Rocking the new year
Petrik brings World Stage back to Naperville
Never mind rocking into the night — Jim Peterik is rocking into the New Year.
Jim Peterik and World Stage will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 12 at North Central College in Naperville.
World Stage is a band comprising top musicians backing Peterik and an all-star lineup. On the bill at this show are The Ides of March; David Pack, former lead singer with Ambrosia; Gary Wright (“Dream Weaver”); Alex Ligertwood, former singer of Santana; Toby Hitchcock of Pride of Lions; Colin Peterik of Fever Breaks; singers Leslie Hunt and Riley Pettrone; and the possibility of a surprise guest.
Peterik, formerly of Survivor and .38 Special fame, is a Grammy award-winning songwriter. He was an original member of the band Survivor and co-writer of the band’s extensive catalogue. He left the band in 1996. He co-wrote the mega-smash anthem “Eye of the Tiger.”
If you follow Peterik on Facebook, you will notice that he is one busy dude.
“It’s so fun. When it’s something you enjoy, it’s not work,” he said. “I wake up in the morning and go, ‘I get to work on the new Ides of March album. I get to work on the new Dennis DeYoung album. I get to put the finishing touches on the new Jim Peterik and World Stage album that’s coming out in April.’ It’s a wonderland of music, and that’s what I live for.”
Let’s back up. The new Ides of March album, due out in May and full of all new material, is called “Play On.”
“Like the Shakespeare quote — ‘If music is the food of love, play on,’ ” he said. “So we’re playing on. Fifty-five years since 1964 when we had our first rehearsal. A lot of stories, a lot of travels, a lot of camaraderie.
“We decided we wanted to make an album like we did in the old days. When we’re in the same room with each other, eye to eye, none of this flying digital files all over,” he said.
Special guests like Mark Farner, formerly of Grand Funk Railroad, will appear on the album.
“He sings a duet with me on a song we wrote together called ‘Swagger,’ which is inspired by Farner,” Peterik said. “We had him at World Stage a few months ago and he just still has that swagger. He gets up onstage, he’s 70 years old, and he’s a teenager. He sings great, dances, plays guitar. We had to have him on the record and he said yes.”
Cathy Richardson, whom Peterik mentored when she was 18 and is now the lead singer of Jefferson Starship, does a duet with Peterik called “Blue Storm Rising.”
Bo Bice, who came in second to Carrie Underwood on season four of “American Idol,” who released his own version of “Vehicle” and fronted Blood, Sweat and Tears for five years, is another guest on the album.
Then there’s a new Jim Peterik and World Stage album, the first since 2001, coming out in April.
“At the Wentz Concert Hall, we’re going to be premiering some of the new material from the album,” he said.
Peterik attributes his success to the balance he finds in his life thanks to his wife of 46 years, Karen Peterik.
He has two kids, a granddaughter and a grandson on the way.
“All that enriches your life so much,” he said.
The other long-lasting relationship in his life is with his band, Ides of March. It’s lasted longer than most marriages.
“I think the success of The Ides of March has to do with mutual respect,” he said. “We all have our particular niche. Larry (Millas, guitar) has always been our recording engineer. Way back in high school, he had his little Sony reel-toreel and he would record rehearsals. And that became his profession. Besides the Ides, he’s a very sought-after recording engineer. So we put all the recordings in his hands.
“Bob Berglund (bass) handles the books. He’s the business mind of the band. Mike Borch (drums) handles all the communications. I’m the musical director. It’s not like we don’t question each other and make suggestions, but we all have our own territory and we pretty much stick to it.”
Naperville audiences will be treated to songs like “Night of the World Stage” and “Rockin’ Into the Night,” made famous by .38 Special.
“Then we start turning it over to the guests,” he said. “‘Dream Weaver’ to me is a high point of the set when Gary Wright comes out. And David Pack, ‘You’re the Biggest Part of Me,’ which is my favorite song he does. Toby Hitchcock (does) some of the Pride of Lions catalogue but also some of the Survivor catalogue that I had the pleasure of cowriting.
“And a medley of ‘High on You’ and ‘I Can’t Hold Back,’ which always brings down the house. We’re breaking it up where every act plays twice, one in the first set and one in the second set. It’s going to be a great show at the Wentz. We love the Wentz because it’s very intimate, the acoustics are fabulous and we always sell it out.”