Chicago T-Heads/ Stevie Wonder on Sat.

[marignygreg]

At Taste. Who all is going ? I plan on going with a small krewe.

[Frosty]

Why wait until Saturday. I'm going tonight!

[marignygreg]

I'm meeting Stevie at the Taste and he can only go Sat. ;)

Who is playing tonight ?? I was thinking of seeing Bonnie next weekend.

[glinda]

Taste crowds waaaaay too much for me. Luckily I got a good Stevie fix last fall & a bit at fest. Better go tonite just to get a spot!

[sharon_loves_fats]

I'll be there. Is it the same deal as the Blues Festival - paid tickets needed for the seating area??

[Frosty]

I'm meeting Stevie at the Taste and he can only go Sat. ;)

Who is playing tonight ?? I was thinking of seeing Bonnie next weekend.

Stevie Wonder at the Marcus Ampitheater in Milwaukee. We are heading up there in an a hour.

[glinda]

Stevie Wonder at the Marcus Ampitheater in Milwaukee. We are heading up there in an a hour.
A lovely venue. Worth the drive and the ticket price.

[glinda]

I'll be there. Is it the same deal as the Blues Festival - paid tickets needed for the seating area??
The deal is the same, but expect the crowds to be massive.
Minimally 300,000. Likely much larger.

[marignygreg]

Stevie Wonder at the Marcus Ampitheater in Milwaukee. We are heading up there in an a hour.

Nice, give us a slurged report when you get home.

[ohio]

Stevie Wonder at the Marcus Ampitheater in Milwaukee. We are heading up there in an a hour.
Summerfair? I miss Milwaukee, have a blast!

[marignygreg]

Summerfair? I miss Milwaukee, have a blast!

Summerfest.

[Frosty]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!

We got home after 1 last night.

Stevie was wonderful. I went into the show remember the criticism from Jazz Fest and expected the show to drag some in sections. But, it never did. He kept the songs short and sweet and even the love songs never drifted into cliche as his incredible vocals and backing arrangements kept them interesting. I don't know about the extensive yawn of Ribbon in the Sky during Fest but here, he only stretched that line out a few time, then ended the song. Even the lowpoint of the night, "I Just Called...", was well sung during the verse and only the famous chorus was thin. And this didn't last for long. Preaching was also kept down as he dropped a couple Obamabombs while talking about the future and uniting as a nation. The preaching was kept minimal. But the show had a wonderful spontanaity to it and he enjoyed communicating to the audience giving the show a personal feel to it. He clearly enjoyed every moment he was up there. He had 14 musicians up on stage including himself and the extra percussionists gave some of the songs a Latin feel. This was a very enjoyable show made even more so by the relationship he established with the audience. When he strung together Sir Duke, Do I Do, I Wish, and Superstition, the place was dancing up a storm.

One side note: Milwaukee and Summerfest have AWFUL traffic control. We stayed around some after the show to walk around, watch the fireworks, eat, and ride the cable car. When we left, there were only about 15 cars or so trying to get out of the parking lot. But, nobody was directing traffic and the other lane was just packed with buses forcing cars to try and squeeze a left turn between buses. We sat there for over 10 minutes without a car moving and another 15 or so with only 3 or 4 getting through before I finally got out and walked up to a traffic person and asked if they could let some cars out as well. Finally, they did and it didn't take but another 5 to get out. Seems they were busy waving their flashlights a half block up to inform the buses to go straight even though there was nowhere else for them to go. The thought of actually being at the intersection had not occured to them. I can't imagine what it was like if you left after the show or when the fairgrounds close down and there are actually a lot of cars.

[ohio]

Summerfest.
ah, right. Summer was so cool in Milwaukee- they celebrate the warm months like nowhere else I've been. Festivals every weekend! Summerfest itself runs 12 straight days...

[sharon_loves_fats]

The deal is the same, but expect the crowds to be massive.
Minimally 300,000. Likely much larger.

I was set to arrive tomorrow at 2:30, but then I started worrying about the crowds. Just switched my bus to tonight. Guess it's another yummy breakfast at Lou Mitchell's for me tomorrow morning! And l'll be plenty early to snag a spot at the fence!

[marignygreg]

I was set to arrive tomorrow at 2:30, but then I started worrying about the crowds. Just switched my bus to tonight. Guess it's another yummy breakfast at Lou Mitchell's for me tomorrow morning! And l'll be plenty early to snag a spot at the fence!

I'll be on the lookout for that purple Steal Your Face. Should be easy to spot with only 300,000 folks.

[sharon_loves_fats]

I'll be on the lookout for that purple Steal Your Face. Should be easy to spot with only 300,000 folks.

Yes, but I'll be right on the rail behind the seating area. That should narrow it down to 20,000!!! :p

Hope to see some TH's!

[glinda]

ah, right. Summer was so cool in Milwaukee- they celebrate the warm months like nowhere else I've been. Festivals every weekend! Summerfest itself runs 12 straight days...
Yea they got Summerfest Polishfest Germanfest Irishfest... you were once a Milwaukeean, ohio?

[ohio]

Yea they got Summerfest Polishfest Germanfest Irishfest... you were once a Milwaukeean, ohio?yep, transfered by my job at the time- mid 80's. lived on the east side, about a block from the public pier. loved it except for winter...

[chicagomike]

Summerfest is a great deal. Its about 1000x's better then Taste of Chicago.

[jonnygospeltent]

I'll be there.

[jonnygospeltent]

There is a very cool African band playing at Millenium Park right after Stevie.

[marignygreg]

Hey Frosty, how long did stevie play ? Do you know if anyone is opening for him at Taste ?? The reason I ask is I will not make it down till 6:30 ish. Thanks!!

[Voodoohead]

Joel Savoy of the Red Stick Ramblers is at the Hideout tomorrow night.

[Doubledown]

we cant make it to see Stevie today because of work , can someone post a review please.:)

[Doubledown]

Summerfest is a great deal. Its about 1000x's better then Taste of Chicago.
Probably one of the best Fest in the country, Hope to make it back one day.

[marignygreg]

CROWDED !! I have never seen more folks ever at Grant Park, and that includes the 3rd of July fireworks. Sound was so low in the lawn area you could only hear if you were camped out behind a speaker, which was not an easy task. I finally got to a decent spot around the time of 'Living Just Enough For The City' and stayed there for most of the show. I remember Jesse Jackson made a few appearances on stage.
All in all I had a blast, met some great folks and heard Stevie on top of his game. Thank God I brought my own beer or I would still be in line trying to get tickets so I could get in another line to get an overpriced cold one. It was so packed, you could not even find the line.
Another mighty fine night in da big city.

[Voodoohead]

I had a good time, not great. Really thought the Jazzfest show was better. The crowds at the Taste was horrible. Very diverse crowd from Jazzfest - for the most part very nice, but there were some people who saw you had a cooler - watch out! "Can I have a beer, a coke, water, some ice?" Also some really bad parenting out there. Really enjoyed the Jesse Lége & Joel Savoy show at the Hideout.

Here's the review from the Chicago Tribune:

Originally posted: June 29, 2008
Stevie Wonder has enough aura for everyone at Grant Park

Everybody wanted to bask in Stevie Wonder’s aura Saturday in Grant Park. There were 75,000 revelers filling the vast lawn, and another 3,000 watching on a video screen set up at Buckingham Fountain. There were midconcert speeches from Jesse Jackson and Michigan Congressman John Conyers, and a plaque from Mayor Daley. There were cameo leads by two of his backing singers: daughter Aisha and Keith John. And there were lengthy solos by most of his band members in a hard-swinging instrumental.

Wonder’s generosity extended to the length and breadth of the performance: Nearly three hours and 30 songs. Still he barely skimmed a career that spans five decades and 46 top-40 hits.

He is a towering cultural icon who looks and acts like a roly-poly, oversized kid with braids cascading down his back. No wonder his audience consisted of three of four generations crossing lines of race and gender.

He was equal parts utopian idealist and mischief-maker. One minute he was pleading for deliverance, the next he was messing around with a voice box and crooning the Chi-Lites’ “Have You Seen Her.”

