{"id":3146,"date":"2014-08-02T21:21:35","date_gmt":"2014-08-03T02:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2014-08-03T10:01:24","modified_gmt":"2014-08-03T15:01:24","slug":"hangin-at-buddys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3146","title":{"rendered":"Hangin’ at Buddy’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday afternoon started our next adventure for the weekend.\u00a0 It was going to be all about music, fun, food, and more fun.\u00a0 We had reservation to spend the night downtown.\u00a0 CeeCee James was in town to play at Buddy Guy\u2019s Legends.\u00a0 Rich had been following CeeCee for a while.\u00a0 She is amazing.<\/p>\n

CeeCee is a blues woman out of Oregon.\u00a0 She had won Best Song this year at the Blues Awards in Memphis.\u00a0 I hate to state it this way, but CeeCee James has the voice of Janis Joplin and the blues chops of such greats as Howlin Wolf.<\/p>\n

On vacation, I had become more acquainted with CeeCee\u2019s work since Rich had put one of her albums on one of the jump drives we used for our music while driving.\u00a0 I was more than a little impressed.\u00a0 I love her voice, but her way with a song got me.\u00a0 You could tell this was a professional who knew how to present the material to you.<\/p>\n

Enough about that.\u00a0 We left the house and headed to the train station.\u00a0 We were hopping the 3:03 train for downtown Chicago.\u00a0 As we waited, we realized our fellow travelers today were headed down to Lollapalooza.\u00a0 Most everyone was 16 to 30 years of age.\u00a0 The talk was most inane and teenage.\u00a0 When had I gotten so old?\u00a0 The train filled up fast as it stopped at the regular stations to pick up other travelers.<\/p>\n

We arrived on time into Ogilvie Station.\u00a0 After waiting for the car to clear, we made our way out and down to the platform.\u00a0 It was a sea of bodies, backpacks, and suitcases.\u00a0 The flow of the bodies took us out of the doors and to the top of the escalator.\u00a0 There were more people on the floor below.<\/p>\n

Outside, we found a cab and gave the driver our destination.\u00a0 By now, it was definitely rush hour on a Friday in Chicago.\u00a0 We had seen the lines of trucks and cars on the expressways into town.\u00a0 It was going to be a busy drive going anywhere tonight.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t envy the cab driver trying to negotiate the street traffic.\u00a0 Cars seemed to be everywhere.\u00a0 Pedestrians were jaywalking and just stepping out of nowhere into the street.<\/p>\n

Watching everyone, I realized there was a new dress code for the twentysomethings or older.\u00a0 I decided this should probably be called urban weekend wear.\u00a0 The mix was pretty much bermuda shorts in a rainbow of sherbert colors on the guys with typically long sleeve shirts rolled to the elbow.\u00a0 It was 82 degrees outside.\u00a0 Weren\u2019t they hot?\u00a0 In contrast, the girls are in the briefest of short shorts with tanks or even tube tops.\u00a0 Rich wanted to know when the 70s came back into style.<\/p>\n

We arrived at the hotel and paid the cab driver.\u00a0 Inside, people were congregating in the lobby.\u00a0 I like this boutique hotel because the clientele tend to be Europeans on holiday.\u00a0 Just never know who you will meet in the elevator.\u00a0 Besides, it is just around the corner from Buddy Guy\u2019s.<\/p>\n

We checked in.\u00a0 Since it was Lolla weekend, we had to sign a statement that we would behave, not destroy property, and abide by quiet time hours.\u00a0 What goes on when these kids are in town?\u00a0 I signed it since I figured we were in no danger of breaking any of the rules.\u00a0 Oh yeah, we also had to have a bright neon green wristband applied to our arms to prove we belonged here after hours.<\/p>\n

The elevator got us up to our floor and we discovered that our room was directly across from the elevator.\u00a0 Quick and easy in.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the bed wasn\u2019t the king size that I had ordered, but it would do.\u00a0 We just needed to sleep once we returned.<\/p>\n

I changed clothes and we headed out.\u00a0 Downstairs, we made our want to Buddy Guy\u2019s.\u00a0 This is just one block up and one block over.\u00a0 We got in the door to find the place was basically empty.\u00a0 This was not the filled to the brim place we tried to squeeze into last year.\u00a0 The bouncer at the door stated it was early.\u00a0 We were more than welcomed to come in and find a table.\u00a0 We could camp out all night and no one would try to kick us out.\u00a0 Sounded good.<\/p>\n

We walked around the floor and Rich picked out the table with the best vantage point of the stage, without putting us on the stage.\u00a0 I was happy with it.\u00a0 It was getting to be around 5:30 at this point.\u00a0 The first act was tuning up and getting prepared to start his set.<\/p>\n

Looking at the beer menu, we see that there is something special called Buddy Brew.\u00a0 The waitress tells us it is a wheat beer.\u00a0 That sounds good for the summer and easy to drink.\u00a0 Rich gets his first one in a commemorative glass.\u00a0 It says:\u00a0 Damn Right This is Buddy Brew.\u00a0 Nicholas Barron takes the stage and sings us into the beginning of our evening.<\/p>\n

On the way into the bar, I almost ran into a guy in a wheelchair.\u00a0 Now, I\u2019m not normally that clumsy.\u00a0 I kind of turned around and there he was.\u00a0 He apologized and I walked around.\u00a0 Later on, this guy is in front of us with his beer listening to Nicholas play.\u00a0 After a couple of comments, he introduces himself as Terry and he seems to be a regular that everyone knows.\u00a0 We talk off and on through the evening until the place starts to get packed and I assume he went home.<\/p>\n

We ordered appetizers to get us started.\u00a0 Rich got the fried okra and I got the crab cakes.\u00a0 The crab cakes weren\u2019t bad.\u00a0 The okra was a little spicy.\u00a0 It was a little more than I could take; but for okra, it wasn\u2019t bad.\u00a0 Nicholas took a break and then returned for his second set.\u00a0 He played a lot of 60s soul and folk tunes around some blues numbers.\u00a0 His regular gig is Sunday afternoons at Buddy\u2019s.\u00a0 This was just his fill in spot apparently.<\/p>\n

Rich went up to check out what t-shirts were available.\u00a0 He came back to the table and said that nothing struck him as something he had to have.\u00a0 He said he thought Buddy Guy was sitting at the bar.\u00a0 I thought he was in California for the Mammoth Lakes blues show.\u00a0 Trampled Under Foot was arriving there today to play this weekend.\u00a0 I was sure I saw Buddy\u2019s name on the list of performers.\u00a0 I decided I had to check this out.\u00a0 It was totally unexpected to have Buddy here.<\/p>\n

I went by the bar, but didn\u2019t see anyone I could recognize.\u00a0 At the desk, I was checking out the shirts.\u00a0 The guy behind the desk told me I should buy a poster and he could have Buddy sign it.\u00a0 I asked if Buddy was here and heard that indeed he was sitting at the bar at that moment.\u00a0 I saw a nice poster I liked and agreed to come back with money.\u00a0 I went back for the dollars and told Rich he was right.\u00a0 I explained about buying a poster and getting Buddy\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n

At the front, I purchased the poster I wanted.\u00a0 The guy found a nice cardboard container to keep it in.\u00a0 He got out a Sharpie and handed it to the girl behind the desk telling her to have Buddy sign it.\u00a0 I was going to wait at the desk, he told me to follow her.\u00a0 I did, pronto.<\/p>\n

A young couple was trying to approach Buddy when we arrived at the bar.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t acknowledge them and turned to the girl with my poster.\u00a0 He signed it and I said thank you to which he replied, \u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d\u00a0 Apparently, you have to buy something for Buddy to talk to you.\u00a0 I was so thrilled to have talked to Buddy AND gotten his signature.\u00a0 Once the ink dried, I packaged away my new found treasure.\u00a0 I protected it the rest of the night.<\/p>\n

A couple of beers later, we ordered dinner.\u00a0 Rich went for the jambalaya with cornbread and I got the crawfish etouffee.\u00a0 When the plates were delivered, we discovered we should have just ordered one.\u00a0 The helping was huge!\u00a0 There was no one either of us could finish these off by ourselves or even with help from the other one.\u00a0 They were delicious though.<\/p>\n

So the second act comes on.\u00a0 A lot of people dressed in white clothes appeared on the stage.\u00a0 There were four singers, a bass player, a drummer, and a keyboardist.\u00a0 They milled around for a while.\u00a0 A lady came out to the stage to introduce the singer.\u00a0 She had us pronounce the name correctly a few times.\u00a0 La Wandia.\u00a0 OK.\u00a0 So a singer in 4 inch heels and a very tight, short dress came on.\u00a0 OK.<\/p>\n

LaWaundia appears to be a gospel singer trying to figure out how she can set herself apart from the other acts.\u00a0 She has a great voice, but she doesn\u2019t really seem to know what to do with it.\u00a0 The songs were okay and she did a good job with the sounds.\u00a0 The place was filled with people who knew her, so they were getting into the songs.<\/p>\n

At about this time, Lolla was over and the kids were coming into the place to continue their musical experience.\u00a0 Every table was filled and there was standing room only.\u00a0 This is what we wanted to avoid.\u00a0 An older gentleman came by and asked to sit at our table.\u00a0 We said yes.\u00a0 No reason to share.\u00a0 Besides, everyone who worked there seemed to know him and made sure to say hello to him.\u00a0 Made me wonder later who he was.<\/p>\n

Then it was time for CeeCee James.\u00a0 I must have been having a bad night because I almost ran into CeeCee when I first entered the place.\u00a0 She was crossing in front of me headed to the bar while I was looking around the place.\u00a0 I stopped up short to let her cross.\u00a0 I saw the side of her face and recognized her right away from photos on her website.\u00a0 It was definitely CeeCee.<\/p>\n

The band was prepping the stage with their setup and instruments.\u00a0 There seemed to be a big disagreement about where all those guitars were going.\u00a0 CeeCee made a decision and left the stage.\u00a0 The guy moved the entire rack of guitars again behind her back.\u00a0 Finally, the show was ready and CeeCee kicked it off.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little unfair to say that CeeCee sounds like Janis Joplin.\u00a0 CeeCee only sounds like Janis, but better.\u00a0 This is a more mature voice with a lot of richness.\u00a0 This might have been what Janis could have been later in life.\u00a0 CeeCee is a great songwriter as well as a singer.\u00a0 Many of the tunes are hers with a few older, well established songs thrown in.\u00a0 Also, CeeCee has a very gritty side of her that you get from listening to her stories and life experiences.\u00a0 I loved this part of the show.<\/p>\n

After the first set, I told Rich he should get his newly purchased CDs signed.\u00a0 He hesitated and claimed he was shy.\u00a0 Not me.\u00a0 I got out my Sharpie that I brought along for the occasion, grabbed the unwrapped CDs, and went to the stage.\u00a0 I asked CeeCee to sign them.\u00a0 When she asked who they should be made out to, I said to Rich.\u00a0 She looked at me funny.\u00a0 I explained that my husband was too shy to come up himself and I pointed at him.\u00a0 She waved at him and laughed.\u00a0 Successfully personalized another set of CDs!<\/p>\n

People started getting their pictures taken with CeeCee.\u00a0 I pushed Rich up toward the stage.\u00a0 She was so gracious about putting her arm around him and letting me snap away.\u00a0 She was so nice.<\/p>\n

The second set started and we settled in to listen.\u00a0 People were slowly melting away from the tables and moving to the door.\u00a0 Not us.\u00a0 We were here for the duration.\u00a0 A few diehards hung in there with us.\u00a0 These were the twentysomethings.\u00a0 Pretty soon, these drunken souls were on the floor and attempting to dance.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t very good at it.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t stop CeeCee from encouraging them and interacting as she worked her way through her last set.<\/p>\n

I realized that Rich hadn\u2019t bought a CD for Chad at work.\u00a0 Chad has become a CeeCee James fan through Rich\u2019s invitation to listen to some of her songs.\u00a0 I went to the desk and bought the Seriously Raw CD for him since I liked the songs on here the best.\u00a0 At the end of the night, I asked CeeCee to sign it as well to Chad.\u00a0 She probably thought I was the biggest pest.\u00a0 Chad should be happy though.<\/p>\n

So the last song was played and we all begged for an encore.\u00a0 Apparently, the club has an agreement to stop playing music by 1:00 for the sake of their neighbors.\u00a0 That was too bad.\u00a0 I think CeeCee wanted to do more.\u00a0 We surely wanted to hear some.<\/p>\n

I did find a new guitar hero though.\u00a0 CeeCee\u2019s husband, Rob \u201cSlide Boy\u201d Andrews is the principal guitarist for the group.\u00a0 He plays one mean slide guitar.\u00a0 He might be one of the best I\u2019ve ever heard.\u00a0 I loved his style.<\/p>\n

So we gathered our poster, beer glass, CDs, and magazine.\u00a0 Out on the street, we headed to Michigan Ave.\u00a0 One block over, we walked into our hotel and verified that we belonged there.\u00a0 In the elevator, I couldn\u2019t stop talking about the show.\u00a0 It was impressive.\u00a0 Rich reminded me about the quiet hours.\u00a0 Darn, I could keep talking about this.<\/p>\n

In our room, we prepared to bed and snuggled down for a good night sleep.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure I dreamt that I heard CeeCee singing to me all night with that slide guitar in the background.\u00a0 What a great night.<\/p>\n

\"Rich<\/a>
Rich at Buddy Guy’s Legends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"CeeCee<\/a>
CeeCee James and Rich between sets at Buddy’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"My<\/a>
My signed post from Buddy Guy’s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday afternoon started our next adventure for the weekend.\u00a0 It was going to be all about music, fun, food, and more fun.\u00a0 We had reservation to spend the night downtown.\u00a0 CeeCee James was in town to play at Buddy Guy\u2019s Legends.\u00a0 Rich had been following CeeCee for a while.\u00a0 She is amazing. CeeCee is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146"}],"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=3146"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3154,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions\/3154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}