Cetera enjoys interaction with his fans

Peter Cetera has had the type of success that very few performers will ever achieve.

In a career that now stretches over 40 years, he has sold millions of albums worldwide, written and recorded No. 1 songs and been nominated for numerous awards, including Grammys, Golden Globes and an Academy Award for best song in a movie.

Stars with that kind of resume typically don't have (or want) a lot of direct interaction with their fans when they're not onstage. Cetera, however, isn't one of those stars.

The 62-year-old singer/songwriter frequently answers as much fan mail on his Web site, www.petercetera.com, as he can. He also recently started a program where members of his fan club can meet with him after shows, have a group picture taken with him onstage and then see that picture posted on his Web site.

His reason for being so fan-friendly? Simply because a lot of artists aren't. "I go on (the Web site) constantly, adding stuff ... personal pictures," Cetera said by phone from his home in Ketchum, Idaho. "It's a lot of fun. And people are appreciative. When you say 'Hello' to someone on a site, they love it. They go bananas."

Cetera also still knows how to treat fans to a memorable concert experience.

For the past few years, Cetera has been playing symphony shows. His sold-out concert at the Tuacahn Amphitheater in St. George on Saturday is no exception.

Cetera said that before he started doing symphony concerts, he had actually stopped touring. "It was a nice way to get back into it. It takes me away from doing an oldies-but-goodies tour. I've sort of done that already. When you're touring, if you don't have something new to sell, it turns into an oldies thing over and over.

"(Doing a symphony show) got me enthused to do some songs I haven't done before. It gave me inspiration and made it a little more fun to go on the road. It's fun for me, and it's proven to be fun for the people who come to it."

Cetera has scored big hits over the years as a solo artist with such songs as "Glory of Love," "The Next Time I Fall" (a duet with Amy Grant) and "Restless Heart."

He may be best known, however, for being the bass-playing former lead singer of Chicago. The band achieved its greatest success during the Cetera era, with Peter co-writing and taking lead vocals on such Chicago classics as "If You Leave Me Now," "Baby What A Big Surprise," "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" and "You're The Inspiration."