So, where do you get tickets?  Well, the biggest ticket outlet in the states is still, unfortunately, Ticketmaster.  Now, we all know that Ticketmaster charges way too much money in “service” charges.  I know that, and you know that, but it’s nothing compared to what you will pay if you attempt to go through a ticket-scalper.

Of course, there are these websites where people who have tickets for shows can sell them.  For some reason, this is not considered “scalping” and these websites seem to be growing in popularity.  I have friends who used websites such as Stub Hub and rave about it.

Now, for me, sites like Stub Hub are just too expensive.  I am a writer and I am barely scraping by, so I would rather sit at home and listen to the artist that I want to see live than spend the kind of money you are likely to spend at a website like Stub Hub.  Still, those who have used Stub Hub swear that there’s no place better when it comes to finding tickets for shows that are coming up fast or listed as sold out.

When it comes to getting tickets for the last few remaining Buddy Guy shows in January, a scalper or place like Stub Hub may be the only place you can go.  I also strongly suggest you visit the link at the top of the page and check out Buddy Guy’s website.  Check out the calendar section.  While he is currently scheduled to perform there just through the end of this month, but it is his place and he often pops up there throughout the year.

No matter when you go, however, Buddy Guy’s Legends is a pretty cool blues club to check out and they always have great performances.  I am not sure I was of any help to those of you looking to visit Chicago and check out a show, but I hope it helped somewhat.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

I have a friend who went to see Buddy live during his concerts at his club which he did last year.  His girlfriend went to the restroom while Buddy was playing.  She opened the stall and came out to find herself standing in front of Buddy, who was STILL playing.  He asked her if she was going to wash her hands.  She said she wanted a  picture and grabbed her camera phone.

During the same concert Buddy not only came down off the stage, but he walked ALL the way around the block, playing the entire time.  How cool would that be?  Nothing like walking down a Chicago street and bumping into Buddy Guy playing during a concert.

So, here are the remaining shows throughout the month of January.  Get your tickets now.

Thursday Janauary 17th- Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Lurrie Bell @9:00

Acoustic@5:30

Friday, January 18th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Carlos Johnson@9:00

   Acoustic @ 5:30

Saturday January 19th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@11:00

John Primer@9:30

 acoustic set @ 6:00

Sunday, January 20th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@9:00

Jimmy Burns@7:30

acoustic set@ 4

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

So, I picked this one very bluesy tune and decided to put the link HERE.  It’s Buddy doing some acoustic work, but damn, look at that man play guitar!  I love some good old-fashioned blues, too, and you have to love this one.

I tried to find a complete performance of his classic “Feels Like Rain.”  Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to find one.  The closest I could find was THIS one.  The quality kind of sucks.  Still, it’s clear enough for your to hear that great guitar.

Then, just because it’s so much fun, here’s some of Buddy playing along with B.B. King.  Click right HERE to check this classic clip out.

Of course, at true guitar virtuoso can play just about anything.  HERE is a clip of Buddy playing “Voodoo Chile” as though he were channeling Jimi.  Then again, considering what an influence Buddy was on Jimi, maybe it’s the other way around.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

I do strongly suggest you check out Buddy Guy’s Legends home page.  You can do so by clicking right HERE.  You can find out directions to the place and all kinds of great information there.  I am completely borrowing their schedule for January 2008 to place right here. 

BUDDY SHOW INFO

SHOW TIME:

Wednesdays-Fridays: Doors open at 11:00 AM, the acoustic act starts at 5:30 PM, the opening band at 9:00 PM and Buddy Guy at 10:30 PM;

Saturdays: Doors open at 4:00 PM, the acoustic act starts at 6:00 PM, the opening band at 9:30 PM and Buddy Guy at 11:00 PM;     

Sundays: Doors open at 4:00 PM, the acoustic act starts at 4:00 PM, the opening band at 7:30 PM and Buddy Guy at 9:00 PM.

