A Good Day's Knight: In Rocking St. Louis' Busch Stadium, Paul McCartney Provides a Magical History Tour -- St. Louis Concert Review

Concert Review

Paul McCartney
Busch Stadium, St. Louis
August 13, 2016
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Other than family, friends and a few other people I've personally known, I don't think it's too rash or hyperbolic to suggest that Paul McCartney has positively affected my life more than anyone else alive (save perhaps for Bruce Springsteen, and like many, his musical career descended from the Beatles' arrival in America and appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964).

Given my lifelong love of rock 'n roll--including quite specifically and deeply The Beatles--and my appreciation for just how broadly four lads from Liverpool forever changed the world, the above thought would probably have validity based solely on what Paul did (alongside John, George and Ringo) before he turned 22--and prior to my being born.

It would be hard for me to overstate my regard and reverence for the Beatles' recorded output that--with due deference to Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and other rock pioneers who influenced the band--I consider the Holy Grail of popular music, and among the very greatest artistic achievements in history.

With Paul just 21 when the Beatles performed on Ed Sullivan to the largest TV audience to date--having already written (with John Lennon) and recorded "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You," "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Please Please Me," and other classics--and only 28 when the Beatles disbanded in 1970, he was integral in creating a discography that has provided me with immeasurable enjoyment, enrichment and emotional nourishment.

But Sir Paul--he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1997--has also tremendously entertained me live & in-person via 11 concerts I've attended since 1989, the last 10 coming in this millennium.

Certainly, his legacy and songbook--including from the Beatles, Wings and lengthy solo career--were enough to draw me the first few times.

But I keep coming back--and since 2009 have seen him in such disparate places as Tulsa, Paris, Milwaukee, Chicago's Wrigley Field and now St. Louis--for reasons that extend far beyond nostalgia, sentimentality and historical appreciation.

Even at the age of 74, Paul McCartney and his band--of four others (Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Abe Laboriel Jr. and Wix Wickens) who have played with him for nearly 15 years--still put on one of the best concerts you're liable to see or hear.

To the point that although I expected him to be great at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, I repeatedly found myself rather awestruck at how awestruck I was yet again.

Or maybe, amazed.

McCartney isn't playing Chicago this year--and I skipped seeing him in 2015 at Lollapalooza--so I decided to take an Amtrak down to St. Louis with my friend Paolo.

Over the course of about 25 hours in the city, we also enjoyed great BBQ at Pappy's Smokehouse, went to two superb museums, rode to the top of the Gateway Arch, enjoyed famous frozen custard at Ted Drewes and more. I will try to write a bit of a travelogue in coming days, but the clear impetus and highlight of the trip was the opportunity to see "Macca."

Certainly, I could sufficiently justify the excursion, effort and expense simply by saying that Sir Paul sang 38 songs over the course of nearly 3 hours, that his voice sounded strong on a beautiful night and his band typically robust, and that it was a treat for a pair of Beatlemaniacs to sing along heartily to some of the greatest tunes ever written.

That probably won't convince the skeptics, and even fellow fans couldn't be blamed for going, "Yeah, of course he's great, but you've seen him 10 times before, how different or special could it be?"

But while I would certainly concur that 21st century Paul McCartney concerts have largely followed a similar outline, with several of the same staples showing up each time out, thanks to Setlist.fm I can tell you that I've heard him play 115 different songs over the years, most of them rather terrific.

And even though a humid summer night in a NL Central ballpark with Paolo alongside in roughly comparable upper-deck-behind-home-plate seats might make this Busch Stadium gig seem congruent to a July 2013 show at Milwaukee's Miller Park, 15 of the 38 songs varied. (See Saturday's St. Louis setlist here.)

Especially given the train ride down--all that was missing was Paul's "grandfather"--it was sublime to hear McCartney open with "A Hard Day's Night," a song he's never played on previous tours.

From there, he mixed in several Beatles songs that haven't been regular concert selections--"Can't Buy Me Love," "Here, There and Everywhere," "You Won't See Me," "The Fool on the Hill," "Birthday"--while omitting several that have been ("The Long and Winding Road," "Paperback Writer," "Get Back," "Day Tripper," among others).

