Last year the Chicago Blues Festival pulled off a major coup by reuniting Ray Charles with his star-studded horn section of the 1950s, and during the first decade of the annual free event, now in its 16th year, there were many comparable once-in-a-lifetime evenings. But whether due to budget constraints or City Hall’s (probably correct) supposition that a few hundred thousand people will pack Grant Park no matter who’s playing, moments of greatness have been few and far between in recent years. Including this one.
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A visit to New Orleans’s eclectic Jazz & Heritage Festival underscored the problem at home. Jazzfest’s kickoff weekend climaxed with performances by Charles, Eddie Bo, Dr. John, and hometown hero Fats Domino–a lineup worth risking heatstroke for. The side stages offered a load of Louisiana blues, R & B, and early rock legends, including Tommy Ridgley, Jean Knight, Warren Storm, and Dale Hawkins, none of whom has ever graced Petrillo’s stage. Beer lines were short, and the cuisine was superb–if only either were the norm in Grant Park.
As usual, there are four principal stages. The big guns play each evening at Petrillo Music Shell, on the northeast corner of Jackson and Columbus. Everything else takes place in the afternoon: the little Juke Joint stage (on Columbus just north of Petrillo) presents acoustic acts, usually in a solo or duo format; the Front Porch (at the southwest corner of Jackson and Columbus) features mostly traditional artists; and the Crossroads (at Jackson and Lake Shore Drive) highlights more contemporary fare with higher decibel levels.
