Topic: Chicago Theatre, March 10-11, 2017
I attended both of Joe’s gigs in Chicago over the weekend and I have to say that considering how sick he’s been, he put on a helluva show each night anyway. He reported to be suffering from bronchitis, a little more serious than the sinus infection that was previously reported. He seemed a bit more chipper on Saturday compared to Friday so maybe he is starting to come out of it. On Saturday night he was sporting a Breathe-Rite strip across his nose, a Band-Aid for his newly sliced finger, a box of Kleenex and a medium sized medical waste container on stage. He described himself as a calamity but all in good fun.
The set list was the same both nights – the one featuring the two Clapton songs in it.
The band was simply outstanding again. With the exception of the backup singers, if this lineup never changed, that would be okay with me. As for Jade and Juanita, they just don’t do it for me, ever, at all. I’ll stop there.
I also didn’t care for the new stage setup. I was sitting on the right side both nights and could barely see Michael Rhodes except when he came forward to jam with Joe. The rest of the time he was stuck behind Reece. I suppose Reece was moved forward so that he’s not blocking the backup singers. I’d rather watch Michael play.
Crowds were good and I noticed lots of younger people enjoying the shows. We had a quick chat with Paulie after the show – always a joy to spend a minute or two with him!
Joe, thank you for hanging in there this weekend and hope you're feeling better each day! We’ll see you in August for the Milwaukee makeup show!
