You can't paint the blues without Primer*

It had been a while since I'd seen John Primer perform but didn't realize that the last time I did was way back in 2009. Where does the time go?

There really isn't a bad seat in the house at The North Street Cabaret and I was up front stage left.

Primer is one of few remaining Chicago blues connections to all the greats that had so much influence on rock music. In his 80s now, he came to Chicago in the early 1960s and got his start at the Maxwell Street Market before getting a regular gig at the legendary Theresa's Lounge where he played with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and on and on.

Just after 8 the band stepped onto the stage. The harp player, Steve Bell, strapped on his ammo belt of harmonicas, drummer Lenny Media took a seat behind his kit, and bassist Melvin Smith strapped on his 5-string. And, of course, Primer grabbed one of his guitars and they started playing the blues.

Speaking of blues, someone needs to write a song for Willow who is at my feet meowing. Something like the "Got No Churu Blues".

The treats are gone, Skippy

And kibble just won't do

That little dish is empty

I've got the no Churu blues

Poor cat.

I just found out that Bell is the son of the legendary Corey Bell. No wonder he was so effin' good. Everyone was great, truth be told. I really loved Media's playing. He knew exactly when to throw in these perfect, short fills. Just wonderful. Sorry I didn't get a good photo of him in action.

The night was a mix of classics such as "Mannish Boy" and "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and newer tunes - "Chicago" and "Tough Times" come to mind, the latter having been (co-?)written by his daughter. I am not very familiar with Primer's catalogue and am struggling to recall song names but can tell you that there were more than a couple times when the band just hit a groove and it was absolutely sublime. Primer and Bell traded solos while the rhythm section held things down for them. Simply fantastic.

A woman behind me was dancing and, although the rest of us weren't quite so animated, everyone was having a good time. I even saw a smattering of folks younger than me.

Ooh! They played "Across the Universe" as the opener of the second set. Neat! Also for the second set I sat next to Primer's granddaughter. I chatted with her a little bit and she was such a nice woman. And, improbably, she lives in the Madison area. She told me that she had gone to college and was a poet but that she was looking to go back to school. Best of luck to her.

The show ended with a spirited "Got My Mojo Working" which was awesome.

It was a great night and I see that Primer returns to The North Street Cabaret on 27 February. I plan to be there.

*I stole this from his website.