**** ALL Friday and Saturday Shows are sold out as of November 27, 2007

January 1st

CLOSED

Wednesday January 2nd

Charlie Love@9:30

 Thursday January 3rd

Buddy Guy@10:30

Larry McCray@9:00  

Acoustic @ 5:30

Friday January 4th- Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Billy Branch@9

 Acoustic@ 5:30

 Saturday January 5th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@11:00

Big James & The Chicago Play Boys @9:30

  Acoustic@ 6:00

 Sunday January 6th

Buddy Guy@9:00

Nick Moss and The Fliptops @7:30

Acoustic @ 4:00

Monday January 7th

Brother John Hosts the Jam

Tuesday January 8th

Bill Lupkin@9:30

Wednesday January 9th

Michael Coleman@9:30

Thursday January 10th

Buddy Guy@10:30

Brother John@9:00

Acoustic @ 5:30

Friday January 11th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials @ 9

 Acoustic@ 5:30

Saturday January 12th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@11:00

Carl Weathersby@9:30

Acoustic set@6:00

Sunday January 13th

Buddy Guy@9:00

Phil Guy@7:30

 Acoustic set @ 4

Monday January 14th

Jimmy Burns Hosts The Jam
 

Tuesday Janauary 15th

Sharon Lewis@9:30

Wednesday January 16th

Jimmy Johnson@9:30

Thursday Janauary 17th

Buddy Guy@10:30

Lurrie Bell @9:00

Acoustic@5:30

Friday, January 18th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Carlos Johnson@9:00

   Acoustic @ 5:30

Saturday January 19th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@11:00

John Primer@9:30

 acoustic set @ 6:00

Sunday, January 20th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@9:00

Jimmy Burns@7:30

acoustic set@ 4

Monday January 21st

Brother John hosts The Jam

Tuesday, January 22nd

Joe Moss@ 9:30

Wednesday January 23rd

Buddy Guy@10:30pm

Joanna Connor @ 9:00

Acoustic set@ 5:30

Thursday January 24th

Buddy Guy@10:30

Nellie Travis@9

Acoustic set@ 5:30 

Friday, January 25th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@10:30

Guy King@ 9

 Acoustic@5:30

Saturday January 26th -Sold Out

Buddy Guy@11:00

Nublu Band @ 9:30

 Acoustic set @ 6:00

Sunday January 27th

Buddy Guy@9:00

Matthew Skoller@7:30

Acoustic set @ 4:00 

Monday January 28th

Jimmy Burns Hosts The Jam

Tuesday January 29th

Linsey Alexander@9:30

Wednesday January 30th

Buddy Guy@10:30

Dave Spector& Tad Robinson@9

Thursday January 31st

Buddy Guy@10:30

Wayne Baker Brooks@9

Acoustic set@ 5:30

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

If you have not seen Buddy Guy play, well, you are really missing something.  Other great guitar players stand in awe of Buddy.  Jimi Hendrix was rumored to have been in awe of Buddy and considered Buddy a major influence.  Chicago happens to by Buddy Guy’s home and he happens to have a great club here, called Buddy Guy’s Legends. 

Chicago has some very impressive blues-related events throughout the year.  The Chicago Blues Festival, which kind of officially opens the summer season around here, is now recognized as one of the best blues festivals you are ever likely to find anywhere in the country, perhaps the world.  But what is there to do during these very cold, currently snowy, winter months?

Well, if you click on that link above, and visit Buddy Guy’s Legends website, you will see that the master himself is going to be setting up shop here in Chicago throughout January.  The man with the winning smile and blazing guitar fingers is going to be playing 19 shows throughout the month of January.  That’s right, folks, 19 shows!

I know Chicago is cold here this time of year.  It is rarely, during this time of year, on anyone’s vacation list.  However, with something like that going on, you may just want to make an exception.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

I don’t care how commercial the blues snobs try to make you think Buddy Guy’s Legends is.  The fact is, the man is a legend and his club is fantastic.  You can view their website by clicking here. 

December 5th $10

Linsey Alexander 9:30pm

December 6th $10

Dion Payton 9:30pm

December 7th $15

 Diamond Jim Greene

Doug McDonald

Johnnie Bassett 11:00pm

Kingston Mines is a place right near where I used to live.  Before every show there was always a huge line, so if you go, I suggest you show up early.  Their schedule is not quite as easy to view as Buddy’s is.

As such, I am going to suggest you click on the link I have provided here and ceck out their website.  Do so by clicking here and take a look and then make your plans.  Careful, it’s snowing outside as I write this and it’s supposed to snow all weekend too.  Nothing can give you the blues worse than a nice car accident because of poor driving in poor weather.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

I first gained some respect for the blues when I was in college.  I had a teacher who was a big blues fan.  She was a music critic for a St. Louis newspaper and raved about the blues.  It started to rub off on me a bit, but I hardly became a huge fan.

