{"id":1891,"date":"2013-06-09T21:18:16","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T02:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1891"},"modified":"2013-06-09T21:18:16","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T02:18:16","slug":"sweet-home-chicago-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=1891","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Home Chicago: Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday was our last planned day at Blues Fest. Our plans were set.\u00a0 This would be my second day of waking without the help of a wet nose.\u00a0 Sascha normally starts wanting out between 6:00 and 6:30.\u00a0 That means prodding mom to get moving.<\/p>\n

We got up early and headed down the street to Yolk for breakfast.\u00a0 Rich had found this little gem on Yelp.\u00a0 We had stopped in on Friday to check on peak times and found out we had better be in before 9:00.\u00a0 We got up early and headed down.\u00a0 Rich got an omelet and I had the berries and three different kinds of French toast.\u00a0 After some coffee, we felt ready for the day.<\/p>\n

We headed back to the hotel to get ready.\u00a0 Our first choice for the day didn\u2019t start until 11:30.\u00a0 That gave us plenty of time to relax and enjoy ourselves.\u00a0 I finished off my blog entry for Friday with the pictures I had taken.\u00a0 Then we headed out to join the crowds.<\/p>\n

The streets were definitely empty in comparison to Thursday and Friday.\u00a0 We made one stop for more coffee.\u00a0 Rich hadn\u2019t reached maximum capacity on the caffeine from the earlier breakfast coffee.\u00a0 After getting fortification, we continued down the Ave to the park.<\/p>\n

Our first stop was to the Mississippi Juke Joint Stage.\u00a0 Rich had found that he definitely preferred the style of blues going on there.\u00a0 This was Delta blues.\u00a0 First on the agenda for the day was a panel discussion on Pinetop Perkins in honor of his 100th<\/sup> birthday.\u00a0 Now Pinetop wouldn\u2019t technically be 100 until Monday the 10th<\/sup>, but this was the day to celebrate.\u00a0 Pinetop died in 2011 at the age of 97.\u00a0 He had wanted so much to live to be 100, but never made it.\u00a0 They promised him a party anyway.<\/p>\n

The panel consisted of Pat Morgan, who worked with Pinetop for many years; Barrelhouse Chuck, a piano player who learned from Pinetop and worked with him on stage; and Kenny \u201cBeadyEyes\u201d Smith, whose father played with Pinetop and who grew up knowing the man.\u00a0 There were stories, Q&A, and then birthday cake with a rendition of \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d sung by the crowd.<\/p>\n

I thought this was one of my favorite things of the day.\u00a0 We were laughing and hearing about Pinetop and seeing some older musicians.\u00a0 Bob Stroger, who played bass with Pinetop and Willie Smith in their last band, was on hand.\u00a0 He had just a Blues Music Award in May for his skills on the bass.\u00a0 He came up to the mike to give us a couple of stories.\u00a0 Some of things said can\u2019t be repeated in polite company.\u00a0 Apparently, Pinetop loved the beautiful ladies.<\/p>\n

As we waited for the next act to come on stage, we stretched our legs.\u00a0 This gave a chance to look around the crowd.\u00a0 It was still early and pretty tame at this point.\u00a0 Rich wondered off to find something to drink.\u00a0 Unfortunately, they were only selling Budweiser products on the grounds.\u00a0 We had noticed several people with better drink products.\u00a0 We figured they were sneaking them in somehow even though they were checking bags and coolers.<\/p>\n

The Peterson Brothers took the stage next.\u00a0 This is a 16 year old and 14 year old brother group you would not believe.\u00a0 I have new guitar gods for my list.\u00a0 Glenn Jr. is a very young guitarist with a lot of talent.\u00a0 He plays lead.\u00a0 Alex is the bass player.\u00a0 Either one of these guys can do it well and over the top.\u00a0 I was just so impressed with their style, talent, and knowledge.\u00a0 You don\u2019t normally think of bass players are guitar gods, but Alex could play that bass like no one else I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n

Sorry to go on and on, but they were so impressive and so young.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t image where they will be in 20 years.\u00a0 If you ever hear of them around you, check it out.\u00a0 Hey, Rose, they are based in Austin and play the Contenintal Club.\u00a0 I know they\u2019ll be in San Antonio for Juneteenth, but I\u2019m not sure you will be.<\/p>\n

Now we were getting hungry.\u00a0 We decided to step off the grounds and get a late lunch and early dinner at Berghoff\u2019s.\u00a0 We packed up our stuff and our chairs and headed up to Adams Street again.\u00a0 Berghoff\u2019s is a very old German restaurant that also brews their own beer.\u00a0 This would be an extra treat.\u00a0 I love their food and it would be a chance to enjoy the beer also.\u00a0 Normally, I am the DD so I don\u2019t get to have a full pint to myself.<\/p>\n

The lunch crowd was winding down and we ended up being in the place with only a few people.\u00a0 Rich ordered the Amber to start and I followed suit. \u00a0We started out with a pretzel and dipping sauces.\u00a0 It was so soft on the inside and crispy brown on the outside. \u00a0I decided on the jagerschnitzel with spatzel and red cabbage.\u00a0 Rich got the rahmschnitzel with mashed potatoes and red cabbage.<\/p>\n

There were a couple of older gentlemen next to us.\u00a0 One of them commented on the pretzel and we started talking.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know you could order such a thing here.\u00a0 We talked about the beers and the food.\u00a0 They eventually left us after saying have a good day.<\/p>\n

We ate to capacity.\u00a0 Rich ordered a heife weiz as his second beer.\u00a0 Had to enjoy here, because there was nothing this good once we returned to the Blues Fest.\u00a0 We relaxed and had a great dinner.\u00a0 But then it was getting time to return for the show we had been waiting for.<\/p>\n

