With the five words, “Please welcome, Gary Clark Jr.,” the audience erupted with cheers of excitement, clapping hands and fist bumps in the air as the four-piece band strolled on stage. The 34^th annual Chicago Blues Festival closed out with the headliner from Austin, Texas, guitar virtuoso, Gary Clark Jr., along with the his band. The Gary Clark Jr. Band consists of: Johnny Bradley on bass; King Zapata on rhythm guitarist; and Johnny Radelat on drums. For the first time, the Chicago Blues Festival was relocated from Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park to Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The free three-day festival spread across four stages from June 9-11, 2017.

Despite a hot 90+ degrees at show start time, there was very little space available, as the packed audience was ready for some red hot blues.  Gary Clark Jr. was just the guitarist to deliver this audience what they wanted.  During his nearly two-hour set, he mixed in songs from both of his studio albums, as well as his two live albums.  In addition, the setlist included a few surprises along the way.  The show started out with a Robert Petway cover called “Catfish Blues.” It was also released on the 2014 release, Gary Clark Jr. Live.  Fan favorites like “Ain’t Messin ‘Round,” “When My Train Pulls In” and “Bright Lights” off the 2012 debut album, Blak and Blu were not held back for the end. The energy from the band was contagious, and the audience absorbed every minute of the mix of rock, blues and soul that the band output.  Two additional covers included: “Can’t Stop Loving You” by Elmore James and “3 O’Clock Blues” by B.B. King.  The audience left having experienced a powerful performance by an amazing artist, and it was all free courtesy of Mayor’s Office of Special Events in Chicago.

Be sure to keep up with the latest information and tour dates on the Gary Clark Jr website.