But he is, above all, a master musician and band leader intimately in tune with his audience and the moment. This was a looser, more sprawling version of the concert Wonder performed nine months ago on Northerly Island, tailored specifically for the casual demands of a breezy summer evening. No one was in a rush to leave, least of all Wonder himself. He was here to explore the contours of his songbook, his collaborators, the night, and he built an appealing spontaneity into a set thick with crowd-pleasing songs. For the hardcore fans, he dug deep for album tracks such as the 1966 “Hey Love” and a shimmering “Golden Lady,” and unveiled an easy-on-the-ears track from a forthcoming project.

He played his 13-member band like an instrument. “You take the bottom, I’ll take the top,” he commanded his backing singers on “Knocks Me off My Feet.” A horn section added since his last Chicago appearance was a welcome bonus, particularly on the hard-swinging “Sir Duke.” But it was one of Wonder’s bedrock accomplices, bassist Nathan Watts, who made everything go. Watts had a great night, whether laying down the reggae syncopations of “Master Blaster” or the slippery fills he ran off beneath the braying horns on “I Wish.”

The richness of the arrangements was sometimes compromised by the unforgiving acoustics of the Petrillo Band Shell. But there was no denying the range: the slow seduction of “Ribbon in the Sky,” the ebullient testifying of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the Latin fire of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.”

Wonder swiveled between banks of keyboards and synthesizers and sang with rapturous joy, easily commanding the stage with his a cappella flights. His upper register retained its suppleness and his harmonica-playing remained one of the planet’s most delightful sounds. The clavinet funk of “Superstition” and the righteous fire of “Higher Ground” were high points, which made it easy to forgive the occasional lapse into lollipop cliche (“I Just Called to Say I Love You”).

Children smiled, and graying citizens danced in the aisles, still clutching their canes. A woman shuffled merrily in her walker, and another fan rose from a wheelchair. It was, by any measure, a wondrous Chicago night.

greg@gregkot.com

[Doubledown]

Thanks for posting reviews. "Nearly three hours and 30 songs."
WOW, Sad we missed it , but not sad about missing the crowds, I remember the them from Santana a few years ago, maybe they should have two shows for the BNA :)

[chicagomike]

I love Chicago. It is my favorite city. However, I am EMBARASSED every time I sit in Grant Park and try and HEAR the music. Come on Chicago, invest a little on making the sound at least decent in the lawn. It would not be difficult to do.

[Chicago Fest Fan]

I love Chicago. It is my favorite city. However, I am EMBARASSED every time I sit in Grant Park and try and HEAR the music. Come on Chicago, invest a little on making the sound at least decent in the lawn. It would not be difficult to do.

You are absolutely right Mike. They used to bring in rented PA systems for shows/fests around 10 years ago. Then they installed small permanent speakers and it has not been the same since. I was there for BB King @ Blues fest and I could barely hear the 2 opening acts, however I went down to the seating area for BB and the sound was fine. One of the problems is that the sound person is located next to the stage not out in front. How the hell are they going to get a good read on the sound from there.
I've said it before. The sound person should be required to sit in the lawn for 1 night to see how bad it really is.
BTW my wife and a group of friends went to Stevie and they did not enjoy the show. They said the crowds were unbearable and rude, not letting people pass. It has become popular for people to set up tents. This takes up a lot of room and blocks the view of the screens from everybody behind them.
You think chairs are bad at JF try navigating around tents.
They said it would take 40- min to an hour to go to the bathroom or get something to eat.

[Frosty]

Hey Frosty, how long did stevie play ? Do you know if anyone is opening for him at Taste ?? The reason I ask is I will not make it down till 6:30 ish. Thanks!!

Sorry, I didn't get back to you. BUSY weekend around the house. He played for two hours in Milwaukee. YOur post justifies my decision to go up there and pay for the show. We had great sound and decent seats. I don't know what the deal was with parking (never been a problem before), but Taste sure wouldn't be any better with the fighting the crowds.

[jerseygirl67]

I had a good time, not great. Really thought the Jazzfest show was better. The crowds at the Taste was horrible. Very diverse crowd from Jazzfest - for the most part very nice, but there were some people who saw you had a cooler - watch out! "Can I have a beer, a coke, water, some ice?" Also some really bad parenting out there. Really enjoyed the Jesse Lége & Joel Savoy show at the Hideout.