It was fun to hear him include the Beatles' debut single, "Love Me Do," from 1962 and an even older song--"In Spite of All The Danger," which was the first original composition McCartney, Lennon and Harrison recorded as The Quarrymen in 1958--while also performing "FourFiveSeconds," his 2015 collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna. (Before you scoff, note that it has been played on Spotify over 325 million times, tenfold that of any Beatles' song.)

Even the somewhat odd inclusion of 1980's electro-pop "Temporary Secretary" served to illustrate just how much rock's greatest living legend still enjoys making things fun for himself...and his audience.

I used to criticize Sir Paul for too much sameness in his shows, but while he prefers to keep his setlists static on each tour--and regularly play "Back in the USSR," "Let It Be," "Live and Let Die" (complete with mega pyrotechnics) and "Hey Jude" to round out the main set--I've come to appreciate the way he switches things up from tour-to-tour or year-to-year.

And I will never tire of hearing "Blackbird," "Eleanor Rigby," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "We Can Work It Out," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Band on the Run" and the songs cited in the paragraph above.

Honestly, that would be enough for a rather spectacular and delightful concert.

But what made it even better was the inclusion of enough disparate Beatles songs to blow my mind anew at just how supernaturally great they were--and reiterate my belief that Paul was John's equal from a songwriting standpoint.

This--along with Wings songs like "Letting Go," "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" and "Hi, Hi, Hi," as well as worthwhile recent tracks ("Save Me," "My Valentine," "Queenie Eye," "New") that demonstrate that Paul McCartney still loves to make music and perform it for people--made the concert a religious experience for me. (More so than most actual religious experiences, truth be told.)

Sure, I've long heard many of the same stories Paul has shared from the stage--about how he saw Jimi Hendrix play "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in London on the Sunday after the album was released on a Friday, and Jimi cheekily asked Eric Clapton to tune his guitar; about performing in Russia and having government officials tell him they learned to speak English from Beatles records--but he seemed to clearly get that some devoted fans may have heard them before.

And yes, I've heard him pay tribute to departed mates John (with McCartney's "Here Today" being about a conversation he wished they'd had) and George (with the Harrison penned "Something" begun with Paul playing ukelele) in much the same way several times.

And for the 11th time in my life, I sang the "na-na-na-na" part of "Hey Jude" with all the men in the audience, before Paul beckoned "now just the ladies" to do likewise.

But once again, I loved it all.

And especially in a year that has shown the mortality of rock 'n roll superstars perhaps more than any other, it greatly warmed my soul to see Paul McCartney playing a phenomenal, energetic, often hard-rocking show in a packed stadium.

...that stands just feet away from where, at the former Busch Stadium, the Beatles performed one of their last concerts 50 years earlier, on August 21, 1966.

I can't really say it was a hard day's night, as only frustrating delays at the Gateway Arch just prior to the show brought any hint of stress to an otherwise pretty enjoyable day in the life. 

But for the 11th time live--plus countless evenings enlivened by vinyl, Memorex, radio, CD, MP3s, Spotify, Beatles' movies and more--the magnificent, then & now, Sir Paul McCartney made for a truly unforgettable knight.

Ours Go to 11: Volume 14, Some Books I Recommend

I am not a great nor vociferous reader of books; I spend far more time reading newspapers and magazines and internet articles.

And when I do read books, I'm fairly predictable, as I've read virtually the entire oeuvres of page-turning novelists Harlan Coben and Lee Child--and always look forward to their newest efforts. (I've also read multiple works of other authors, most recently Jonathan Tropper.)

But I think I've read enough good books of various ills and writers to cobble together a list of 11 that I would recommend to almost anyone.

I will keep it to one title per author, but especially in the case of Coben,  Child, Tropper and also Michael Lewis and others, you may well enjoy almost anything they have written.

This is not a ranked list nor a "Best Books" survey; just a smattering of books I've found worthwhile. All should be readily findable at most public libraries, in paperback and in e-book form. 

