When I agreed to go on the ‘Route 66 In Reverse’ trip in 2010 with my photography friend Paul we planned to do the trip in reverse (starting in Los Angeles and finishing in Chicago) so that we could attend the Chicago Blues Festival. Then, after the festival, Paul went to stay with his brother in Chicago for a couple of weeks whilst I started on this ‘Mid West to Eastern Cities‘ trip.

To get the best photos at the festival I had registered as an official photographer with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (requiring submission of credentials as a bona fide media organisation – which the EarlyBlues.com webzine is so registered).  All photos taken at the 2010 Blues Festival are published on my EarlyBlues.com website which may be seen by clicking the image below. I also attended the 2016 festival in the same capacity (on a trip with Ben Waters, blues & boogie woogie pianinst) so have included a similar link. In 2017 Pete Evans represented EarlyBlues.com at the festival so have included a link below for completeness.

“The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June each year since 1988, that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favourites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (formerly the Mayor’s Office of Special Events). Until 2017, the event always took place at and around Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park, adjacent to the Lake Michigan waterfront east of the Loop in Chicago. In 2017, the festival was moved to the nearby Millennium Park”.

Source and further information: Wikipedia