City Of Chicago Announces Lineup For
2023 Blues Festival June 8-11
Alligator Records’ Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
To Take The Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage On Sunday, June 11
On Monday, April 3, The City Of Chicago and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced the lineup for the 2023 Chicago Blues Festival, taking place Thursday, June 8 through Sunday, June 11 at Millennium Park.
Alligator Records’ own Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials will perform on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage on Sunday, June 11.
The largest, free Blues festival in the world returns to Chicago with four days of top tier talent performing in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Three stages set up across Millennium Park will welcome 45 performances and more than 250 artists celebrating the city’s renowned Blues legacy.
2023 Blues headliners include four-time GRAMMY® winners Los Lobos, Blind Boys of Alabama with Bobby Rush, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Mud Morganfield, John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band, Jimmy Burns Band, Sugaray Rayford, Jontavious Willis, Vasti Jackson, Eddie Cotton, O.B. Buchana, Super Chikan, and many more. Find more information here.
Commissioned projects include the Centennial Tribute to Albert King featuring Donald Kinsey, Larry McCray, Rico McFarland, Carl Weathersby and Tony Llorens; a Delmark Records 70th Anniversary Celebration, and a “Women in Blues” tribute featuring Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, Sugar Pie DeSanto and more.
Further enriching the immersive Blues experience, Praize Productions, Inc. presents a photography installation, “The Rhythm Within Our Blues” featuring life-size photographs depicting the history and authentic culture of Blues music told via the lens of professional photographers of color from Chicago’s South Side.
According to DCASE, “The festival elevates its food options this year with a Blues-inspired smokehouse experience called “Wally’s BBQ Pit” in the North Promenade Tent of the Park with delicious BBQ fare and specialty drinks catered by Eleven North Hospitality. In between Blues sets, guests can stop to enjoy their BBQ, cornbread and drinks on picnic tables alongside whiskey barrels and smokers.”
Daily performances begin at 12:00pm at the Promenade stages and 2:15pm at The Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Concerts will also be livestreamed at on YouTube HERE
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Photo: Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials courtesy of Alligator Records
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, more than any other band now on the label, personify Alligator Records’ original raw and raucous “Genuine Houserockin’ Music” spirit. Ed and his half-brother, bassist James “Pookie” Young, grew up on Chicago’s tough West Side. They learned the old school sound and style from their beloved uncle, famed Chicago slide guitarist J.B. Hutto, who started recording in the 1950s. Guitarist Michael Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton, blues pilgrims from Detroit, joined Ed and Pookie almost 35 years ago. They’ve been together ever since, delivering joyful boogies and serious slide-driven Chicago blues. The Chicago Tribune says, “Electrifying, raucous, pure Chicago blues….Lil’ Ed is a guitarist extraordinaire…slashing slide and flamboyant stage persona.”
This has to be one of the worse Chicago Blues Festival blues lineups EVER! Los Lobos is the Sunday night final performers, while You have Blues Greats like Carl Weathersby, who is one of the blues performers today, playing on Thursday? YHGTBKM! I was so looking forward to coming for eat least two of the days this year, however It’s not worth the three hour drive over from Iowa! I’ll stay home!
To bad for you. It is a great lineup all 4 days. Oh it is free
Why csn I only seem to find the lineup for Thursday only?
Iowa TCB, so come out Thursday and Friday! That way you can see better stuff or Friday Saturday. I’m not gonna even go Sunday if Los Lobos is playing. I would go for others that day but I can only afford a day or two this year.
Demetria Taylor with The Mike Wheeler Band is going to be a great show on Saturday 630-730pm. I wouldn’t call Los Lobos a blues band. They are a good band though. It looks like they wanted to get a bigtime name to end the show. I’m sure if they could have gotten Buddy Guy — 100% he would be there – but he’s touring. Same with Gary Clark Jr.. though he’s not on tour until the end of June. Like the Rolling Stones say… you can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. If you want to hear some great blues Sunday night go to Blue Chicago on Clark. The Sheryl Youngblood Band is playing. Show starts around 9pm. BTS Express is another great blues band who play Blue Chicago often. They are a must see for blues lovers.
TCB what you gonna do in Iowa Tell you what you short on cash. I can help you with a cot and hot meal semi retired and I was raised by strong women who said if you someone it’d come back ten fold in a good way
15 minutes to get to the fest from my home. And don’t worry lots of kooky people will be here to going to the fest.
Hello,
Eddie Taylor at 100, Bob Stroger at 92, Bobby Rush at 90, Jimmy Burns at 82, Carl Weathersby and Donald Kinsey, John Primer all septuagenarians! Respect.