After yesterday’s misadventure, we are exhausted and back on the road heading east to Chicago, very excited to be playing at Lounge Ax tonight. Chicago is another haven for us, a place to get well, and the Saturday night slot with the Sneetches promises a good crowd and the smiling face of Sue Miller greeting us at the bar. We’ve played Chicago more than anyplace else in the Midwest, usually at clubs that she booked, and Sue is the rare owner who makes you feel like she’s inviting you into her home, rather than just a club.
In addition to Sue, we’ve got family here as it seems like half of our Lawrence people have graduated KU and moved to Chicagoland. At least some of us are staying with John Henderson, and Chris Hayes and Tony Marlotti are here, making it feel like a reunion.
We arrive on North Lincoln late afternoon and, miraculously, find a parking spot big enough for the RV right in front of the Biograph, shades of Lost in America. We meet the local CBS rep, Andy, and we hit some record shops and do an interview at WNUR before soundcheck. At this point, we’re all keenly aware that the record is most definitely not ‘taking off’ so we are no longer stressed about pressing the flesh and doing every promo opportunity. Instead, we’re playing out the string and just looking forward to getting home and regrouping.
The last few time in Chicago, we played at the Cubby Bear, which was nice but a little too ‘Wrigleyville’ (if you know what I mean) to be a serious music club, but Sue’s new place in Lincoln Park is heaven for bands, with a great sound system and plenty of places to relax. All the stress of the previous week melts away as we play some pool and flirt with Ms. Miller. Ever since our first trip to the city, we’ve recognized it as a great place for authentic Mexican food, and we check out a nearby taqueria for dinner.
The gig is great and we do the Lounge Ax photo booth thing that all the bands are invited to do. On my turn in the booth, I managed to time spilling a cup of ice water over my head just as the camera flashes. The water is refreshing on a humid night, reviving my mood like the gig has restored my faith in the band, at least for one night. Tomorrow: A fantastic, baseball-themed day off in the Windless City.
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