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CHICAGO BLACKOUT
May 19, 20, 21, @ Empty Bottle

Chicago in May is one of my favorite places to be. Spring is in bloom, the Cubbies and Sox have begun their respective seasons of heartache, the city is alive with the post-winter bustle of citizens looking forward to the summer seen shimmering on the horizon. Oh yeah, and it's also time for the annual Chicago Blackout sponsored by the rock'n'roll perverts at Horizontal Action, the country's best fest. Period. For the third year in a row I decided to drive to Chicago, which will not happen again. Trust me. Hitting Chicago logjam traffic after seven hours on the road and a Jumbo Big Gulp at the last rest stop is uncomfortable and annoying. I cut the timing fairly close and made it to Ron Cozumel's just in time to have some beers before the show started. Then I remembered the time change, and drank some more beers. Fellow rockers from around the country started filing in, geared up for a long weekend of debauchery. Old friends, new friends, Matt Coppens, they were all there. And before I get into the meat of this thing, let me warn you this was the biggest, wildest, and best Blackout yet. I think we saw 26 bands over the course of three days that actually went by way too quick. So, if you're ready, click on Timmy Vulgar and his friend and proceed we shall...