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Dismissal from Chicago
In early March 1990, following shows in Belfast, Dublin, and Birmingham, Seraphine played his final two shows with Chicago at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England. In May, Chicago's manager, Howard Kaufman, called Seraphine to inform him that the other members of the band had held a meeting and voted him out as their drummer.
Band member James Pankow has asserted that Seraphine did not spend enough time practicing, and that live shows were adversely affected due to his performances, with the last show at the Hammersmith Odeon being the final motivating factor for Seraphine's dismissal.<1> Later interviews with Pankow and Lamm clarified this stance, indicating that the band was upset with Seraphine's insistance on taking in sight-seeing trips of the English countryside during that leg of the tour. Seraphine and his wife were arising early on the days of these shows to take in tours of castles and estates. Seraphine would then arrive at the concert venue late and totally exhausted from the day's activities, resulting in sluggish and unpredictable drumming. This problem was evident in reviews by the English press; in fact, it was many years before Chicago would venture onto British soil again.
Seraphine has said, "The reason I’m no longer in Chicago is the lead singers, the new lead singers, Jason Scheff and Bill Champlin, didn’t like the fact that a drummer was running the band." They subsequently gave an ultimatum to the other band members that either Seraphine be let go or the two of them would leave the band. He went on to say, "Out of all people that should be criticizing me for not practicing, it shouldn’t be Jim Pankow because there’s a guy that has really neglected his craft."<2>
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