With everything from The Bear and Italian beef to deep-dish pizza and other delights, the city of Chicago has long been recognized as the go-to spot for foodies. So, it was fitting that the 40TH Annual Chicago Blues Festival offered a veritable smorgasbord of music reflecting a variety of blues-based tastes and influences.
Like those all you can eat buffets, it’s impossible to get a taste of everything that went down during the three-day run at Millennium Park. There are always logistical challenges when it comes to sampling a fully loaded lineup of over 35 performances and 250 musical acts on three separate stages. But the American Blues Scene crew did our best to get a taste of all that was offered during the three-day “Blursfest.”
Billed as the world’s largest free music festival, the Chicago Blues Festival has been running strong in various incarnations since 1984. It moved from Grant to Millennium Park in 2017, with many still lamenting the loss of so many shady areas and the wide expanse of green grass in Grant Park. But, the show must go on…
On a sun-splashed Friday the coveted spots were around the trees by the Visit Mississippi stage. These shady spots were snapped up early for the fine afternoon lineup. And it should be noted that the state of Mississippi never fails to offer a generous dose of southern hospitality along with nice swag bags. True to its name, this stage focuses on artists with some sort of Mississippi connection, so it was fitting to have the pride of Greenwood, Mississippi, Nora Jean Wallace, kick off the action promptly at noon.
Wallace was followed by the always entertaining and impeccably dressed Keith Johnson with his Big Muddy Band. J’Cernae showed her vocal chops in the three-o’clock spot with Clarksdale’s own Big A and the Allstars closing out the day with an electrifying turn on the Mississippi stage.
Meanwhile, the Rosa’s Lounge tent was also bursting with talent. The list of Friday’s artists included Lil Jimmy Reed with Ben Levin, Ivy Ford, the Luke Pytel Band with Laretha Weathersby, and Sheryl Youngblood. Carlos Johnson came on at 6:30 to close the day out as part of the WDCB “Last Call” showcase.
There was a “Blues Village” in the Rosa’s Lounge area where visitors could learn more about various blues-related foundations and non-profit initiatives. The Delmark record label and WDCB radio also had a presence in the Rosa’s Lounge Tent.
The only downside to all these worthy causes was that it seemed cramped in this confined area. With so many people dancing up front, it might make sense to take a page from the New Orleans Jazz Festival’s playbook and open the Rosa’s Tent to make it less claustrophobic.
The third hub of activity took place on the main stage at the Pritzker Pavilion which seats 4,000. But part of the allure of the Chicago Blues Festival is to kick back and hang out in the expansive lawn area, which holds 7,000. While this seems spacious, the park had to turn people away during Sunday’s “Buddy Guy Day” since it reached capacity with people coming out in droves to see one of the legendary artist’s final Chicago area appearances.
The Friday lineup for the Pritzker Stage was deep and diverse featuring everyone from the message music of Corey Harris to Mississippi magic by way of Mr. Sipp. The grand finale for Friday night was the Centennial Tribute to Jimmie Rogers that featured a star-studded lineup that included Rogers’ son, Jimmy D. Lane, grandson Sebastian Lane, Kim Wilson, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Bob Margolin, Felton Crews and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith.
Although Saturday is usually the busiest day at Blues Fest, the weather forecast was calling for inclement weather, so crowds were somewhat sparser than in previous years. This is a shame since the rain started coming down while there were several electrifying female artists on the evening bill at the Pritzker Stage. Saturday night’s action began with a terrific Centennial tribute to Dinah Washington featuring Dee Alexander, Elizabeth Faye Butler, Kristin Adams, Bruce Henry, Miguel de la Cerna, Jeremiah Hunt, Charles Heath IV, and Melody Angel.
After honoring this local legend with songs like “Destination Moon” and “This Bitter Earth”, the action moved on to the here and now with an amazing performance by saxophone virtuoso Vanessa Collier backed by guitar ace Laura Chavez. The night concluded with the first-ever Chicago Blues Festival appearance by the Memphis-based, Grammy-nominated band Southern Avenue. These newly signed Alligator artists put on an incredible show with lead vocalist Tierinii Jackson in constant motion throughout the energetic 75-minute set.
There was no lack of talent on the daytime stages either. Rosa’s had a strong lineup that included Al Spears and the Hurricane Project, Vino Loudon, Jamiah “Dirty Deacon” Rogers with the Dirty Church Band and the Mike Wheeler Band. They closed out the day with Ivan Singh as the “Last Call” artist. Meanwhile, the Visit Mississippi Stage started out with Mzz Reese and Reese’s Pieces, followed by Melvin Taylor, Ra’Shad the Blues Kid and Dexter Allen.
Sunday, June 9th had been designated as “Buddy Guy” Day, so savvy attendees were wise to arrive at Millennium Park early to stake out a spot to see the legendary blues man. But there was plenty going down before “BG” came on. The Visit Mississippi Stage featured the Southern Komfort Brass Band at noon followed by Jonathan Ellison and the RAS Blues Band, Anissa Hampton and Jaye Hammer.
The Rosa’s Lounge Tent boasted the Nate Manos Band with Alicia “Yah Yah” Townsend, Omar Coleman and his Westside Soul Band, Melody Angel and “Last Call” artist, the Stephen Hull Experience.
Crowds were queuing up early by the Pritzker Stage for Buddy Guy’s grand finale. But they certainly weren’t waiting in vain as there were some incredible performers leading up to Guy’s turn on stage. The action kicked off promptly at 5pm with a full complement of keyboard virtuosos on stage for the tribute of Otis Spann. The artists were Johnny Iguana, Miss Lee Kanihira, Roosevelt Purifoy and Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi. They were backed by an equally impressive cast that included Oscar Wilson, Bob Stroger, Billy Flynn and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith.
Although the action on the Pritzker stage was billed as “blues,” the mood was anything but. The cadre of keyboard artists put on a rollicking show that included all of them jockeying for prime piano position on “Stop Breaking Down.” It was all in good fun and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed the foursome’s antics.
Following this rousing performance, it was time for the ever-popular Cash Box Kings to take the stage. This band includes “Mr. 43rd Street,” vocalist Oscar Wilson, Joe Nosek on harp and vocals, Billy Flynn on guitar, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith on drums, Miss Lee Kanihira on piano and bass-player Jon Penner. Emcee Tom Marker summed up the band’s appeal when he said that the Cash Box King’s had the ability to “make you laugh or make you cry.”
Marker also noted that the theme for the evening was “local” legends. Nosek backed this up when he talked about his early days of coming down during the festival to busk in Grant Park. He added that this was the first and only time he got arrested since he was playing without a permit.
There was no such animosity between local law enforcement and blues festival attendees on that special night. In fact, when Buddy Guy came out to do his trademark stroll around the audience, he graciously let everyone from police officers to a young boy help play his guitar.
Guy was clearly moved by the reception he received and reciprocated with his usual incendiary guitar work on classics like “Hoochie Coochie Man” and several of his own compositions including “Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues.” He also reflected on his Louisiana upbringing when he told a story of how Skin Deep came to be.
Although Guy turns 88 on July 30th, his performance belied his octogenarian status. He did everything from spry gyrations to playing drums on his guitar for “Sunshine of your Love.”
Guy has always been one to generously collaborate with fellow musicians and the night’s grand finale provided solid evidence of this. Guy brought on his son, Greg, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Wayne Baker Brooks, Billy Branch and Shemekia Copeland to close out the evening on a high note. This also represented a full circle moment as the Brooks brothers, Branch and Copeland opened the 2024 Chicago Blues Festival with a memorable show at the Ramova Theater in Bridgeport.
