Chicago is a town that can't get enough of the blues, and the annual blues festival kicks the typical Chicagoan's passion for the genre into overdrive. By the time the second week of June rolls around, we're impatient for the chance to sit in the sun, sipping ridiculously overpriced cups of warm beer and screaming at the top of our lungs. Several local venues feature previews for those people, like myself, who have trouble waiting until Thursday to get their annual blues transfusion. One such venue is SPACE, an Evanston spot that features performers who will be at the festival later this weekend. Ostensibly a birthday party for David "Honeyboy" Edwards, who just turned ninety-three, the Wednesday night concert featured Barrelhouse Chuck, Eddy Clearwater, and Honeyboy himself.
SPACE was standing room only when I arrived with my husband, Russ. Happy to see that the venue featured locally brewed, cold Goose Island beer for only $3.00, we stood at the back, clutching our bottles. The MC was Katherine Davis, an expansive African-American woman in her mid-fifties. She immediately put the crowd at ease with several ribald jokes. She then introduced the first performer, Barrelhouse Chuck, a mustachioed fellow who looked like the villain in an old silent movie. Chuck, however, was considerably more cheerful, and played a mean electric piano. He was effusive about his love for the instrument, saying, "Piano is the thread--the glue--when you put a piano in the song, it really sparkles."
David Honeyboy Edwards was the second performer, and just to behold him was a revelation. It was similar to sitting at the feet of a guru--a blues guru, at that. Honeyboy, along with Pinetop Perkins, is among the last of the living delta blues masters. He has played with Lightnin' Hopkins, Robert Johnson, and Howlin' Wolf, among many others. Born 93 years ago in Shaw, Mississippi, Honeyboy came to Chicago in 1956. He has been playing the guitar and performing since he was 12. Two nights ago, he was in England for a tour; he'll be at the festival tomorrow on the Front Porch stage, and then on to a tour in the southern US. He admitted to feeling a bit tired, but it wasn't evident from his playing. He picked the guitar with an ageless grace, singing such songs as "Sweet Home Chicago" in a growling, yet melodious tone.
Between songs, the MC joked with Honeyboy, asking him what else he was able to do with his fingers. Honeyboy seemed amused, if a bit befuddled. He assured Katherine that he still liked women, a lot. She asked him, "If you had your life to do all over, would you do it again?", to which he replied, "I don't think I'd make it!" This brought a roar of laughter from the crowd. At the end of the set, everyone was treated to a slice of birthday cake, after Honeyboy had somewhat laboriously blown out the candle on his own slice. I felt honored just to be in his presence.
Honeyboy was a hard act to follow, but Chicago native Eddy Clearwater did a superlative job. Eddy used to wear a Native American headdress to his concerts, which earned him the nickname "The Chief." This night, however, he wore a more conservative fedora. This was the only conservative feature of his outfit, which featured iridescent gold pants, white shoes, and a sparkling gold jacket. The outfit matched his effervescent personality perfectly. Eddy smiled radiantly throughout his set. Having seen him once, twenty years ago, I remembered how cheerful he was, and was pleased to see that this hadn't changed.
Eddy played a bright red Gibson guitar with his left hand, leading the crowd through old favorites, such as "Walkin' Through the Park" by Muddy Waters, and originals from his latest album, "West Side Strut." Two especially memorable songs from the new album were the melancholic "I Came Up the Hard Way" and the upbeat "Too Old to Get Married, Too Young to be Buried." The married, genteel Evanston crowd really went wild for the latter song, leaping to their feet, spilling their beers, and whooping.
The perfomers united at the end of the evening for a raucous jam--except for Honeyboy, who was probably enjoying a hard-earned rest, dreaming of guitar-shaped women and pieces of cake. I am looking forward to seeing him at the festival tomorrow, and perhaps some of you, as well. SPACE will feature other performers throughout festival weekend, including Jimmy Johnson and Dave Spector on Thursday, Jimmy Burns on Friday, and Syl Johnson with Morris Jennings and Bernard Reed on Saturday. For more information, check out their website at www.evanstonspace.com.