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January 18th | 3pm CST

’70s Chicagoland Rock Concerts | Mark Plotnick and Jim Summaria

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ABOUT THE BOOK

During the 1970s, Chicagoland venues hosted an eclectic mix of legendary rock ’n’ roll acts that thrilled audiences. Fans flocked to historic venues like the Auditorium Theater, International Amphitheatre, Arie Crown Theatre, Kinetic Playground and B’Ginnings to forge relationships and hear music that shaped their youth and endured a lifetime. Acts like Led Zeppelin, the Who, Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Wings, Genesis and so many others took the stage here during rock’s most prolific and memorable era. Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick bring those mind-blowing performances back to life with exclusive concert photos, histories, trivia and more. Relive these moments again…or perhaps for the first time. And bring your earplugs!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mark Plotnick is a native Chicagoan who earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Loyola University. His love of rock and blues music proved too distracting during his first year at the Illinois College of Optometry. After working seven years for a domestic textiles and apparel manufacturer, Mark took a career detour and co-authored The Smart Money Shopper. The book grabbed the attention of print and broadcast media including Oprah Winfrey who invited Mark and his co-author to appear on her show. Lacing up Air Jordan’s on Oprah’s feet was a moment Mark will never forget!

This experience opened doors to product and ad copywriting, public relations, trade magazine journalism, marketing, and market research including the analysis and writing of reports and columns consulted by a variety of Fortune 500 companies and industries.

One month into his retirement, Jim and Mark’s lifelong passion converged. Jim convinced his longtime friend to co-author music books by tapping into Summaria’s photography portfolio and using their shared writing abilities and vast knowledge of classic rock era music and the blues. Mark also draws knowledge from his many years as a non-professional keyboards player. Plotnick is the co-author of Classic Rock – Photographs from Yesterday and Today (2019 Amherst Media) and 70s Chicagoland Rock Concerts (2024 Arcadia Publishing). In 2021, he and Summaria created That Classic Rock Show for community radio. Currently on pause, the radio show will return in 2025 as All Things Rock from the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet, IL. Plotnick also contributes CD and concerts reviews for Chicago Blues Guide.

Chicago native Jim Summaria is a veteran rock concert photographer whose exclusive, high-quality photos have been requested by book authors and
magazine publishers, websites, film documentarians, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66, The Grammy Awards, Smithsonian Institute, Canadian Postal Service, Christie’s Auctions, The Torquay Museum in England and many music acts for CD and album sleeves. His photos have also appeared at exhibitions.

Jim’s lifelong passion for rock photography began as a 19-year-old armed with a Kodak Instamatic at a 1972 Rolling Stones concert. He soon invested in a 35mm camera with a zoom lens, sneaking onto the main floor of a Led Zeppelin concert and snapping professional quality photos. One particular photo impressed the manager of Flip Side Records who hired the 20-year-old to be the official photographer for a major Chicago concert promoter.

Thus, began the odyssey of shooting every major act of the 1970s. After a “side trip” into his primary career as a corporate photographer, Summaria returned to the rock concert scene in 2008 shooting many of the legacy acts still performing and newer acts to create a portfolio few photographers can match. In 2019, he co-authored Classic Rock – Photographs from Yesterday and Today (Amherst Media) with longtime friend Mark Plotnick. His latest book in a planned series is 70s Chicagoland Rock Concerts (Arcadia Publishing), again with co-author Mark Plotnick.

In March of 2021, the two began hosting a weekly, hour-long radio show called That Classic Rock Show. Currently on pause, the show will resume in 2025 and broadcast from the studios at the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 in Joliet, IL. Summaria also contributes photographs and reviews for Chicago Blues Guide and Chronicle Media.