still Love Me?,” prior to the full-throttled jams “25 Or 6 To 4” and “I’m A Man,” which on top of the earlier Blood, Sweat & Tears tunes, did indeed make the Genesee “So Very Happy.”

For additional information on Blood, Sweat & Tears and Jason Scheff, visit BloodSweatAndTears.com and JasonScheff.com.

Upcoming concerts at the Genesee Theatre include Linger: A Tribute To The Cranberries (Jan. 18); Dueling Pianos (Jan. 24); Little River Band (Jan. 25); “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” (Jan. 26); Richard Kind (Jan. 31); The Grass Roots, The Buckinghams and The Box Tops (Feb. 7); “The Sweet Caroline Tour” starring Jay White (Feb. 8); Uptown: A Celebration Of Motown And Soul (Feb. 14); Blind Melon (Feb. 15); Howard Jones and ABC (Feb. 20); Air Supply (Feb. 21); “Drumline” Live (Feb. 23); Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (Feb. 28); The Moody Blues’ John Lodge (Mar. 1); Jim Henson’s “Fraggle Rock” (Mar. 2); Illusionist Rick Thomas (Mar. 6); KC & The Sunshine Band (Mar. 7); Old Crow Medicine Show (Mar. 15); Here Come The Mummies (Mar. 20); “Ancient Aliens” (Mar. 21); An Evening With Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Mar. 22); Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Mar. 30); MJ Live (Apr. 4); The Brit Pack (Apr. 10); “The Addams Family” (Apr. 19); Voyage: Celebrating The Music Of Journey (May 1); “Sesame Street” Live! (May 16) and Brit Floyd (May 30). For additional details, visit GeneseeTheatre.com.

Related Articles

Genesee Theatre will debut Blood, Sweat & Tears featuring former Chicago singer Jason Scheff Peabo Bryson, “Idols” Ruben and Haley, Oleta Adams take Genesee “Home For The Holidays” Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone: “55th Anniversary” Tour at Genesee Theatre “Ooo Baby Baby,” Smokey Robinson’s velvety voice, textbook writing really got a hold on Genesee The legendary Morrissey lets the Genesee Theatre get exactly what it wants of solo and The Smiths “Soundstage” season premieres with Chicago marking 50 years of its sprawling second project “Alone Together, Again,” Dave Mason causes City Winery to reach a full capacity Traffic jam Chicago at 50 and The Doobie Brothers keep on rockin’ down the highway (and the lakefront)