1. Six Years - Harlan Coben
2. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
3. Flash Boys - Michael Lewis
4. Echo Burning - Lee Child
5. The Book of Joe - Jonathan Tropper
6. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
7. Predator Nation - Charles H. Ferguson
8. The Art Forger - B.A. Shapiro
9. Joyland - Stephen King
10. Griftopia - Matt Taibbi
11. Trust Your Eyes - Linwood Barclay

And a few more

Basket Case - Carl Hiaasen
Finishing the Hat and Look I Finished a Hat - Stephen Sondheim
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen (being released 9/27/16)

More Than This: At Ravinia, Bryan Ferry Impresses with Range of Music, Roxy and Otherwise -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Bryan Ferry
w/ opening act LP (Laura Pergolizzi)
Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL
August 6, 2016
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Give or take a few, I had seen 688 rock concerts, dating back 35 years, before I saw Bryan Ferry for the first time Saturday night at Ravinia.

Ferry, who first came to attention as the vocalist for Roxy Music on their self-titled 1972 debut, and whose name I've known since at least the mid-'80s and whose music I've liked most of the time since--at least on a greatest hits level, with Roxy and solo--is now 70 years old.

A glance at his Chicago area shows over the years suggests that I hadn't let that many opportunities go by unconverted, yet for whatever reasons, Ferry remained one of the few rock legends I had an inkling of wanting to see but never had.

But with recent months having included similar first-time forays--at least as headlining solo artists--to see David Gilmour, Peter Wolf and Michael McDonald, and the fairly recent past initially getting me to Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Jackson Browne and other classic rock acts long missing from my concert database, I'm glad opportunity (and a pavilion seat bargain through GoldCoastTickets.com) coalesced to Ferry me to Ravinia.

I'd had heard pretty good things about shows of his in the not too distant past, but couldn't help but
wonder if first seeing an artist at the age of 70, roughly 45 years into his career, would make enjoyment--let alone assessment--somewhat challenged, even impaired and comparatively unfair.

Yet although the Englishman's face is a bit weathered, his voice still sounds strong and he remains the quintessence of a suave rock singer.

And as he surveyed his entire career--opening with a pair of strong songs from his 2014 solo album Avonmore (the title track and "Driving Me Wild") and including a quartet from Roxy Music's debut--Ferry seemed energized by his youthful 9-piece backing band.

With a guitarist from Denmark, saxophonist from Australia and other players & singers from varied locales--many seeming young enough to be Bryan Ferry's grandchildren--the wide-ranging set was delivered with energy, aplomb and vigor.

While a good bit of Spotifamiliarization led up to the concert, I was particularly impressed at Ravinia by how Ferry and his band made songs I hadn't previously known--and some that I wasn't even that dazzled by in having listened on Spotify--come across as highlights.

Following the two new songs that began the concert, Ferry's "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop to Dance," sounded great, but a few songs later it was Roxy Music's "Oh Yeah"--which I now know as one of the band's best--that really got the pavilion crowd going. (See Bryan Ferry's full Ravinia setlist here.)

With the singer accompanied by just a pianist, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," was positively luminous, while the trio of backing vocalists shined on the Latin-tinged solo songs "Bête Noire" and "Zamba" before a string of lesser-known (at least to me) Roxy Music tracks came off far more impressive than I had anticipated: "Stronger Through the Years," the fine instrumental "Tara," "Take a Chance with Me," "Remake/Remodel," "In Every Dream Home a Heartache" and "If There Is Something."

Occasionally playing keyboards throughout the evening, Ferry delivered beguiling renditions of early-'80s Roxy ballads "More Than This" and "Avalon" followed by a show-closing rush of more danceable Roxy Music--"Love Is the Drug," "Virginia Plain," "Let's Stick Together," "Do the Strand" and "Both Ends Burning"--broken up only by his age-old cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy."

So although this was a latent live encounter with Bryan Ferry, I was not only impressed that he still sings well and can deliver an enjoyable show, in the way that great concerts should this one gave me a considerable richer appreciation of the artist's oeuvre.

Perhaps in keeping with the truth that Roxy Music doesn't rank with my very favorite bands--they didn't make my Top 125 in a list drafted last year, although I do believe they (and/or Ferry solo) belong in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame--the show didn't quite provide the emotional embrace that David Gilmour or Robert Plant did in performing their old material, but it was entirely satisfying.

Opening the show was a fine female singer who goes by the moniker LP. Looking something like a young Bob Dylan but sounding akin to Florence and the Machine, she belted out several good songs with a fine band, including (as best I could tell) "Death Valley" and "Up Against Me."