We arrived back at the Juke Joint Stage to find it was filling in.\u00a0 The next act was getting ready to start and we wanted to make sure we had a good place to see the stage for the last act.\u00a0 We arranged our chairs and took the necessary trips before the show.<\/p>\n

Castro Coleman and his band got started.\u00a0 He was all showman.\u00a0 His would be a great club show for probably the younger set.\u00a0 As the show progressed, more and more people filtered in and tried to put chairs or just stand in the open spots.\u00a0 For those of us sitting down, sometimes that meant that our view was blocked.\u00a0 Seems like the sitting areas were not exempt from the inconsiderate who chose to stand in the way.\u00a0 At least there were no shouting matches or possible fights this night.<\/p>\n

Castro finished his show and it was on to the Howlin Wolf tribute featuring Eddie Shaw and what turned out to be a cast of characters.\u00a0 That is both on and off the stage.\u00a0 Eddie Shaw worked with Howlin Wolf for the last 13 years before Wolf died in 1976.\u00a0 This act was to feature music and people who knew and loved Howlin Wolf over the years.<\/p>\n

The Howlin Wolf Foundation board came on stage to talk about their efforts to remember Wolf and to advance Blues music through scholarship programs.\u00a0 They raffled off some items.<\/p>\n

At one point, a young lady in the audience started to hassle Eddie on stage.\u00a0 He was shooting it back to her.\u00a0 At one point, he told her, \u201cIf I had known you were running the show, I\u2019d kept my ass at home.\u201d\u00a0 Needless to say, I believe the young lady had been drinking a little too much.<\/p>\n

The entertainment wasn\u2019t just on stage.\u00a0 At one point, a chick (and it applies here) with red, white, and pink hair came through the crowd toward me.\u00a0 When she got in front of me, she almost fell into my lap.\u00a0 I managed to put my hands up and help her back to her feet.\u00a0 She staggered a few more steps and stopped.\u00a0 She looked at the beer in her hand and then proceeded to pour it out.\u00a0 At first, I thought she had poured down the back of the chair of the guy in front of me.\u00a0 Luckily, she missed and it was just short of that.\u00a0 She then threw the bottle to the ground and exited stage right.<\/p>\n

As the show progressed, a lot of younger kids began arriving at the stage.\u00a0 They were all pushing forward to the stage.\u00a0 It was an instant mosh pit.\u00a0 Most of them didn\u2019t seem old enough to be drinking, but were pretty blasted by this time.\u00a0 A group of three girls decided to stand on the bench they had been sitting on.\u00a0 Pretty soon, a couple of girls came up to join them.\u00a0 One of the girls was not sober enough to even be standing on the ground.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t stay up on the bench.\u00a0 At one point, the grandmother on the bench behind them caught her from falling down on the ground.\u00a0 She managed to climb back up on the bench, but was facing in the wrong direction.\u00a0 They finally got her turned toward the stage, but they were holding her up.\u00a0 They made it through to the end of the show.<\/p>\n

We finally left the Juke Joint Stage and headed back to the hotel.\u00a0 Dropping off our stuff and cleaning up a bit, we headed down to the bar and restaurant on the first floor.\u00a0 We noticed earlier in the day that the special was going to be $5 martinis.\u00a0 We figured a light snack and a drink would be good before we went off to sleep.\u00a0 There was chicken liver mousse with orange marmalade and toast points.\u00a0 We added the fromage plate.\u00a0 They worked excellent together.\u00a0 I got the Parkview martini, which was made with tequila.\u00a0 Most excellent.\u00a0 Rich got the French Manhattan with bourbon and then a Revolution Brewing Porter.<\/p>\n

Then it was time to drift upstairs and put the lights out.\u00a0 Oh yeah, and we went to sleep.\u00a0 It was a one very full day.<\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>
We got our place at the Juke Joint Stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich getting ready for Saturday at the Blues Fest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Brithday<\/a>
Brithday cake for Pinetop Perkins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"People<\/a>
People were eating birthday cake all over the place.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Peterson<\/a>
Peterson Brothers on stage. What an awesome act.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich did his own pose in front of Berghoff’s after dinner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Castro<\/a>
Castro Coleman on stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This<\/a>
This was just a shot of the crowd around during the last show.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Unbelieveable.<\/a>
Unbelieveable. A three necked guitar and this guy played all of them!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eddie<\/a>
Eddie Shaw blowing the sax.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eddie<\/a>
Eddie Shaw introducing Taildragger to the stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Taildragger<\/a>
Taildragger was a protege of Howling Wolf’s who went on to do his own blues.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This<\/a>
This lady in the red skirt insisted on standing most of the time and dancing. It got a little weird when she and her partner were making out while dancing though.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"J.C.<\/a>
J.C. Smith and his band<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Betty<\/a>
Betty Burnett, Howlin Wolf’s daughter and foundation president, speaking about the efforts of the foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"They<\/a>
They put this cool cutout of Howlin Wolf on stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Little<\/a>
Little Wolf, another protege of Howlin’s, on stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"After<\/a>
After the crowds moved in, this is mostly what I saw.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"At<\/a>
At the end, everyone was on the benches. I tried to get the drunk girls, but you really can’t tell who they are.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Walking<\/a>
Walking back to the hotel and approaching it from the park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday was our last planned day at Blues Fest. Our plans were set.\u00a0 This would be my second day of waking without the help of a wet nose.\u00a0 Sascha normally starts wanting out between 6:00 and 6:30.\u00a0 That means prodding mom to get moving. We got up early and headed down the street to Yolk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,6,12,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1891"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1916,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891\/revisions\/1916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}