Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is an amazing place, a town that forces one to ride the wave or drown. We were lucky that Mike has a good friend living in Wicker Park that took us in for the night, played tour guide, and made the visit easy on us. We were able to see the Art Institute of Chicago for an hour and check out the skyline from within. Just being on the streets in Chicago is an experience, and we meandered like tourists for a while just coming to terms with the immensity of the whole thing. Although I lived in New York for a few years, I have been in Seattle for almost five, and Seattle is a cow town compared to the windy city. It was great to be there for the day and be reminded of what a major city feels like.

The show did have a local band that drew a handful of spectators, but they were a jam band, which is basically a world apart from our style. Considering Chicago has such a powerful Indy music scene, it was hard not to feel like we missed an opportunity to reach some new fans that might actually like Mike’s music. Regardless, I’m grateful we were able to play here, and play at all for that matter.

Oh, and I had my first Chicago style hot dog. Two actually. Vienna beef dogs topped with tomato, peppers, and a pickle spear. I can now die and go to heaven, or wherever I’m going. No wait, I have to get pizza in New York first, and then I can die. Next up, Milwaukee, home of America’s finest watery beer. Cheers.