I Love The Chicago Music Scene

Ahhhh, there is nothing like soaking up the culture of a new city. Thanks to Tuesday night's Green Mill jazz experience, and last night's House of Blues concert, I am now well on my way to feeling like I am making the most of being in Chicago.

Here are some of my 'observations' from those musical interludes.

The Green Mill

• There were more guys coming out of the men's room than going in. Is there a secret door I don't know about? I have heard there are secret booze tunnels under the venue from Al Capone days. Anything is possible I guess.
  
• The band we heard was called Deep Blue Blues. They were a very talented three piece set. There was an older guy on the organ wearing black sunglasses and facing anywhere but the keyboard (reminiscent of Ray Charles without the singing). We still don't know how he did it.
• There were two taps over the bathroom sink. A hot and a cold. About a foot apart. You have a choice to use ice cold water that sends your hands into spasms, or you can burn yourself. There is no opportunity to mix the two. Why on earth do taps like that even exist. Are you meant to dart your hands from one stream of water to the next? Just a question.
• Fox and I went to the Green Mill with a guy who is writing a dating book. He is the third 'date doctor' I have met that is single. Does anyone else think that is strange? Either they are not taking their own advice, or they are dishing out advice that doesn't work. He's a great guy, but I these thoughts certainly crossed my mind while he was talking about his book.

Chicago House of Blues, Solange (support act for Estelle)

• In my notes from the event, I had written that Solange performed like Beyonce on ADD meds. I just discovered, while I was looking for the name of one of her songs from last night, that Solange is Beyonce's sister. Hilarious. She clearly takes a lot of direction from her more famous sister. I had no idea.
• I found it really bizarre that the back up singers/dancers were strutting 1920's cabaret dance moves and her band had a Beatles-esq guitarist while Solange was throwing serpent-like shakes around the stage. Very mismatched.
• In a VERY unusual move, Solange walked off the stage and down into the audience, just wandering around while she sang, mobbed by the crowd. I have NEVER seen that before.
• There was a creepy balding middle aged man in the front row, pressed up against the stage filming up Solange's short skirt. Take note of this for my next bit on Estelle.
  
• Finally, as Solange finished up her show she accidentally threw her mike stand into the audience, hitting the people in the front row. Don't think anyone was hurt, but in the land of the law suit, I wouldn't want to be Solange right now.

Chicago House of Blues, Estelle

• Early into Solange's set, she sang a great cover of Love Fool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsrjUFYtpuQ), and you could see Estelle dancing and clapping in the opera box above the stage. Very cool. Throughout all of Estelle's performance however, Solange didn't clap once or look particularly interested in the show.
  
• Estelle makes a page boy haircut look cool. Note: The rest of the world should not try and copy this look. It will go horribly wrong.
  
• While Estelle was dressed demurely in jeans, a black top and a sharp white suit jacket (and no ridiculous bling) she did have a gold mike. A girl's gotta have her indulgences.
  
• Estelle's final song (before her encore) was 'American Boy', with 'I want to show you love' mixed in. All I could think about was Mobin Master. Haha.
  
• Ahhhh the subtlety. Yes, Estelle mentioned her Grammy.
  
• Estelle got people from the crowd to come up on stage. She somehow picked the creepy middle aged man that had been filming Solange. He started grinding on her and trying to be sexy in his cardigan. It was sooo wrong. His name was David. Dirty David I think. He ended up taking off his glasses and doing a semi strip tease with his cardi. He will remember last night for the rest of his life. Gross.
  

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Kelly Noble
Owner & Founder, GLAM Adelaide
http://www.glamadelaide.com