I happened to be sitting next to a chatty couple including a man who works for Warner Bros. Records. He was familiar with LP--i.e. Laura Pergolizzi--and spoke highly of her.

After her performance, I could see why.

He also noted that after years of primarily going to concerts for free thanks to his employer, Bryan Ferry was a rare act he specifically wanted to see enough to have bought a ticket.

And after his performance, following years of my own elusion, I could also quite readily see why.

And They're Off, As If On Q: Photos From Arlington Park Racetrack on Chicago Blackhawks Day, August 6, 2016

It had been a few years since I'd gone to bet the ponies at Arlington Park, and last Saturday seemed opportune.

My sister Allison was open to joining me and became all the more interested when we learned that it would be Chicago Blackhawks Day at the racetrack.

Though both big Hawks fans, her even more so than me, we didn't see much need to "pony up" $85 for a special Blackhawks package, especially as no current players were scheduled to be in attendance.

And as it turned out, with Coach Joel Quenneville signing autographs in the paddock area from 2:30-3:30pm--Hall of Fame goalie Tony Esposito was doing likewise--we were able to simply queue up for Q and say hello, get a signed photo and even snap a couple pictures with the second winningest coach in NHL history (behind only Scotty Bowman).

Here are a few photos from a fun day, including a new hat for me and one that Allison envied.

All photos (except Joel Quenneville autographed photo) by Seth Arkin, copyright 2016. Do not repost without permission and attribution.

Magic in the Night: House Theatre's 'Death and Harry Houdini' Pulls Off Some Nifty Tricks -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Death and Harry Houdini
featuring magic by Dennis Watkins
written & directed by Nathan Allen
House Theatre of Chicago
at Chopin Theatre, Chicago
Thru August 21
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90 years since the death of the man born Ehrich Weisz, the name Houdini remains eminently synonymous with magic and escape artistry, perhaps even more singularly than Shakespeare connotes playwriting, Mozart classical music, Caruso opera singing, Picasso painting or Hemingway fiction.

And yet beyond having seen a TV movie on Harry Houdini in my youth and once visiting an exhibit on him in Appleton, WI--the town in which the Budapest-born Weisz grew up--I can't say that in recent years I've noticed a whole lot of material focusing on his biography or his trickery.

I can't even recall having heard of Death and Harry Houdini, a magic-infused theatrical production by the House Theatre of Chicago, until I read Chris Jones' 4-star (out of 4) review of it in the Chicago Tribune this past May--despite the House having first staged it in 2001 and reprised it multiple times, including as recently as 2013.

So in having attended on Wednesday night nearing the end of the current run, I was impressed by how the show featuring gifted magician Dennis Watkins recreating some of Houdini's famous tricks--including the Water Torture Cell--also offered considerable exposition on Harry Houdini's life.

This wound up making for two hours of worthwhile theater--which, in being largely a chronological, biographical affair was informative more so than blazingly dramatic--with several moments of incredible magic.

Having in adulthood only seen comedic magicians Penn & Teller, and the all-star magician touring show The Illusionists: Witness the Impossible, but never David Copperfield or Vegas headliners like Lance Burton or Criss Angel, I can't make direct comparisons about the quality or volume of the magic, nor the overall entertainment value.

And while I was genuinely both impressed and entertained, as well as truly dazzled by the magic Watkins performed, I can't say that I loved Death and Harry Houdini on the level of a truly brilliant play or wonderful musical or great concert.

But especially as something different, incorporating the idiom of magic that I enjoy but don't often witness, complemented by a good overview of a legendary artist, I found the show to be far better than not, and well worth my time.

In front of a typically full house for this work at the Chopin Theatre--including on Wednesday night the great Chicago newsman and documentarian Bill Kurtis--Death and Harry Houdini begins with a ringmaster (played by Johnny Arena) briefly cribbing the emcee from Cabaret in welcoming the audience, before Watkins takes the stage.

Hanging upside down and bound.

With a total cast of 8, the backstory of Houdini broaches on his father's death from cancer, his closeness with his mother (Marika Mashburn) and brother Theo (Tommy Rapley), meeting his wife Bess (Kara Davidson)--the latter two featured prominently in the magician's career--crossing paths with an early mentor, Dr. Lin, and promoter Martin Beck, and his transition from doing cup-&-ball and card tricks to walking on glass to elaborate escapes from ropes, chains and padlocked water chambers.

