The first day of the blues festival is always filled with the same sort of anticipation that accompanies Christmas morning.  There was a brief but dramatic thunderstorm on Wednesday night, and the Thursday morning sky was gray and creepy, filled with ominous clouds.  When I arrived at the festival, drenched with sweat, the thermometer was almost at ninety degrees. The crowd was enthusiastic, but strangely listless. The unbearable humidity caused me to collapse in front of the Front Porch Stage, where I remained for the rest of the afternoon.

 The youngest blues fan at the festival takes it easy.

Fortunately, a stellar lineup was on the agenda, which included Louisiana Red, Honeyboy Edwards, and Pinetop Perkins.  Louisiana Red was in full tilt boogie mode as I approached the stage.  Dressed in a heavy, uncomfortable-looking red polyester jacket, Red calmly and efficiently plucked the strings of his guitar as he sang,

"Baby, please don't go

 baby please don't go

baby please don't go back to New Orleans

because I love you so."

Louisiana Red's scorching set

After a few songs, Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones took over guitar-picking duties, leading the band in a blistering set.  The sun was merciless as Johnny tore into the strings of his guitar, causing him to break into a profuse sweat.  We were all sweating in unison when he finished.  Johnny mopped his forehead and exclaimed, "I gave up drinking, but I could sure use four fingers of Jack Daniels right now."  He held up the fingers of both hands, with all digits pointing skyward.  "That's four fingers of TWO hands",  he clarified.  The crowd laughed appreciatively.

At the end of the set, Honeyboy took the stage, looking astonishingly refreshed after his previous night of revelry. Looking dapper in an iridescent red shirt and gold vest, he played guitar and sang in his trademark, gravelly voice.  At this point, Honeyboy seemed familiar and comforting, but still capable of inspiring awe in the ever-swelling crowd.

 Honeyboy Edwards

 At 4:30, the crowd was treated to a set by members of Muddy Waters' original band, which included Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on harmonica, Bob Margolin, guitar and vocals, and Pinetop Perkins on piano.  At ninety-five, Pinetop makes Honeyboy seem like a youngster.  His fingers were so light on the piano keys, that it was hard to believe he was one of the elder statesmen of the blues.  A highlight of the set was a tribute to Bo Diddley, featuring a rendition of "Who Do You Love." Bo, as many of you know, passed away last week at the age of 79--an age that seemed fairly advanced to me, until I saw Honeyboy and Pinetop.

I inhaled a cold Hacker-Pschorr (German wheat beer) at the nearby Artist's Snack Shop while waiting for Johnny Winter's set to begin. I briefly worked at Artist's as a waitress in 1979.  All of my jobs were brief in those days. The place hadn't changed; it still had its comfortable retro vibe, complete with black and white striped stools at the counter  There is nothing more blissful than a Hacker Pschorr with lemon on a 90 degree day. Surprisingly, the restaurant was almost empty. even though its Michigan Avenue location is only a stone's throw from the festival.

An almost imperceptible breeze was blowing when we made our way over to the Petrillo Bandshell for Johnny Winter's set.  We had arranged to meet our friends Joel and Mark at the festival's edge, near a statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln, whose stiff stance always made me think he looked constipated. My mother was kicked out of Abraham Lincoln's lap many years ago by one of Chicago's finest, while she perched up there, eating a hot fudge sundae.  Since then, the statue has become an important landmark, at least for me.

Johnny Winter's band warmed up the stage in preparation for his set.  After a few minutes of scorching guitar playing by an anonymous band member, Johnny came out and seated himself in a folding chair, where he remained for the entirety of his set.  I had the impression that he was not feeling well.  His playing was impassioned and flawless, however.  After a few songs, he was joined by James Cotton on harmonica. A highlight of the set was a spirited rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Red House" immediately followed by the Stones' "I Used to Love Her, But It's All Over Now." After a standing ovation, Johnny and James treated us to a version of Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited." We savored every moment of this long, wordy song, knowing that when it was over, the blues festival would close for the evening, not to re-open until the following day at 11:00 AM.

 If you look closely, you can see Johnny Winter on the right hand side of the stage.

The Loop skyline at dusk.