Buddy Guy heats up a chilly Chicago night as he brings another January residency to his Chicago blues club, Legends, for 16 unforgettable shows.
January is always a tough month. The decorations have all been taken down, and everything looks bare. With the winter storm that’s been sweeping the country, this one has been a particularly tough month. The Bears’ failure to make it to the Super Bowl also didn’t help brighten anyone’s mood. One thing that does, without fail, lift everyone’s spirits in Chicago every January is Buddy Guy‘s month-long residency at his own club, Legends. These shows are a rite of passage for anyone who moves to the city. You aren’t truly adopted into the fold until you’ve attended one of these performances. And trust us, it’s no hardship!
This year’s lineup came out a little later than usual, and to say that we were getting nervous it wasn’t going to happen this year is putting it mildly. However, while Buddy Guy made the announcement a while back that he was completing his final tour, this was not the case for his Legends shows. The moment these shows get announced, the tickets get snapped up immediately. If Buddy plays, the crowds will always come! Every Thursday through Sunday in January, the legend keeps the blues alive one show at a time.
While this show was live-streamed for those who were unable to make it, nothing replaces actually being there in person and getting to experience Guy in his own club. These evenings are something special and something that can never be taken for granted. The intimate setting of Legends adds a whole other dimension to these shows that you just don’t get elsewhere. It’s not every day that you get to experience a legend in his own domain.
Throughout the evening, Guy would lace stories and anecdotes throughout the set, setting the scene for the song ahead. His soulful voice soared across the crowd, captivating the audience from the very first moment he stepped out onto the stage. Armed with his trusty Fender Stratocaster and donning his signature polka dot shirt, Guy entertained the Chicago crowd, who absorbed every moment of the show. People were so fixated on the stage that they didn’t even realize that actor Sir Ian McKellen was also in attendance.
As is tradition at these shows, there comes a point when Buddy makes the evening an even more intimate affair as he steps off the stage and brings the performance right up to the audience by meandering through the packed venue. It doesn’t stop there, as he momentarily steps out into the frigid temperatures outside the front door, all the while making his Strat sing. It really doesn’t matter how many times you see this happen, it doesn’t make it any less special to witness. The excitement can be felt throughout the crowd as he gets up close and interacts with people as he walks through, all the while still playing his guitar.
This is a tradition that has got to make a trip to Chicago in the frigid temperatures still appealing. Buddy Guy proved once again why he’s so highly regarded as he continues to keep the blues alive. He “Ain’t Done With The Blues.”
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