I used to work at a classic rock radio station in Rockford Illinois.  I was the part-time and fill-in guy.  I got to do board-operator work from time to time as well.  A couple of times I ran the boards for the Sunday morning blues show.  It was then that my appreciation for the music began to grow.

Believe it or not, the in-depth blog entries I have posted here about some of the classic jazz musicians comes off the top of my head for most of it.  Sure, I have to do some research and check my facts, but a lot of it comes right out of my brain.  The same thing cannot be said for the blues.

I do enjoy the blues.  Chicago has a huge blues festival and some great musicians.  Buddy Guy is located here and his club is a great place to see a show.  I also feel he is probably one of the greatest living guitar legends.  Truly, watch Buddy play guitar and you may be about as close as you can get in this day and age to seeing Jimi Hendrix.  Of course, Buddy has been around so long that I have heard Jimi admired and appreciated Buddy.  You kind of have to give a guy credit if he inspired one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

This, of course, should not stop any of you from posting about your favorite blues artists.  I strongly encourage it.  What blues albums do you listen to?  What blues artists are your favorites?  If a newbie like myself were to be trying to build up his blues music collection, what would be the “must haves?” 

I’d love to know.  A man has to constatnly seek to expand his horizons, I feel.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

I have yet to find an ad that is some kind of official Chicago Jazz Festival tour site.  What I did find, however, was “Big Chicago Records” which is a local record label that producers samplers of music.  Yearly, they release a new Jazz album entitled, you guessed it, “A Chicago Jazz Tour.”

For the 2007 version, you can click right here and check it out.

For those of you who are wondering who some of the jazz musicians in this area are, I cannot imagine a better way to get a nice sample.  It’s like getting a platter of great food brought to you, or perhaps a Jazz buffet.

They also have “A Chicago Blues Tour“  which is great for me because those happen to be the topics of my blog here.  Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor are represented here, of course.  However, there are plenty of others you may not know off-hand and probably should.

So, before you plan your trip here to visit the Chicago Jazz Festival or hit the Chicago Blues scene, you may want to check out these two CDs.  Get to know your Chicago music scene and enjoy.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

The Crossroads tour/show came through this past weekend and played at Toyota Park.  It was 11  hours of some of the finest music you are likely to have found.  It had something for everyone and if you are a fan of Clapton, you couldn’t have asked for more.  The guitar god was ever-present, often watching just off-stage and often joining the performers on stage.

It was 11 hours long, but I have yet to hear anyone complaining about the length.  The entire event was organized by Clapton to help raise money for a charity he started. Plus, his own band played for an hour and forty-five minutes.  Plus, there was even a classic moment for classic rock fans as Clapton brought up his former Traffic bandmate, Steve Winwood.

Clapton also played with Robbie Robertson, formerly of the Band.  He also came out at the end to join Buddy Guy and close out the show.

The entire show kicked off at noon.  Hometown movie star and comedian Bill Murray introduced the show and came on stage throughout the show.  He managed to stay funny and to poke fun at the dubious fame and blues heritage in Bridgeview.

The best part of the show was the closing.  Guy came out and immediately began doing what he does best which is play the blues better than just about anyone alive.  Clapton joined in.  Then, during the climactic “Sweet Home Chicago” other musicians like John Mayer joined in.

In short, this was a concert for the ages and it was very cool to have it happen right here in Chicago, even if it really happened a few miles away from downtown Chicago.  Hey, suburbanites want to rock and get the blues too.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

At the same time, there is no denying that Buddy Guys is a blues legend and one of the greatest guitarists you are likely to see.  His performance during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame still resonates with fans, like myself.  He blew other guitar legends like Eric Clapton right off the stage.

So, when you come to Chicago and want to experience the Blues in a way that will leave a memory for life, you probably need to visit Buddy Guy’s Legends.  There is always music.  Often, Buddy himself shows up to play.

As such, here’s what is going on at the legendary blues club this week:

Tuesday July 24, 2007

Harmonica Hinds at 5:30
Matthew Skoller at 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday July 25, 2007

Jimmy Johnson at 5:30
Carl Weathersby at 9:30 p.m.

Thursday July 26, 2007

Bryan Lee at 9:30 p.m.

Friday July 27, 2007

Harmonica Hinds 5:30 p.m.
Lil Dave Thompson 9:00
Buddy Guy’s is located at 754 South Wabash, although there is talk that the place will be moving in the near future.  You can also visit their website at www.buddyguys.com.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge