SALT LAKE CITY — As FOX 13 News has reported in the past, the music we grow up listening to really becomes a part of us.
Such is the case with Leonid Vorobyev, who was born in Russia and grew up listening to classic American rock and roll. He fell in love with the music of Chicago and formed a band with some of the finest musicians in Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere that some say has become the best cover band in the world.
Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4” has been covered by countless bands around the world, but not like Leonid & Friends covers it. The precision with which these musicians play what’s actually on the original recording is nothing short of astounding.
It started nine years ago when Leonid decided to give himself a 60th birthday present. He was already a prominent producer and musician in Russia, looking at retirement. He didn’t want to paint, or fish, or read books. He wanted to keep doing what he loved - music.
So he transcribed the Chicago hit, “Brand New Love Affair,” and got some of his friends who owed him favors, to help record it.
“I call them [and ask] would you like to make a gift [for] my birthday? If they say yes, I knew they wouldn’t refuse me a favor, because I helped them many times before, as a friend, for free,” said Vorobyev.
Leonid and his old friends had no expectations when they posted the video of their cover of Chicago’s “Brand New Love Affair” on YouTube.
“Honestly, I thought American audience, especially Chicago fans would scorn on us, like, 'Now all these Russians, who do they think they are?'"
But the response on YouTube was incredible. Their fanbase exploded and fans demanded more.
So Leonid obliged.
Even before they came to America, Leonid & Friends had a Utah connection. Former Governor and then-U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, Jr., a closet rock and roller himself, got to perform with them in Moscow.
Covering hit after Chicago hit, their fame started to grow, and they finally got to see firsthand what American audiences thought. In city after city, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and everywhere else, standing ovations and sell-out crowds.
Now on their eighth U.S. tour, Leonid & Friends played Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City Tuesday night to more than a thousand very enthusiastic and grateful concert-goers.
The band played “25 or 6 to 4,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Introduction,“ and many other Chicago songs. They also played “After the Love Is Gone” from Earth, Wind, and Fire,” “Superstar” from the Carpenters, and many other favorites.
The music of Leonid & Friends resonates with so many of their fans because of its precision and the enthusiasm of Leonid and his friends in recording and performing the classic hits.
From Salt Lake, Leonid & Friends head north to Idaho Falls, and then up into the northwest.
