Keeping retirement weird. June Gloom in L.A. and the Blues in Chicago.
It was a beautiful summer night at Millennium Park for the opening of Chicago’s Blues Fest.We arrived in time for a set by the Chicago hip hop star, Rhymefest.Funny thing about Rhymefest. A couple of years ago he ran for alderman of the 20th Ward and came in second to the incumbent Willie Cochran. Rhymefest got 45.4% of the vote to Cochran’s 54.6%.
About half way through the final set led by the great Chicago bluesman, Billy Branch, a few drops of rain began to fall, chasing away those less experienced with this annual event. It always rains at Blues Fest. The drops lasted just long enough to open a few spots on the lawn for late comers.
The group of young folks nearby would not be moved by rain or threat of rain. They were having too much fun drinking red wine from a plastic bag and passing a joint around, unfased by the private park security that made regular passes checking for who-knows-what.
We, on the other hand, kept our bottle of cheap Bordeaux hidden in a plastic Mexican bag, wrapped in a green kitchen towel, exposing it only long enough to pour some liquid into a red Solo cup.
What a difference 24 hours can make.
Just the day before my brother and I flew out of LAX after spending a few daysKeeping retirement weird. June Gloom in L.A. and the Blues in Chicago. | Fred Klonsky:
