The Congress Theater
The Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival occurred January 21st at the Auditorium Theater and January 28th at the Congress Theater. My wife and I went to the second date. Looking back, we probably should have gone to the Auditorium. It was not that the music did not rock at the Congress. Rather it rocked harder than we expected. And maybe there was some bluegrass being smoked in the bathroom, but it was not played on stage.
Band Called Catch
On the 21st bands such as the Henhouse Prowlers (which I have never seen, but I am guessing from the name there was some banjo picking involved) and the Giving Tree Band (a very fun blue grass band that my family and saw at a recent Fall Festival on the north side) played. On the 28th we got to see Bailiff. Bailiff is an awesome band that I had previously never heard of. Their music consists of screaming guitar riffs that drive, drive, and drive some more right into your brain. My wife and I, sitting in the back row of the theater, texted each other notes and wondered if we wandered into the wrong concert.
Bailiff
Another difference between the concert dates where the headliners and their schedules. On the 21st the Del McCoury Band was scheduled to step on stage at 9 with other acts following up to midnight. The date we attended featured the excellent Drive By Truckers who were slated from 11:30 to 1:30 A.M. We did not make it. I bought their CD on the way out and now wished we had stayed.
The Big Hit playing in the balcony
The venues themselves also differ quite dramatically. Whereas the Auditorium Theater rests in the south loop and frequently features dance and other sophisticated fare, the Congress Theater sits at the lip of Bucktown and has Korn booked in the near future. I have to say though that the organizers managed to cram music into every nook of the theater. Bands performed in the lobby, on the main stage, and, between acts on the main stage, in a balcony overlooking the ground floor. The balcony performers especially appealed to our aesthetics as they appeared to be serenading the crowd below.
Paper Thick Walls
Each and every act played with a manic energy that threaten to tear the roof off the theater (given the overall condition of the theater, this actually seemed a remote possibility). Throughout the night, amplified fiddles competed with brass and percussion. Lyrics came out fast and people danced, swayed, and hula hooped along. Performing after 10, Jon Drake and The Shakes best exemplified the vibe of the night as they revived audience members there since five and inspired the ones still coming through the door. Band Called Catch amused me with their literalness as they, well, played catch with the audience members at the end of their act. Another band, Go Long Mule, threw candy from the balcony which caused my wife to ask if we were at a parade. Joe Pug stood out with his carefully crafted lyrics and music. I read a recent review of him that compared him to Bob Dylan. I see some Bruce Springsteen too. Either way I would like to see him perform again. When Dawes took the stage, I was impressed with their sound, but had trouble distinguishing one song from the next.
Joe Pug
Bottom line: The two bands we most enjoyed on January 28th were Joe Pug http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrbzmzuNkiE and Jon Drake and The Shakes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaNqa_p2lmM The festival as a whole (or at least the night we attended) is recommended for those who love energetic and fun music, but not necessarily for blues and bluegrass fans.
All photos by Noel Schecter
