{"id":14623,"date":"2017-01-24T13:04:49","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T19:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=14623"},"modified":"2017-01-24T13:04:49","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T19:04:49","slug":"chicago-blues-festival-moves-millennium-park-chicagos-premier-outdoor-music-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=14623","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Blues Festival Moves to Millennium Park \u2013 Chicago’s Premier Outdoor Music Venue"},"content":{"rendered":"
34th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Festival Features Headline Performances by Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with special guest James Cotton, Rhymefest, William Bell, Gary Clark Jr., Rhiannon Giddens, Ronnie Baker Brooks and many more<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
June 9\u201311 in Millennium Park<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n

Experience the blues live in Millennium Park at the\u00a034th<\/strong>Annual Chicago Blues Fes<\/strong>tival<\/strong>\u00a0happening\u00a0June 9-11<\/strong>. At its new home in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), the Blues Festival will offer fans performances by the genres\u2019 leading artists, as well as a wonderful new experience in the city\u2019s premier outdoor music venue. The headliners performing at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion over the three days include: Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with special guest James Cotton, Rhymefest, William Bell, Gary Clark Jr., Rhiannon Giddens, Ronnie Baker Brooks. The full schedule will be announced later this spring.<\/p>\n

Experience the blues live in Millennium Park at the\u00a034th Annual Chicago Blues Festival<\/strong>\u00a0happening\u00a0June 9-11<\/strong>. At its new home in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), the Blues Festival will offer fans performances by the genres\u2019 leading artists, as well as a wonderful new experience in the city\u2019s premier outdoor music venue. The headliners performing at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion over the three days include: Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with special guest James Cotton, Rhymefest, William Bell, Gary Clark Jr., Rhiannon Giddens, Ronnie Baker Brooks. The full schedule will be announced later this spring.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe City of Chicago is committed to presenting high quality live musical performances, featuring international, national and local artists that celebrate Chicago\u2019s rich blues history and its influence on all genres of music,\u201d said Mark Kelly, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. \u201cWe are excited to move\u00a0the Chicago Blues Festival to Millennium Park where fans will be able to enjoy the finest blues performances in a setting that will only heighten the event\u2019s reputation as the world\u2019s preeminent free blues festival.\u201d<\/div>\n
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With a diverse lineup celebrating the Chicago blues\u2019 past, present and future, the 34th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Chicago Blues Festival shares the great Chicago-born music tradition with the world and shines a spotlight on its contributions to hip-hop, rap, R&B, rock, pop and more. Headliners on the\u00a0Jay Pritzker Pavilion\u00a0<\/strong>stage will perform from\u00a05 to 9:30 p.m.<\/strong>\u00a0each evening.<\/div>\n
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Friday, June 9<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
The festival opens in Millennium Park on Friday, June 9, with a celebration of the 40th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of\u00a0Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues<\/strong>. For this special performance, Billy Branch is bringing together many of the artists who have been part of the band since the first 1977 performance in Berlin, Germany. The set includes \u00a0\u00a0a special guest appearance by legendary harpist James Cotton and performances by guitarists Lurrie Bell, Carl Weathersby and Carlos Johnson.<\/div>\n
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GRAMMY\u00ae and Oscar Award-winning artist\u00a0Che \u201cRhymefest\u201d Smith<\/strong>\u00a0will perform an opening night tribute to the influence that blues music has had on rap and hip-hop. Rhymefest grew up on Chicago\u2019s south side and is known as a revolutionary artist, writer and activist. In 2005, he won a GRAMMY\u00ae for co-writing the legendary hit record \u201cJesus Walks,\u201d performed by longtime friend, Kanye West. In 2015, Smith co-wrote “Glory” alongside John Legend and Common, for the 2014 motion pictureSelma<\/em>\u00a0which received the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song.<\/div>\n
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The evening\u2019s opening act will be announced later this spring.<\/div>\n
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Saturday, June 10<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
The Festival is thrilled to welcome Stax legend and soul star\u00a0William Bell<\/strong>, who is back on top with two 2017 GRAMMY\u00ae nominations for his album\u00a0This is Where I Live<\/em>, his first major release in four decades.\u00a0 The renowned singer-songwriter was honored in 2016 with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the 15th<\/sup>\u00a0Annual Americana Honors Awards Show and also inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.<\/div>\n
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Additional headliners will be announced later this spring.<\/div>\n
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Sunday, June 11<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
Blues rock musician and Texas native\u00a0Gary Clark Jr.<\/strong>\u00a0will close the festival on Sunday evening with his electrifying energy and soulful sounds. With his 2012 debut album\u00a0Blak And Blu<\/em>\u00a0and the 2014 GRAMMY\u00ae Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for \u201cPlease Come Home,\u201d Gary Clark Jr. has been hailed by the New York Times as \u201cthe next Hendrix.\u201d Clark\u2019s 2015 album\u00a0The Story of Sonny Boy Slim<\/em>\u00a0reached number one on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart in October, just a month after its release.<\/div>\n
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Rhiannon Giddens<\/strong>\u00a0last performed at the Chicago Blues Festival in 2014 with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and since that time she released her solo debut\u00a0Tomorrow Is My Turn<\/em>\u00a0with T-Bone Burnett in 2015. With music incorporating gospel, jazz, blues and country with a hint of rock and roll, Giddens captivates with her vocal prowess and emotional range. On February 24, her follow-up album\u00a0Freedom Highway<\/em>\u00a0will be released, including 9 original songs Giddens wrote or co-wrote along with a traditional song and two civil rights-era songs \u2013 \u201cBirmingham Sunday\u201d and the Staple Singers\u2019 well-known single \u201cFreedom Highway<\/a>,\u201d from which the album takes its name.<\/div>\n
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The final evening begins with\u00a0Ronnie Baker Brooks\u00a0<\/strong>who grew up on Chicago blues and is back on the Festival stage with the release of his new album,\u00a0Times Have Changed<\/em>. His first release in 10 years, Brooks collaborated with Steve Jordan who has worked with Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer and Eric Clapton. The album features Ronnie on the guitar and vocals joined by music Lonnie Brooks, \u201cBig Head\u201d Todd Mohr, Bobby \u201cBlue\u201d Bland, Steve Cropper, Angie Stone, Eddie Willis, Al Kapone, Felix Cavaliere, Lee Roy Parnell, among others.<\/div>\n
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The Chicago Blues Festival is FREE and open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion will feature headliners from 5 to 9:30 p.m. nightly. Music begins each day at 11:15 a.m. at the\u00a0Budweiser Crossroads Stage<\/strong>, the\u00a0Rhythm and Blues<\/strong>\u00a0Stage\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0Front Porch<\/strong>. The internationally-acclaimed line-up at these stages specifically highlights local and national musicians that celebrate the genres rich tradition and heritage.<\/div>\n
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Leading up to the Chicago Blues Festival, during May and June, there will be several preview performances and film screenings held at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.). The \u201cofficial\u201d Chicago Blues Festival preview on Daley Plaza will take place Monday, June 5, at noon.<\/div>\n
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For more information, please visit\u00a0chicagobluesfestival.us<\/a>. To plan your trip to Chicago for the Blues Festival, visit\u00a0choosechicago.com<\/a>. Join the conversation on Facebook (Chicago Blues Festival) and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ChicagoDCASE (#ChiBluesFest).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

34th\u00a0Annual Festival Features Headline Performances by Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with special guest James Cotton, Rhymefest, William Bell, Gary Clark Jr., Rhiannon Giddens, Ronnie Baker Brooks and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,40,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-breaking-news","category-this-just-in"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}