Though not a musical--a Houdini Broadway project starring Hugh Jackman seems to have stalled--Death and Harry Houdini features a good bit of music performed by the actors, a strong background soundscape and even some singing & dancing from the delightful Davidson.

And while a spoken refrain positing that "Death isn't the end of life, it's the absence of life" is oft repeated throughout the show, and Houdini's own death from a ruptured appendix factors in--though not nearly as prominently as I was expecting--the show is a rather lively affair (well-suited for older kids), especially with Watkins being a rather amiable performer.

If you don't like magic, this probably isn't the theater show for you to see, and if you don't like theater, this probably isn't the magic show for you to see.

But if you like both, as I do, Death and Harry Houdini--while perhaps not the most mind-blowing showcase of either genre--neatly executes the trick of merging the two.

While providing a good bit of escape.

'Between Riverside and Crazy' Comes a Considerable Amount of Ambiguity -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Between Riverside and Crazy
a recent play by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago
Thru August 21
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I'm somewhat hard-pressed to tell you what Between Riverside and Crazy--the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Stephen Adly Guirgis--is precisely about.

But I think that's kind of the point.

Early in the 2-hour, 2-act drama, a scantily-clad, prominently-tattooed young woman named Lulu (well-played by Elena Marisa Flores) says "I may look like I look--but that don't mean I AM how I look."

In her program notes introducing the show, Steppenwolf artistic director Anna Shapiro states that this declaration "captures the spirit of the entire play."

So although in a compelling marketing, topical sound-byte sense, Between Riverside and Crazy offers commentary on police brutality, with its central character, Walter "Pops" Washington (the excellent Eamonn Walker, a veteran film/TV/stage actor now starring in NBC's Chicago Fire) being a black ex-cop who had been shot by a white cop while off-duty in an after-hours bar of ill-repute, that's really more a core element than what the play is fully about.

It's really seems to be about--though far less acutely so--life, family, setbacks, losses, friendship, betrayal and more.

With Walker--who I once saw in Julius Caesar on Broadway alongside Denzel Washington--playing somewhat above his actual age, Pops lives in a spacious rent-controlled apartment on Riverside Drive in Manhattan.

Though obviously still pissed about having been shot 8 years before the play takes place, continuing to seek $5 million in damages through a suit against the NYPD, saddened by more recent passing of his longtime, beloved wife and generally rather cantankerous & curmudgeonly, not only is he also quite funny--with some great lines from Guigis' script--he is clearly more generous of spirit than his dialogue openly bespeaks.

Sharing his apartment are his son, Junior (the always excellent James Vincent Meredith), who has recently been released from prison, Junior's girlfriend Lulu and a friend of Junior's named Oswaldo (Victor Almanzar).

Keeping with the gist of people not being completely what they seem, each of these characters--and the 3 others: Pops' former police partner Audrey (Audrey Francis), another white cop (Tim Hopper) who is also her fiancé and a "Church Lady" (Lily Mojekwu) who comes to provide Pops with comfort of various sorts--has aspects that are admirable and others that are far less so.

I don't wish to give away much of the storyline, but part of it includes the two current cops trying to convince Pops to settle his suit.

So certain financial and legal machinations and motivations are at play, and there is some discussion about what happened in the bar years ago--including a bit of victim blaming but also questions of inexact recollections--but just as important in the stage time are less overt aspects concerning the relationships between Pops and Junior, Audrey, her fiancé, Lulu, Oswaldo, the Church Lady and even unseen lawyers and Pops' late wife.

I very much appreciate that Guirgis represents character types not often seen on posh theatrical stages--as he did in his The Motherf*cker with the the Hat, which I also saw at Steppenwolf.

An African-American ex-cop and his ex-convict son, sharing an apartment with two streetwise Latinos, don't make for common dramatic subjects, and it was interesting to regard the estimable cast terrifically representing "real people," even with major crisis points slow to develop onstage. That the show somewhat reminded me of Sanford & Son probably denotes that not enough everyday people of color are shown doing everyday things in the plays I see.

