The 2022 Chicago Bluesfest kicked off today, with an all-star lineup of Chicago Blues artists. Here are my thoughts about and my images from the first day of this four-day festival that attracts visitors from around the country and the world.
All tagged Jay Pritzker Paviallion
Chicago Blues Festival
[Click on the photograph to enlarge it and for additional photographs and commentary]
Earlier in the day I had the opportunity to see Big Bill Morganfield, who is Muddy Waters' son. Absolutely terrific. Solid band, talented showman, and great guitar player. He was sitting behind me tonight during Nellie Travis' set. Very nice guy.
Blues in the Schools
[Click on the photograph to enlarge it and for additional commentary and photographs]
Each year, a group of elementary school students shows attendees of the Chicago Blues Festival what they have learned. Whether or not the next Muddy Waters, Lonnie Baker, or Guy Clark Jr. emerges from the program won't be known for at least a decade or two. In the meantime, the kids are having a rollicking good time. If nothing else, I suspect we will see many of these kinds in the audience in future years.
Gehry
Millenium Park on a fall afternoon in October. The light was perfect, casting lovely shadows of the lighting trusses and lamps on the metal skin that gives form to architect Frank Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavillon.