Day 15

Today was pretty great...

I saw a branch blow off a tree AND it was Blues Fest...all in one day!

So it has kind of been storming off and on here for about a week. And it's pretty cool because when it isn't storming it is actually pretty nice out. So it is either warm and sunny or there is a kick ass storm happening. Well one of these quick bursts of thunderstorm hit early this afternoon. And I was watching it from my window and I remember thinking, "Goodness sake, I think a branch is going to blow off that tree." And guess what happened! A branch blew off that tree! It almost hit my car. But it didn't, so that is good news too.

I also wrote a paper today. I was productive! I might post it here later in the week. But after I finished I went down to Blues Fest. I was going to do a little more work first but then I decided, hell, why waste all this productivity on one day? Let's ration it out a little! And I took the green line down to Grant Park.

So I got to the festival at about 4:15. The first thing I found that caught my eye was a panel discussion on the future of the blues. This was pretty interesting but it kind of just turned into a bitch session among the panelists about why the kids aren't listening to the blues anymore. I was very tempted to take the mic and set them straight.

Here's the thing. The kids aren't listening to the blues because the blues is over. That's not to say that there aren't young blues bands that can really wail, or that the old classics are irrelevant, but blues as a dynamic art form is finished. And this is exemplified by the fact that these old codgers are sitting around crying about it. You know the surest symptom that a music genre has died? A bunch of old men sitting around trying to figure out why the kids aren't listening.

What they don't seem to get is that this is not a bad thing. It is just what happens with popular music. Yes, there are still FORMS of the blues that are very popular, and there will continue to be. But what these men are pining for is a very specific, rootsy form of the genre that cannot POSSIBLY exist again. They already happened. Music is about moving forward, not constantly reliving the past. Sure, there are throwback retro artists in every genre, and new and exciting things can be done with each genre's sound, but it is just silly to think that any one genre will ever be able to recapture the magic of its early years. That's why all the steps that these guys are suggesting (like more Blues in the Schools programs, for goodness sake) are self-defeating. Well, I shouldn't say that. I think teaching kids about the blues is a great idea...it is history. But to think everyone should stop pushing music forward and just regurgitate Muddy Waters songs? You are showing your age, gentlemen.

So, on to the music. I checked out some of the smaller stages. I found a great band from Louisiana. They were jamming and I decided I need to get back to New Orleans any way possible. And I am even, once again, considering getting a job down there when I finish school. Just for a little while. Maybe I could teach Blues in the Schools!

And then there was a little girl playing in a giant mud puddle during the set. She was awesome and so was the mud. She was doing literal somersaults in the puddle. She was just covered head to toe in mud. But she was having so much fun!

And the mud was everywhere. My clothes and my buddy were pretty damn muddy by the time I left. I headed over to Petrillo for Magic Slim and the Teardrops and ran into my friend Greg. So we hung out for a bit and listened to Magic Slim. They were pretty good. But here is where I level with you and admit that I don't know shit about blues (other than it is over.) Well, I know a little. I just can't differentiate a lot of it from a lot else of it. So I can go to blues festivals and blues clubs and really feel the music, but I can't tell you that much about what I heard or the musician playing it.

ANYWAY...then I found Jason and Becky and some other people before B.B. King went on stage. Now this is where I piss everyone off and say what (I believe) everyone else is thinking: B.B. King's set was kind of disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I don't hold it against him AT ALL. He's a diabetic 82-year-old...just the fact that he got up on the stage is commendable. But I honestly had a real hard time feeling the music. He only played about forty minutes or so and the set seemed kind of sloppy, with lots of breaks. When he left the stage I actually felt kind of relieved that it was almost time to sit down.

That said...I have the utmost respect for Mr. King as an artist and a legend. And I am willing to buy the fact that the trouble mostly had to do with the fact that the sound was a little too low, and I was far away, and everyone around me wouldn't shut up. So B.B. King, keep doin' what you do.

On the way back to the train we stopped at Millennium Park to walk in the fountain. Good way to cool off and get some of the mud off our feet. After the train, the drive, and feeding the cats it was about 11:30 when I got home. I took a LONG shower, ate some Flav-or-ices, and watched an episode of Six Feet Under. Now I am typing this and I am about to go to bed.

A very Happy Panda am I...