Whatever Happened to The Ides of March (the Band)?
“Beware, the Ides of March!”
March 15 is recognized as the day the Julius Caesar was assassinated, and there’s been a superstition about it being an unlucky day for centuries.
For me, however, the Ides of March remind me of “Vehicle” by The Ides of March:
The Ides of March — then called The Shon-Dels — formed in 1964 in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn. The band took on the new name inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. As the band evolved and their sound developed, they added horns and sax players.
In 1970, the band signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the single “Vehicle,” which rocketed up the charts and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with over 1 million copies sold.
The song still rocks. The kids seem to enjoy it, too.
But “Vehicle” would be The Ides of March’s biggest commercial success, and the band went on hiatus in 1973. Original member Jim Peterik went on to cofound Survivor and wrote monster hits “Eye of the Tiger,” “The Search Is Over,” “High on You” and “I Can’t Hold Back.” He also wrote .38 Special hits like “Hold on Loosely” and “Caught Up in You.”
The Ides of March reunited in 1990 for a show in Berwyn. Since then, they’ve consistently performed live and put out new music and re-recordings of their classic work. In 2014, they released a 50th anniversary CD box set and a DVD called Last Band Standing.
Tonight, The Ides, backed by a full orchestra, are performing a special 60th anniversary show at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois.
Where Are They Now - The Seventies
June 2022
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘70s?
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