Despite the weather
being gloomy, foggy and a bit misty for an all ages outdoor festival, it was
the perfect setting for the second day of The Great American Lobster Fest at
Navy Pier where fest goers had the chance to not only eat a full lobster meal
but other foodie creations that contain lobster such as mac-n-cheese, rolls and
yes, even tacos. Though lobster was the main focus at the fest, there were
other food choices on the menu. The weather was perfect for a steamy bowl of
clam chowder ...or some crunchy fish-n-chips ...fried calamari and shrimp
baskets ...tasty shrimp kebab and funnel cakes for dessert. Side dishes include
fries, regular mac-n-cheese and roasted corn which seemed the most likely
choice of the day amongst fest goers. Believe it or not, bogspot readers, many
stood in the long lines (up to 10 to 15 minutes) waiting for their lobster
meal. If seafood wasn’t your thing, there was a hot dog stand (which offered
unique creations like the Mayor Daley Tribute Dog [bottom right photo] – a beef hot dog topped with
onions, white cheddar cheese and Dijon mustard) and a snack stand serving
salads, chicken strips, chips and more.
Yet, this festival
wasn’t about eating lobster all day. No, there were artisans and craft vendors
...games and fun, blogspot readers. There was a couple of carnival games where
lucky contestants could shot water to make the lobster race to the top or toss
darts to pop darts to win a stuffed prize. Or try your hand at the
3-dimensional climbing wall (located at the northside of the pier). Plus there
were plenty of shopping opportunities amongst the many vendors on hand selling
handcrafted jewelry and clothes (Indigenous Artworks – IndigenousArtworkc.som)
to handcrafted wooden creations and unique posters of your favorite city
pubs/bars (http://www.PubOf.com). While at the fests, SouthSide met a couple of noteworthy
artists/craftsmen that she highly recommends checking out their work. Meet
Darma Konateh (top photo) whose booth showcased a wide variety of African beads from
countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana. He mentioned to this
reviewer that each bead design represented the many different tribes of Africa
...not the countries as she first thought. If interested seeing and/or
purchasing beads, Darma suggests you either call or text him at (312) 820 –
8202. He hopes to have a site up and running soon for online buyers. Another
artist combined the sparkly shine of glitter and paint for his artistic
portraits from Batman to Gene Simmons (of KISS) and the Chicago skyline at
sundown, blogspot readers. Meet Mister Glitter aka Tim Thomas
(http://www.MrGlitter.com), bottom photo. He told SouthSide that
he could take any photo and paint it with glitter. It was interesting to watch
him throughout the afternoon to watch him create and then paint two separate
works of art – a lobster and then Chicago’s famous skyline. The intensity in
which he worked under attracted a constant flow of interested admirers ...he
also sold few of his works during the fest like his awesome Batman, a
glitterized version of Chicago’s city flag and others. 
And of course, it’s
not a Chicago festival without featuring local music to keep attendees well
entertained all day long, blogspot readers. This Lobster Fest had live local
music performances ...a little of something for everyone from tribute bands to
rock alternative from bands like Save The Clocktower, White Mystery and Our
Name Is Jonas performing on two stage areas. Not really reviewing many of the
music acts today. blogspot readers, she highly recommends checking out the
local musical acts mentioned in this review at their next scheduled appearance.
She enjoyed the little bit of what she heard by Evenflow [top left photo] (http://www.facebook.com/evenflowrocks15)
as the band began wrapping up their Pearl Jam tribute performance for the early
afternoon ballroom crowd. (Please note, blogspot readers, the band has recently
changed its name to Pearl Jam Tribute.) Meanwhile, brother and sister duo known
as White Mystery [top right photo] (http://www.whitemysteryband.com) were poised and ready to rock out the
audience who braved the windy weather outside. Performing songs like “Snack
Culture”, “Birthday Party” and “1985”,
Alex (vocals/guitar) and Francis (drums/vocals) rocked the foggy skyline
loud and strong. Back inside, Santah [bottom left photo] (http://www.santahmusic.com) rocked the stage with
vibrant sounds of moody doo-wop rock-n-roll. The perfect kind of music that was
fitting for today’s gloomy, misty weather, blogspot readers. 