Particularly for just $20 through Steppenwolf's wonderfully generous "Day-of-Show" discount offer, I'm glad I took the advice of the Tribune's Chris Jones--who was considerably more effusive in praise than I--and made a point of seeing this work.

Between Riverside and Crazy offers perspectives I don't often come across, and is worthwhile for that reason alone, but overall my regard for it is stuck somewhere in the middle.

Perhaps in accurately reflecting the ambiguity of our lives, I just didn't find it pointed nor riveting enough.

Ours Go to 11: Volume 13, My Favorite Current Major League Baseball Stadiums

As in years past, my friend Dave is on a baseball tour group excursion that will take him to games in numerous cities and stadiums over the course of a week.

In seeing the Washington Nationals host the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park in DC on Friday, he will complete the Ballpark Slam, having attended a game at every current major league park (over the course of several years, as opposed to the even rarer Ballpark Season Slam).

And he will beat me to it, as I have been to every extant ballpark except Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida.

So in Dave's honor--and perhaps providing fodder to banter about with his tour mates--I have drafted this list of my favorite stadiums.

From all that I've read, heard and seen, the Trop dome is unlikely to supplant any of those here, when I do get there. And as the full field of fields will reset next year with the Atlanta Braves moving to the new SunTrust Park, I still have hopes of beating Dave to the Ballpark Slam, anew.

My Favorite Current Ballparks 

The following is far from based on a perfectly-even playing field, as I've been to Wrigley Field hundreds of times, U.S Cellular Field (home of the Chicago White Sox) dozens, Miller Park, Dodger Stadium and Comerica Park a good handful or two and most of the rest just once or twice. I haven't been to Fenway since 2000 and know it has undergone substantial renovations, and sole visits to several of the other stadiums also go back a decade or more. My recollections could certainly be foggy, but this is what I tend to think in terms of those I like best, based on an unscientific combination of architecture, amenities, sightlines, concessions, coolness and sentimentality.

1. Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs
2. AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants
3. PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
5. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
6. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox
7. Yankee Stadium, New York
8. Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers
9. Coors Field, Colorado Rockies (Denver)
10. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals
11. Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers

And a few more

Citi Field, New York Mets
Nationals Park, Washington
Safco Field, Seattle Mariners
Petco Park, San Diego Padres
Target Field, Minnesota Twins (Minneapolis)

The other current parks

Rogers Centre, Toronto Blue Jays
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago White Sox
Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals 
Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds
Marlins Park, Miami
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies
Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks (Phoenix)
Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians
Globe Life Park, Texas Rangers (Arlington)
Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros
Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland A's
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays (St. Petersburg)

Previous parks at which I attended games

Comiskey Park, Chicago White Sox
Milwaukee County Stadium, Brewers
Tiger Stadium, Detroit
Old Yankee Stadium, New York
Shea Stadium, New York Mets
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minnesota Twins (Minneapolis)
Olympic Stadium, Montreal Expos
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Padres
Candlestick Park, San Francisco Giants
Old Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals
Cinergy Field/Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Reds

Excursion to the 16th Century Provides a Faire Amount of Enjoyment: A Day at the Bristol Renaissance Faire -- Chicagoland Attraction Review

Tourist Attraction Review

Bristol Renaissance Faire
Bristol, WI (just over IL border)
Open weekends through Labor Day
Visited July 30, 2016
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When it comes to attending live events, my track record attests to a clear predilection for rock concerts, musical & dramatic theater and baseball games.

And in terms of other types of attractions for locals and tourists, I generally prefer art museums.

So if tabulating "things I go to" in a given year--the total of which typically exceeds 100--probably 90% would be comprised of the above.

But I also like to seek out events and attractions that aren't so common for me, though even among these there tends to be a good amount of commonality: basketball, football & hockey games, horse racing, opera, classical & jazz concerts, ballets & dance shows, Cirque du Soleil, stand-up comedians & improv, local festivals, zoos, architectural tours, museums in the realms of history, natural history, military history or science & industry, etc.

Yet once or twice a year, I try to get to things that are rather unique for me, be it in traveling to places with regional specialties--rodeos, tango dancing showcases, flamenco guitar concerts, etc.--or within the greater Chicagoland area.

In recent years, these have included going to Medieval Times, seeing the Tempel Lipizzans (white stallions) and attending sublime puppet operas by Opera in Focus in Rolling Meadows.

And though it has seemingly existed since 1972, just this past Saturday I convinced my mom to come with me on an initial foray to the Bristol Renaissance Faire.

Other than thinking it involved people--including performers and the more ardent attendees--dressing in what I think of as Shakespearean costumes, yet not performing any plays, I really didn't know what the Bristol Renaissance Faire was all about.

It had never previously intrigued me to check it out, and even in perusing the website and reading a bit about it on TripAdvisor, I can't say I knew what to expect before arriving.

But especially given the Faire's Wisconsin location--though truly only yards across the Illinois border off of I-94 at Russell Road--I would perhaps describe it as Summerfest of 1574.  (Wikipedia informs that the Faire "recreates a visit of Queen Elizabeth I to the English port city of "Bristol" in the year 1574.")

Not that it is predominated by musical acts, but the basic concept feels somewhat similar, in that a pretty vast expanse of land allows for open-eyed meandering across several hours, catching shows of differing sorts on various stages--whether by design or simply in stumbling upon a crowd--and constantly coming upon vendors selling food, beverages and all sorts of merchandise.

We wound up spending about 4 hours at the Faire (out of a possible 8-1/2 or so) and without quite being royally impressed nor feeling much need to rush back in Elizabethan garb, mom and I found it to be worth our time--and the $20.95 discount ticket available at all area Walgreens.

The only show we specifically tried to see, and watched in its entirety, was a 1/2-hour Tournament Joust, which is really the only part of the Renaissance Faire directly analogous to Medieval Times.

This was fun and well-done, with some pro wrestling-style bravado from a few of the knights, and a pretty hostess on horseback.

Though armed with a daily schedule, we otherwise just went this-a-way and that-a-way to whatever caught our attention (and the constant clicking of my camera).

Thus, while live entertainment seems to be the foremost attraction of the Faire--save for the costume-adorned attendees themselves and many an ample bosom on display (among fans, performers and vendors)--I did not witness enough of any one act to thoroughly recap or review them individually.

As my photos here depict, we saw (parts of) the Sturdy Beggars Mud Show (featuring muddy men kissing audience members of both genders), the cheeky Dirk & Guido: The Swordsmen, a table-setting demonstration pertaining to a queen's visit, a quirky juggler & entertainer known as MooNiE the Magnif'Cent--embodied by Philip Earl Johnson, an actor I've seen in theatrical works--a Fire Whip Show, a trio of musicians dubbed the New Minstrel Revue and an endearing couple called Manticore Consort performing on historic instruments (primarily the Hurdy Gurdy) with rather enlightening explanations amid the old-tyme tunes.

While these weren't the type of acts I would pay $50 to see alone over the course of 90 minutes, all the performers were clearly quite talented in their respective realms and offered modes of entertainment I don't see every day.

Although it seems giant turkey legs are the preponderant gastronomic indulgence of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, mom and I both opted for Fish & Chips. (One minor critique of what I found to be rather well-appointed premises, not nearly as tacky or cheesy as could be imagined and with several nifty buildings representing Renaissance-era Britain, was rather limited seating for eating. Additional permanent restrooms, rather than porte-potties, would also be nice.)

I also enjoyed a large garlic pickle, some chocolate-covered maraschino cherries and a diet sassafras
(essentially root beer).

Not feeling any great need to purchase a sword, corset or Medieval garden gnome, I didn't do any shopping among the myriad merchants--most selling stuff you don't readily find elsewhere--but although forewarned about the cornucopia of cash-grabbing inducements, I found all the shops (a few explored, most not) to be a Faire part of the overall experience.

Even on Halloween I'm not prone to dressing up in costume, but I found it fun to see those decked out in their King Arthur, Queen Elizabeth, Lady Macbeth, court jester and dungeon master fineries--without feeling out-of-place in my t-shirt and shorts.

Had we chosen, we could have caught a few more shows or perhaps aimed to see some in full, but I feel we got a pretty good sense of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, even if we're clearly far from its most fervent fans.

I don't feel any great need to go again, yet imagine it could be pleasant to venture back in time along a variably inexact path.

As it was I'm glad I finally got to the Faire, and would recommend it to anyone seeking a few hours filled with something of a different kind, time and place.