Chicago Night #2 (Wednesday)

We’d make a decent 440-relay team, Paul, as I’ll take up that baton and supplement you a bit here tonight, then run the lead leg on the third night. Thanks to Lafayette and her brother John for giving us rides back to our respective hotels, me first, but my decision to grab some breakfast food prior to the computer lets me riff off your mainly accurate setlist with some addenda and one errata. Though the setlist our “new friend” Janet plucked off the stage does say “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” it was in fact “Disgusted” which got played 20th. Those Chicago references got the crowd going even more. I suppose technically the format was violated tonight, in that two songs from Essence were done in the second, or encore, set–the album revisited, as it were, after six from it were done in the 30th anniversary format of the main set. But why get legalistic about it; both rocked. Little Angel, Little Bro & Lake Charles featured Chet and David only. Elaborate crew intros were done by Lu early in the set. “Metal Firecracker” featured a story about the days Lu shared a bus with the band and an incident where the toilet seat was left up “one too many times.” “Steal Your Love” had a false start, and after “Blue,” Lu pronounced it to be a better song than “Steal,” adding “they can’t all be masterpieces.” After “Out of Touch,” she said, “I need to go somewhere and write me some more of these rock songs.” This seemed at odds with earlier in the evening, when Lu spoke favorably of the ballads and the opportunity to play them for audiences like ours. “I envy the wind” had Lu tipping her hat to Lila Downs (sp?), who recorded it in Spanish and English. It seemed a bit up and down of a night moodwise for Lu, but a rousing show all in all. Disco Stu, where art thou?

Was a glorious night. She sounded great, and so did the band. And what an amazing setlist! I’d never heard “Memphis Pearl” or “Little Angel, Little Brother” performed live. Two of my favorite songs. And I always love that killer live performance of “I Envy the Wind.” The way she delivers it vocally, and the arrangement of the band is amazing. The room was silent. Amazing stuff.

I’m going to tonight’s Chicago finale. Are cameras allowed?

@tntracy wrote:

Oh man, now that is a setlist I would have loved to have been there to hear / see. “Greenville”, “Lake Charles”, “Lonely Girls”, “I Envy The Wind”, “Blue”, “Are You Down”. Heaven, pure heaven.

Thanks for the setlist / reports, y’all.

Lafayette, you up yet? 😈 😆

Tom

I was up, on the road, rather early, TNT. It was a quick in, quick out trip for me.

An amazing setlist, no? I, too, noticed the silence in the room as Lu weaved her magic. A few girls were chatting, during “Greenville,” I believe, and were shushed by another patron.

My brother enjoyed the show, was mesmerized by “Angel.”

I purchased some merch from Susannah with an “h.” All proceeds last night benefitted autism.

Unfortunately, little time spent with Stoger & Paul. I think Stoger and I communicated more via text 😉

@Lafayette wrote:

I was up, on the road, rather early, TNT.

Mea culpa, L – no offense intended! In fact, I am a big believer in sleeping late! 😆

Tom