Going to Chicago, where should we hear blues?

[astrummer]

My wife and I will be taking a long weekend in Chicago soon ( Thursday thu Saturday ) where should we go to hear the blues?

We aren't great navigators of large center cities, so if some is off the beaten path a bit that would be great.

Or perhaps someone knows where reasonable accomodations are within a short hop of several good things ( I'm assuming taxi might be the best way to go but please elaborate )

Thanks

[Marshall]

Well. It generally depends on who is playing where. The main strip is up near north on Halsted. Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S, Blues etc, and others are there. That's safe and regular.

Buddy Guy's Legends is very good. That's a little south of downtown.

A cool place on the west side (a little off the beaten path; and don't park too far away, and DEFINITELY not down side streets.) is Rosa's. Rosa's is cool. Rosa herself is behind the bar. On the wall there's a life size picture that is a reprint from a 1950s newspaper article showing a young woman in a white dress sitting holding an electric guitar; Rosa !

Melvin Taylor got his start by playing at Rosa's as a young prodigy. When he's in town he plays there. That's a special night.

Fitzgerald's in Berwyn is great, but Blues is only about 20% of their acts. I saw Richard Thompson there. And then there's Martyr's and Shubas, but they're not really blues joints.

There are other places like Bill's Blues in Evanston that have some nice shows. But it's a big congested city, so you're best to not go traipsing around or you'll spend you whole weekend in the car bumper to bumper.

Check listings for all those places and see who you might want to see. You can usually check out web sites and listen to clips.

And don't forget to lute the city.

[Forensicguy]

Did Buddy Guy's Legend ever move? Here are a couple of shots from when I went with JimW and his wife Alicia to see Michael Burks play:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/Nikonguy59/michael_burks3.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/Nikonguy59/michael_burks.jpg

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/Nikonguy59/michael_burks2.jpg

[zenpicker]

A good source for music happenings is the free Chicago Reader, which has online listings here (http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/music/Section?oid=846991). Pretty good restaurant reviews as well.

Ah, you make a tad nostalgic for my old town....enjoy it.

[zenpicker]

Or perhaps someone knows where reasonable accomodations are within a short hop of several good things ( I'm assuming taxi might be the best way to go but please elaborate )

Thanks
For accommodations, you might try Quickbook - I've used it to find inexpensive deals on pretty good hotels in NYC and also in Chicago, now that I don't live there anymore. As far as getting around, cabs work of course but there is also the El, which is very easy to navigate and safe unless you venture into certain dicey areas of the city. (Well, admittedly some of those areas may be exactly where you'd find real blues, but....) You can buy ten-ride passes at machines in any station and I think they have a sort of tourist day pass that gives you unlimited back and forth riding. I'd agree that a rental car is probably more of a pain if you're not going to be in town long.

I'd +1 all of Marshall's recommendations as far as clubs go. The places on Halsted cater to white yuppies but there are some good acts there nonetheless, and they're easy to get to from downtown or the North Side. Rosa's is cool. I thought Buddy Guy's went under too but I see that it's still going. I actually played there once! Woo hoo!

You'll have a ball. :D

[Jim W]

If you would like a night or two where you can strum, shoot me a PM. Alicia and I would be happy to put you up at our place.

[Nimrod]

Buddy Guys is great, the food is good, the price is right! (my first choice)

B.l.u.e.s. is second

[astrummer]

Looks like Buddy Guy's is at the top of our list....but don't stop recommending other spots for our other nights.

[thunderlung]

Here is the problem with Buddy Guy's. Seating is hard to come by so you have to get there at like 7:00PM to get a table. Then, the headliner won't come on until 11:00 or 11:30PM. By that time you are getting a little tired of the whole deal. My suggestion is don't even think about trying to get a table, do other things until about 10:30PM, then head on over. Otherwise, look into Bill's Blues in Evanston which is much more laid back or Eddie Clearwater's club. I am not a big fan of Kingston Mines or B.L.U.E.S but they are also options.

[Forensicguy]

Seating is tough to get at Buddy Guy's Legend it seems. While it may be late for the headlining act to play, a warm up act plays well before that time though, so you may not want to wait too late to get there.

[zenpicker]

Seating is tough to get at Buddy Guy's Legend it seems. While it may be late for the headlining act to play, a warm up act plays well before that time though, so you may not want to wait too late to get there.
Of course, there WAS a time when early arrivals were unexpectedly treated to an ad hoc jam between Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughn...but I guess you shouldn't count on it, especially the SRV part. (Now that would give you a story to bring home, wouldn't it??)

[Forensicguy]

Of course, there WAS a time when early arrivals were unexpectedly treated to an ad hoc jam between Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughn...but I guess you shouldn't count on it, especially the SRV part. (Now that would give you a story to bring home, wouldn't it??)

Yikes! :D

[astrummer]

A cool place on the west side (a little off the beaten path; and don't park too far away, and DEFINITELY not down side streets.) is Rosa's. Rosa's is cool. Rosa herself is behind the bar. On the wall there's a life size picture that is a reprint from a 1950s newspaper article showing a young woman in a white dress sitting holding an electric guitar; Rosa !.

Its looking now like Rosa's is are #1 choice so should we just take a cab?

Any thoughts on the food there?

We'll be going next weekend....Thanks for all the tips folks.....

[astrummer]

Despite our desire to experience some Chicago Blues, once it came down to planning the details, my wife and I just can't muster the street smarts to be able to plan a night out in a major metropolis and feel good about it. We'll stick to the daytime or the suburbs for our weekend....

Not mean't to be a statement about Chicago, but about us.....:(

Again, thanks for the advice......

[Forensicguy]

Well, at least come on down in September and join us for our Chicago AGF Get Together on Sept. 26 from 3 to 9 PM. We'll be meeting at the same place in Mount Prospect as before.