Then, SouthSide
went back outside to check out her friends of Band Called Catch [top left photo]
(http://www.bandcalledcatch.com). And they didn’t let the gloomy skyline stop them from
rockin’ the stage for their fans. Dancing along to the lively music was a must
if you wanted to stay warm amidst the cooling winds, blogspot readers. While
taking a lunch break inside the balcony VIP area, SouthSide enjoyed listening
to her long-time friends of Bailiff [bottom right photo] (http://www.bailiffmusic.com) perform on stage before heading outside again to catch Trippin' Billies [bottom left photo] (http://www.trippinbillies.com rock the windy the audience with favorites from Dave Matthews Band. Then it was back inside to hear her favorite Weezer songs like "Undone-The Sweater Song", "Beverly Hills", "Island In The Sun" and many more by Our Name Is Jonas [bottom center photo] (http://www.facebook.com/weezertribute) in which their set also included performing Weezer's new song "Back to the Shack" for the fans dancing in front of the stage and in the VIP balcony area. Plus one lucky Weezer fan got to join the band on stage, blogspot readers. However throughout her stay at Lobster Fest, there was only one band SouthSide was really interested in hearing before having to leave to review the SUPERSUCKERS at Reggie's Rock Club. That particular band was Think Floyd USA (http://www.thinkfloydusa.com).
Now when it comes to bands covering this legendary rock band and its progressive/psychedelic music, this reviewer immediately dons the role as "Mother" (from Pink Floyd's The Wall) because she wouldn't let just only cover band come near her beloved blogspot readers with a mediocre Floyd experience and performance. It has to be the best or come close to Pink Floyd as musically (and humanly) possible to pass this reviewer's tough scrutinizing inspection. And so far, there was only one particular local band who passed her inspection ...now it was Think Floyd's turn, blogspot readers. In all honesty, this reviewer was a bit skeptical at first wondering if they could correctly capture the essence and spirit of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Syd Barrett, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and Bob Klose on an indie band scale. They certainly had the lighting fx to heighten the experience for fans gathering in the ballroom as well as the musical set up too. Even surrounding the audience within the semi darkness throughout the performance wasn't enough to convince her. Yes, blogspot readers, she's extremely tough when it comes Pink Floyd tribute bands. For SouthSide, it's all about the vocals and songs to win her over. After a rocky start with "Into the Flesh part 2" (the vocals by guitarist Tom C could have used a little more emotions), Think Floyd soon featured other popular songs off The Wall like "Another Brick in the Wall", "Empty Spaces" (in which this reviewer loved their take by turning it into an instrumental track instead of using vocals), and "Young Lust". What really got this reviewer into liking the group was when they performed "Hey You" (performed by synths/saxophonist Shamus) which you could literally feel as well as hear the raw emotions dripping from his voice, blogspot readers. He was totally embodying the pain as Pink felt during this song. Performing other favorites like "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Have A Cigar" (from Wish You Were Here), Think Floyd totally to surprised this reviewer as well as rocked her Pink soul with their absolute rendition of "One of These Days" instrumental ...certainly a Floyd classic either too hard and/or rarely covered by other tribute bands but not for this band, blogspot readers. You would have to see it done it live by Brit Floyd or by the original Floyd members (David Gilmour or Roger Waters). Think Floyd had the fans surrounding the stage in pure bliss with excitement before continuing onward with other songs like "Pigs". Sadly, SouthSide wasn't able to stay until the very end of this performance (hoping to hear how they handle the aria vocals for "The Great Gig in the Sky" from Dark Side of the Moon before leaving) however from what she had seen and heard by Think Floyd USA, she gives blogspot readers her seal of approval to check out the band's next performance. They had the general feel, look and sound (with three female backing vocalists) as well as the lighting and sound fx to heighten your experience when attending a Think Floyd USA performance. Currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary Tour, Floyd fans can find them at http://www.thinkfloydusa.com for more information on when and where they're performing next.It was a fun day spending time with lobsters, blogspot readers, but now it was time to really rock out her Sunday night with the SUPERSUCKERS...
Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your feedback - SouthSide