Live Concerts are back at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the sounds of music will once again echo through the hills surrounding the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.

Bethel Woods will kick off their summer concert series with “An Evening with Chicago and Their Greatest Hits” on Tuesday, July 20.

Hailed as one of the "most important bands in music since the dawn of the rock and roll era," by former President Bill Clinton, the legendary rock and roll band with horns, Chicago, came in as the highest charting American band in Billboard Magazine's Top 125 Artists Of All Time.

Chicago is the first American rock band to chart Top 40 albums in six consecutive decades.

Chicago recently received The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the GRAMMYS. The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording. A special award ceremony and tribute concert celebrating the honorees was held on October 16, 2020 on PBS.

Chicago was inducted into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This was their first nomination. They’ve been eligible since 1994. A long time coming!

Band member Lou Pardini is a Grammy-nominated keyboardist, songwriter and vocalist. He spoke with the Democrat this week about their upcoming show and the band’s return to live concerts.

“Last year we were wondering if we’d ever do it again,” said Pardini. “It’s kind of a surreal feeling and very exhilarating to be able to play for people again.”

Chicago recently returned to the stage after having no live shows for more than 15 months due to the pandemic. They recently toured around the Midwest and Texas before arriving in Boston and plan touring around the east coast for several weeks.

Pardini said that the band corresponded virtually during the pandemic and did a lot of writing. Their new album will debut early next year.

“We didn’t get together but we did a lot of collaborating,” Pardini said.

When it comes to Bethel Woods, Pardini said the location holds a special significance for the band.

“There’s so much history and you can’t help but kind of get a lump in your throat when you perform there. It’s such a beautiful venue and thinking about all the music that went on there in the past, now we’re continuing to create new memories. It’s always a special venue for us.”

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20. Tickets are still available through bethelwoodscenter.org.