Here's the review from the Chicago Tribune:

Originally posted: June 29, 2008
Stevie Wonder has enough aura for everyone at Grant Park

Everybody wanted to bask in Stevie Wonder’s aura Saturday in Grant Park. There were 75,000 revelers filling the vast lawn, and another 3,000 watching on a video screen set up at Buckingham Fountain. There were midconcert speeches from Jesse Jackson and Michigan Congressman John Conyers, and a plaque from Mayor Daley. There were cameo leads by two of his backing singers: daughter Aisha and Keith John. And there were lengthy solos by most of his band members in a hard-swinging instrumental.

Wonder’s generosity extended to the length and breadth of the performance: Nearly three hours and 30 songs. Still he barely skimmed a career that spans five decades and 46 top-40 hits.

He is a towering cultural icon who looks and acts like a roly-poly, oversized kid with braids cascading down his back. No wonder his audience consisted of three of four generations crossing lines of race and gender.

He was equal parts utopian idealist and mischief-maker. One minute he was pleading for deliverance, the next he was messing around with a voice box and crooning the Chi-Lites’ “Have You Seen Her.”

But he is, above all, a master musician and band leader intimately in tune with his audience and the moment. This was a looser, more sprawling version of the concert Wonder performed nine months ago on Northerly Island, tailored specifically for the casual demands of a breezy summer evening. No one was in a rush to leave, least of all Wonder himself. He was here to explore the contours of his songbook, his collaborators, the night, and he built an appealing spontaneity into a set thick with crowd-pleasing songs. For the hardcore fans, he dug deep for album tracks such as the 1966 “Hey Love” and a shimmering “Golden Lady,” and unveiled an easy-on-the-ears track from a forthcoming project.

He played his 13-member band like an instrument. “You take the bottom, I’ll take the top,” he commanded his backing singers on “Knocks Me off My Feet.” A horn section added since his last Chicago appearance was a welcome bonus, particularly on the hard-swinging “Sir Duke.” But it was one of Wonder’s bedrock accomplices, bassist Nathan Watts, who made everything go. Watts had a great night, whether laying down the reggae syncopations of “Master Blaster” or the slippery fills he ran off beneath the braying horns on “I Wish.”

The richness of the arrangements was sometimes compromised by the unforgiving acoustics of the Petrillo Band Shell. But there was no denying the range: the slow seduction of “Ribbon in the Sky,” the ebullient testifying of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” the Latin fire of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.”

Wonder swiveled between banks of keyboards and synthesizers and sang with rapturous joy, easily commanding the stage with his a cappella flights. His upper register retained its suppleness and his harmonica-playing remained one of the planet’s most delightful sounds. The clavinet funk of “Superstition” and the righteous fire of “Higher Ground” were high points, which made it easy to forgive the occasional lapse into lollipop cliche (“I Just Called to Say I Love You”).

Children smiled, and graying citizens danced in the aisles, still clutching their canes. A woman shuffled merrily in her walker, and another fan rose from a wheelchair. It was, by any measure, a wondrous Chicago night.

greg@gregkot.com

WOW! Sounds like it was amazing!!!

[marignygreg]

Sorry, I didn't get back to you. BUSY weekend around the house. He played for two hours in Milwaukee. YOur post justifies my decision to go up there and pay for the show. We had great sound and decent seats. I don't know what the deal was with parking (never been a problem before), but Taste sure wouldn't be any better with the fighting the crowds.

No problem, Frosty. Glad you had a good time. I guess if I wanted to fully experience Stevie, I would have sought another venue as well. Still had fun...

[sharon_loves_fats]

WOW! Sounds like it was amazing!!!

Stevie was amazing!!! What a show! Thanks for posting the Tribune review Voodoo. As mentioned in earlier posts, the crowds were unbelievable. But somehow I managed to do everything just right - Arrived just before 10am and was one of the first 50 people or so to claim my spot on the rail. Bought a bunch of food/bev tickets when they first opened and so avoided the massively long lines I saw later. Brought a bottle of whiskey with me which meant I didn't have to fight the crowds to get to the beer stands, AND it significantly cut down on the number of bathroom trips! Overall, for it being so packed, people were generally pretty decent when you needed to get through. I was very glad I changed my original plan of arriving in Chicago mid-afternoon. I sympathize with anyone further back who had problems with the sound, that happened to me with BB at the Bluesfest.