754 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 427-1190
www.buddyguys.com
Buddy Guy a blues legend. I am by no means an expert when comes to blues or any genre of music for that matter, but I do know what sounds good and what I like. Oh Buddy!
Buddy Guy plays only a certain amount of shows at his own club every January. Unfortunately, from what I hear this will be the last series, because Columbia College in downtown Chi-town owns the land and is kicking Buddy out to make room for dorms or something that they could build somewhere else instead of on such a landmark sight as Buddy Guy’s spot. Ridiculous really, but what can you do? The “man” wins again…
Regardless, the show was definitely entertaining. I bought the tickets online in November on the day they went on sale for a Friday night show. That following Monday they were sold out for Friday nights.
We showed up at four in the afternoon and got the last open table in the house. We hung out for the next seven hours with people that had gotten there around eleven in the morning!
So, what else did we have to do, but eat and drink? Some beers, fried okra, and fried crawfish tails to start. Very good while hot, but don’t let them sit for too long or you will be sorry. Later after a few more drinks we ordered the chicken and sausage Jambalaya. The sausage was good and hearty, but I don’t think the dish was as good as it should and or could be. It lacked that kick in the ass you look for in a dish of that sort, especially when served at Buddy’s Legends.
We ended up meeting some locals who were planning on attending a half dozen shows over the course of the month and last year had actually purchased one of Buddy’s guitars for a nominal fee.
A surprise guest showed up around seven…Muddy Waters Jr…He sat in on a few good ol’ jams and you could hear his father’s sultry tones coming out as he crooned. Not to mention his freakin awesome suit.
Carlos Johnson (pic) opened up for Buddy around nine o’clock. I had not see him perform before, and his enthusiasm was contagious, I could not keep still while he was up on stage doing what he does, and I was happy to have witnessed his talents.
Buddy finally started playing around eleven. Walked right in off the street and went at it. He started the first song and had one of his female employees bring him a shot on stage. He belted out the riffs like the pro he his, but someone once said, "it his voice that is most impressive." How he keeps going night after night at his age is something to be respected and admired. Not to mention how he continued to do shots as he took his wireless guitar all around the club stopping at the bar on his way, and sharing the mic with the ladies as he went.
One thing that was disappointing, was that as these talented musicians played their hearts out, I looked around the room to see not one other soul moving to the groove. We were the ONLY two dancin in our seats. The whole crowd just sat or stood in their spots and stared at the stage. Every once and awhile I would see a smile break out, but that was about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment