Chicago
Murat Theatre
Sunday, Dec. 2, 8 p.m., $56-$76, all-ages

It was a hot evening in Hamilton County during the summer of 1982. I was there bumming around my hometown looking for something to get into. I ended up riding around with a dude who had an electric blue Trans Am and a Pioneer cassette stereo. We were cruising and digging on the stereo. As he pulled out a Triumph tape, he said, “Man, you gotta check this out.” Out of the speakers came “Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away” off Chicago’s then new album, “16.”

I looked over at my buddy, not knowing whether to laugh or punch him. My reflexes took over, and I hit the eject. “What is wrong with you man?” I yelled at him, while fumbling for the Scorpions tape I’d seen earlier.

“Hey, I know it sucks, but, man, get a chick in the car, feed her, make out with her a little and put that on, and man, it’s like some kinda sex potion.”

He had a point. Chicago didn’t become one of the biggest selling rock bands ever for their macho riffage; they became huge because the ladies loved it. All the way back to their “Saturday in the Park” and “25 or 6 to 4” days, when they invented jazz-rock, to their “You’re the Inspiration” and “Stay the Night” era, when they single-handedly reinvented adult contemporary, and even through the present day, when they are one of the few sure-fire bets on the nostalgia circuit — this band can unlock the toughest chastity belt.

When Chicago plays the Murat Theatre Dec. 2, they will bring one of the most celebrated songbooks in American rock to the stage. Their Trans Ams may be mini vans now, but every dude in the house will smile, because he knows the sex potion is being applied. The night will be one of conquest, thanks to the magic of Chicago.