Exuberant “Rascals” Return to the Spotlight

Long Dormant ‘60s Band Erupts On Stage

You get the distinct feeling that this is a band that a) wants to make up for lost time and b) has something to prove. They accomplish both in the feel-good show of the season: Once Upon a Dream, Starring the Rascals.

 The Rascals sold millions of records and then dissolved. Now the original members have reunited for their first tour in 40 years. In a hybrid concert/stage show they tell their story and perform a string of hits and shoulda-been hits.  A convincing case is made that they are one seriously under-appreciated rock-and-soul band.

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There are #1 songs: the irresistibly catchy “Good Lovin’,” the laidback “Groovin’” and the rousing “People Got to Be Free.”

And there’s “Lonely Too Long,” “It’s a Beautiful Morning,” “You Better Run,” “How Can I Be Sure” and a slew of excellent pop-rock tunes I’d never heard.

The band sounds terrific and shines under a most favorable light, literally. The lighting design on this show is truly eye-popping. Designer Marc Brickman has done lighting for Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and the Olympics. The saturated colors and psychedelic projections smartly echo the musical material.

“Once Upon a Dream” is a labor of love from Steven Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen’s guitar playing pal and sometime actor (The Sopranos, Lilyhammer). Van Zandt re-united the band and wrote and co-directed the show. He told Chicago Tonight that he saw the Stones, the Beatles, and the Who in the 1960s, and the Rascals were better.

Now playing at the Cadillac Palace in the Loop, Once Upon a Dream is in Chicago for four more nights. With luck, The Rascals will return before 40 more years pass.

 

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