Weekend Musical Diversion: 2009 Chicago Blues Festival

Nothing says summertime in Chicago like the Chicago Blues Festival. The 2009 Festival did not feature as many big names as last year when B.B. King headlined, but delivered all the goods that blues fans were looking for. I was able to attend two days of the festival this year and here are a few highlights in pictures.

With the recent death of the Queen of the Blues, the 2009 Blues Fest started out on a somber note. A tribute board was created in her honor...

By late in the day Sunday, the board was filled up...

One of the highlights included guitar legend David Honeyboy Edwards singing "Sweet Home Chicago on the Mississippi Juke Joint stage on Sunday afternoon...

Another of the highlights included Big Jack Johnson who played the mainstage in the evening and the Mississippi Juke Joint Stage (pictured below) in the afternoon. As you can see, Big Jack Johnson wears some big yellow shoes...

Inevitably, every year I'm blown away by a blues musician that I've never heard before. On Sunday, that musician was original Fleetwood Mac guitar player Jeremy Spencer. His melodic slide playing was a nice complement to Big Jack Johnson who proceeded him on the mainstage. Spencer was followed up by headliner Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who grooved with some 1970's retro soul. Ms. Jones put on a dance clinic as her high energy performance whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

It is worth noting that the Chicago Blues Festival is wheelchair accessible and one of the more memorable moments for me was watching a gentleman in a wheelchair dancing to the music. On the side of the mainstage, interpreters provided sign language with as much feeling and emotion as some of the musicians.

All in all, summer is off to a great start thanks to the Chicago Blues Festival.

To read last year's Bluesfest review click here.