Rock band 'Chicago' to perform with Notre Dame marching band


During halftime of the Notre Dame game against USC, the band Chicago will perform with the Notre Dame marching band.

This is the third time the Grammy winning band has played at Notre Dame Stadium.

Allison Hayes found out why the legends keep returning to South Bend.

Before Peter Schivarelli was managing one of the most successful bands in Rock and Roll history, he was just a kid from Chicago with the dream of playing football at Notre Dame

Ara Parseghian talked Peter into going back to college to earn a degree and to try out for the Notre Dame Football Team.

"It was all due to Ara. It was all due to him. But that was the thing that any success that I've had any place was due to that background,” said Schivarelli.

Peter grew up as neighborhood friends with one of the original members of the band Chicago.

After graduating from Notre Dame, Peter started hanging out with the band more and more.

“He was just always a friend, a fan, just good people. Over the years, Peter became friends with our original manager, Howard Kaughman. The friendship between those two lead to Howard stepping back and saying 'Peter would you mind watching over my boys?' said Robert Lamm, Founding Member of Chicago.

And just like his opportunity with the Irish, Peter made the most of it and turned it into a career he could have never dreamed of while sitting in his counselor's office at Notre Dame.

"I call it my list of a thousand jobs and the only thing I didn't write down was entertainment and to be the manager of a rock band. Believe me, I didn't have any illusions of grandeur that I was gonna wind up managing them,” explained Schivarelli.

After 50 years, 30 albums, and 5 Grammys, the band is still going strong.

“Now Peter is arguably one of the more powerful forces in music management and he is one of the most dedicated, zealous campaigner that we've ever had. It turns out we are very fortunate to have not only a friend, but a manager as capable as Peter,” said James Pankow.

“We love Peter. We love his tenacity; we love his belief in Chicago and his love for the music. There's nobody like him,” said Lamm.

Chicago was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

On any Saturday, you can find Peter roaming the sidelines at Notre Dame Stadium. And this weekend, you'll find his band there, too.

Chicago will unite with the Fighting Irish Marching Band for an epic halftime performance.

"The guys in the band love playing with the marching band because our music is basically perfect. Every marching band in the country plays Chicago because of the horns and everything, it works out perfect,” said Schivarelli.

Lamm added, "It's always a thrill to play as part of a 400 piece band, it's not something a musician gets to do very much. The power of the marching band when they're playing -- you cannot imagine what it's like. It's wonderful from the stands, it's wonderful if you see it on television, but if you're standing in the middle of it, it's a complete thrill."

Pankow explained that, “Getting on that field with 80,000 screaming fans is a rush and we're looking forward to that. Especially Notre Dame vs USC, 11 and 13. It's gonna be a big game, we're excited."

It's not only an opportunity to rock out, it's an opportunity to pay tribute to Peter's friend and mentor Ara Parseghian.

An emotional founding member of the band, Lee Loughnane, said, “You have certain things you can do with your life, directions you can go it. And he chose a direction that he probably would have never even thought of by himself. He had the want to go to Notre Dame and once he got here, that's when Ara took him under his wing. That's when he chose to go the way he went and everything. He owes his life to Notre Dame."

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