Chicago Blues Festival 2008

I took some time on Friday to get over to the Chicago Blues Festival. It's always an enjoyable experience. It's free to show up. The music is good. Though probably a tad on the costly side, there is still good food (I don't really need to hear from anyone that thinks otherwise, we are all aware that someone hates BBQ, someone else thinks it's too expensive, a third knucklehead hates festival food, fried food, having to buy tickets, whatever). Best of all, it is usually fairly crowd-free, especially before the weekend. Add in the rain on Friday and it's like a family 'q.

I walked over to the park around noon. It hadn't started raining yet, but some unusual foresight on my part resulted in me bringing my jacket. It would come in handy when the sky opened up just as I got to the festival grounds, centered at Columbus and Jackson behind the Art Institute.

Besides rain there was Little Willie Littlefield, the Joe B Band, and Afrissippi.

A few shots of the fountain.

The blues bus. Look at all the orbs! No way, that's not rain you haters.

The wind blew over a few trash bins. Gull bonus!

Nobody's home.

Food row.

Rising Star Fife and Drum featuring the Thomas Family.

Joe B Band playing at the Gibson stage.

Little Willie Littlefield at the US Cellular stage.

You can see Willie went without the shoe, which is now sitting on the piano in front of him.

Afrissippi at the Mississippi Juke Joint stage, sponsored by the state of Mississippi. They wailed.

A rockin' chess party out in front of the Art Institute.

A clip of Afrissippi in action. No bitching. I know it sucks. Taken with an Olympus 1030 SW. My thumb is a camera hog and it was f'n hard to hold that little damn camera steady in the rain.