Welcome to the Lockn' Forum - The home of the original Lockn' Music Festival family!
Just got back this evening, what a great weekend. I think Saturday was the best night musically, the first set was my favorite. Sunday night was just an overall amazing experience. I thought the surrounding cast really started finding where they fit in this weekend and Friday had some great moments too. The amount of people wandering around before and after the shows was staggering and the entire set up with the two big screens the massive stage and light set up, the side strip lighting up and the fireworks shows were all just over the top. Luckily both my bosses are out of town today. I am going to sit back and slowly get my work organized while re-listening to the weekend. May get some actual work done this afternoon if I am feeling up to it. Please note: This forum is in no way officially associated with Lockn' Festival or its promoters.
estprofinhumboldt
Old Head
Posts: 1,896
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Railroad Earth
Number of LOCKNs attended: 2
Post by estprofinhumboldt on Jul 7, 2015 2:28:04 GMT -5
Thought Saturday was the best night personally. Loved all three days, though. 
I like space, but it was clear a lot of the crowd didn't know what to do with that. I think that was true back in the day too, though.
yeah, it was great on the floor. Up in nosebleeds it was like a second set break.
Loved the big screen in the back for it
feel your way back the day before
estprofinhumboldt
Old Head
Posts: 1,896
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Railroad Earth
Number of LOCKNs attended: 2
Post by estprofinhumboldt on Jul 7, 2015 2:31:53 GMT -5
I enjoyed Space. It was quirky and intriguing to me. Mickey reminded me of a kid having a blast playing with gadgets in a toy store. Besides, Space gave the others a breather. Bobby appeared to be putting all he had into trying to be on target (key) with his vocals and I, too, felt he was more on than off. Great accomplishment imo! All in all, I was very satisfied with last night's performance. Being there must have been quite an experience.
(~);}
feel your way back the day before
estprofinhumboldt
Old Head
Posts: 1,896
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Railroad Earth
Number of LOCKNs attended: 2
Post by estprofinhumboldt on Jul 7, 2015 2:33:45 GMT -5
For the record, I like space. The part that I didn't like was Mickey walking around and playing that whatever it was with his fingers. All these drums and the beam go play some instruments.I watched second set Saturday. Some odd selections. I'm also surprised that they wasted so much precious time with Space. No one likes that stuff; someone needs to tell them. 
Bobby's singing was better then than the Santa Clara I watched.
Clearly Trey wasn't trying to be a hologram Jerry because he wasn't, although his guitar work was nice.
Ditto
feel your way back the day before
estprofinhumboldt
Old Head
Posts: 1,896
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Railroad Earth
Number of LOCKNs attended: 2
Post by estprofinhumboldt on Jul 7, 2015 13:14:36 GMT -5
Shapiro for president!!!!!!!! He'd get things fixed quickly better than we could have ever imagined
feel your way back the day before
Post by wizard1 on Jul 7, 2015 22:22:53 GMT -5
Post by veryorange on Jul 8, 2015 9:13:05 GMT -5
What a weekend. Hope everyone is recovering.
Post by wizard1 on Jul 8, 2015 9:32:17 GMT -5
TOO $
Cowboy Neal
Posts: 12,507
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Dead and Company featuring Johnny Slayer
Number of LOCKNs attended: 7
Post by TOO $ on Jul 8, 2015 10:21:20 GMT -5
Yep. After the last show I walked upstairs and got in my bed. Woke up the next morning fully recovered What a weekend. Hope everyone is recovering.
.
Did I mention I'm Greek?
mccjeff
Merry Prankster
Look, a squirrel!
Posts: 7,848
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: BIG Something
Post by mccjeff on Jul 8, 2015 11:29:19 GMT -5
So here is my take on all of this. It was an amazing experience. Musically it far exceeded my admittedly low expectations. Midway thru the first set on Fri it was clear that this was something different. I have to say I completely agree with all of the decisions they made. I was hesitant about having 2 keyboards and I couldn’t have been more wrong. From recent experience, I thought they needed more background voices to cover for the very diminished vocals of Phil and Bob. I was wrong again. I thought Trey was going to be good, the best selection they could have made in fact, but I never could have imagined he would be THAT good. I loved the song selections. I know there are people that didn’t want to hear Days Between or some other song. Too bad. There were songs I would have loved to hear but the songs they selected hit all the major high spots and kept it from being a greatest hits album. Adding the 2 Santa Clara shows gave them a nice warm-up for the main event. Making these the final shows gave them an urgency and feeling of immediacy that not even the last shows of even a short tour could have generated. There was a sense of history, of something larger than all of us that every single person felt. Even the ticketing fiasco turned out to have worked.
Perhaps more importantly, the selection of Chicago was perfect. I am sorry east coasters but this would have been a pale shadow of what it would have been in NYC or Philly. The venue was big enough at 71,000 to be a major event and it was an easy walk thru a park or along a lakefront and by some museums. The vast majority of the tribe was all camped downtown in hotels within a few blocks of each other. Or if they were outside of the city it was pretty obvious where to concentrate before and after the shows. Giants Stadium and Lincoln Financial just aren’t the same caliber experience. I talked to several New Yorkers and they agreed. Chicago was the right choice. The police in Chicago went out of their way to be chill. There was 1 person arrested and 2 ticketed for cannabis. They had to be kicking puppies to get arrested. There were cops playing Frisbee and corn hole in the lot. (Meanwhile a few short miles away 40 people were shot over the weekend.) All of the downtown businesses were into the scene as well. Old time Chicago institutions like Millers Pub, with the blinking neon martini glass and RIBS sign, had GD quotes displayed. I’m used to seeing “Welcome Phish Fans” or some such on signs but this was “Let There Be Songs To Fill The Air” one day and something else the next. There were dancing bears and Stealies all over and the most constant stream of GD music I have ever heard. At first I chalked it up to crass commercialism and undoubtedly some of it absolutely was. But there was also the very real sense that Chicago considered itself part of the celebration. I talked to a lot of people over the weekend and to a person they were aware of what was going on and in some cases full-fledged participants. The manager at Devil Dogs saw his first show at Rosemont Horizon in 81. The owner of Eleven City Diner had toured. The ladies cleaning rooms asked how the show was last night. Downtown was awash in hippies and we were made to feel welcome. I love NYC and I know that it is a far friendlier city than most people give it credit for but this was heartwarming to see how much the city, at least where we were, fed off of the spirit of the event. It was magical.
And that brings us to the big take away. It was magic. It was a sea of 71,000 people overcome by love and magic. It was that old magic that separated a Grateful Dead show from everything else in the world. That magic that once it got inside you stayed there no matter how long it was since you last felt it. You could see it shining in every face. It was palpable.
I’ve seen a lot of shows. Really great shows. Once in a lifetime experience shows. I’ve seen Phil shows and Ratdog shows Mickey shows and Billy shows and Furthur shows and The Dead shows and The Other Ones shows and Phish shows and Widespread Panic shows and all sorts of other shows. You know what I haven’t seen in a long, long time? I haven’t seen a Grateful Dead show. And that is exactly what we saw this past weekend. The Grateful Dead walked the Earth again and it was good. It wasn’t the Jerry Garcia led Grateful Dead or the Pigpen led Grateful Dead but it was the Good Old Grateful Dead none the less. Everyone that was there knows it’s true. We told the kid sitting next to us on Sunday to never let anyone tell him he had never seen the Grateful Dead because he had. I’ll go further than that and say that if you hear anyone that was there and thought Trey fell short or that the Grateful Dead died when Jerry did or that these weren't really Grateful Dead shows you should immediately recognize one simple thing. They just don't get it and they probably never did.
This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
What happens if I take both?
Post by wizard1 on Jul 8, 2015 11:51:24 GMT -5
Totally agree, Sunday night was a completely surreal experience, especially in the second set. Everything was completely chill and the entire city had embraced the moment it seemed like. One of the office buildings / condos had "GD" in their window lights, the lobby of my hotel was playing dead all weekend, people were smoking and doing what they wanted in the mornings on the courtyard by the street and nobody cared as long as nobody was causing any problems, they even pushed back our Monday morning checkout time I think. I've also never seen anything like what I saw along Michigan Avenue and in Grant Park on Sunday night after the concert.
estprofinhumboldt
Old Head
Posts: 1,896
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Railroad Earth
Number of LOCKNs attended: 2
Post by estprofinhumboldt on Jul 8, 2015 15:49:32 GMT -5
So here is my take on all of this. It was an amazing experience. Musically it far exceeded my admittedly low expectations. Midway thru the first set on Fri it was clear that this was something different. I have to say I completely agree with all of the decisions they made. I was hesitant about having 2 keyboards and I couldn’t have been more wrong. From recent experience, I thought they needed more background voices to cover for the very diminished vocals of Phil and Bob. I was wrong again. I thought Trey was going to be good, the best selection they could have made in fact, but I never could have imagined he would be THAT good. I loved the song selections. I know there are people that didn’t want to hear Days Between or some other song. Too bad. There were songs I would have loved to hear but the songs they selected hit all the major high spots and kept it from being a greatest hits album. Adding the 2 Santa Clara shows gave them a nice warm-up for the main event. Making these the final shows gave them an urgency and feeling of immediacy that not even the last shows of even a short tour could have generated. There was a sense of history, of something larger than all of us that every single person felt. Even the ticketing fiasco turned out to have worked.
Perhaps more importantly, the selection of Chicago was perfect. I am sorry east coasters but this would have been a pale shadow of what it would have been in NYC or Philly. The venue was big enough at 71,000 to be a major event and it was an easy walk thru a park or along a lakefront and by some museums. The vast majority of the tribe was all camped downtown in hotels within a few blocks of each other. Or if they were outside of the city it was pretty obvious where to concentrate before and after the shows. Giants Stadium and Lincoln Financial just aren’t the same caliber experience. I talked to several New Yorkers and they agreed. Chicago was the right choice. The police in Chicago went out of their way to be chill. There was 1 person arrested and 2 ticketed for cannabis. They had to be kicking puppies to get arrested. There were cops playing Frisbee and corn hole in the lot. (Meanwhile a few short miles away 40 people were shot over the weekend.) All of the downtown businesses were into the scene as well. Old time Chicago institutions like Millers Pub, with the blinking neon martini glass and RIBS sign, had GD quotes displayed. I’m used to seeing “Welcome Phish Fans” or some such on signs but this was “Let There Be Songs To Fill The Air” one day and something else the next. There were dancing bears and Stealies all over and the most constant stream of GD music I have ever heard. At first I chalked it up to crass commercialism and undoubtedly some of it absolutely was. But there was also the very real sense that Chicago considered itself part of the celebration. I talked to a lot of people over the weekend and to a person they were aware of what was going on and in some cases full-fledged participants. The manager at Devil Dogs saw his first show at Rosemont Horizon in 81. The owner of Eleven City Diner had toured. The ladies cleaning rooms asked how the show was last night. Downtown was awash in hippies and we were made to feel welcome. I love NYC and I know that it is a far friendlier city than most people give it credit for but this was heartwarming to see how much the city, at least where we were, fed off of the spirit of the event. It was magical.
And that brings us to the big take away. It was magic. It was a sea of 71,000 people overcome by love and magic. It was that old magic that separated a Grateful Dead show from everything else in the world. That magic that once it got inside you stayed there no matter how long it was since you last felt it. You could see it shining in every face. It was palpable.
I’ve seen a lot of shows. Really great shows. Once in a lifetime experience shows. I’ve seen Phil shows and Ratdog shows Mickey shows and Billy shows and Furthur shows and The Dead shows and The Other Ones shows and Phish shows and Widespread Panic shows and all sorts of other shows. You know what I haven’t seen in a long, long time? I haven’t seen a Grateful Dead show. And that is exactly what we saw this past weekend. The Grateful Dead walked the Earth again and it was good. It wasn’t the Jerry Garcia led Grateful Dead or the Pigpen led Grateful Dead but it was the Good Old Grateful Dead none the less. Everyone that was there knows it’s true. We told the kid sitting next to us on Sunday to never let anyone tell him he had never seen the Grateful Dead because he had. I’ll go further than that and say that if you hear anyone that was there and thought Trey fell short or that the Grateful Dead died when Jerry did or that these weren't really Grateful Dead shows you should immediately recognize one simple thing. They just don't get it and they probably never did.
feel your way back the day before
smosey wales
Merry Prankster
Disguised as a squirrel
Posts: 14,657
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Anyone? Anyone?
Number of LOCKNs attended: 6
Post by smosey wales on Jul 8, 2015 16:03:41 GMT -5
Well said, Jeff!
Thank you for bringing it to us stay at homes.
Too late to die young
Feb 12 Billy Strings NFK
Feb 18 Marshall Tucker Band Philly
Feb 25 Marcus King Band NFK
April 6 Rosanne Cash NFK
April 15 James McMurtry NFK
April 20 Little Feat VaBeach
April 21 Blackberry Smoke NFK
July 2 Last Fair Deal w/John K VaB
July 23 Dave Mathews Band VaB
July 26 Robert Earl Keen C'ville
July 28-31 Floyd Fest BFE
Sept 24 Southern Culture on the Skids VaB
Nov 19 Dark Star Norva
Dec 3 Sky Dog VaB
buddy74
Old Head
Posts: 2,215
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Carlos Santana
Number of LOCKNs attended: 6
Post by buddy74 on Jul 8, 2015 17:04:16 GMT -5
Ok mcjeff, I made my peace with the Grateful Dead FTW Sunday night and now, thanks to your eloquent writing, I'm all blubbery again. So here is my take on all of this. It was an amazing experience. Musically it far exceeded my admittedly low expectations. Midway thru the first set on Fri it was clear that this was something different. I have to say I completely agree with all of the decisions they made. I was hesitant about having 2 keyboards and I couldn’t have been more wrong. From recent experience, I thought they needed more background voices to cover for the very diminished vocals of Phil and Bob. I was wrong again. I thought Trey was going to be good, the best selection they could have made in fact, but I never could have imagined he would be THAT good. I loved the song selections. I know there are people that didn’t want to hear Days Between or some other song. Too bad. There were songs I would have loved to hear but the songs they selected hit all the major high spots and kept it from being a greatest hits album. Adding the 2 Santa Clara shows gave them a nice warm-up for the main event. Making these the final shows gave them an urgency and feeling of immediacy that not even the last shows of even a short tour could have generated. There was a sense of history, of something larger than all of us that every single person felt. Even the ticketing fiasco turned out to have worked.
Perhaps more importantly, the selection of Chicago was perfect. I am sorry east coasters but this would have been a pale shadow of what it would have been in NYC or Philly. The venue was big enough at 71,000 to be a major event and it was an easy walk thru a park or along a lakefront and by some museums. The vast majority of the tribe was all camped downtown in hotels within a few blocks of each other. Or if they were outside of the city it was pretty obvious where to concentrate before and after the shows. Giants Stadium and Lincoln Financial just aren’t the same caliber experience. I talked to several New Yorkers and they agreed. Chicago was the right choice. The police in Chicago went out of their way to be chill. There was 1 person arrested and 2 ticketed for cannabis. They had to be kicking puppies to get arrested. There were cops playing Frisbee and corn hole in the lot. (Meanwhile a few short miles away 40 people were shot over the weekend.) All of the downtown businesses were into the scene as well. Old time Chicago institutions like Millers Pub, with the blinking neon martini glass and RIBS sign, had GD quotes displayed. I’m used to seeing “Welcome Phish Fans” or some such on signs but this was “Let There Be Songs To Fill The Air” one day and something else the next. There were dancing bears and Stealies all over and the most constant stream of GD music I have ever heard. At first I chalked it up to crass commercialism and undoubtedly some of it absolutely was. But there was also the very real sense that Chicago considered itself part of the celebration. I talked to a lot of people over the weekend and to a person they were aware of what was going on and in some cases full-fledged participants. The manager at Devil Dogs saw his first show at Rosemont Horizon in 81. The owner of Eleven City Diner had toured. The ladies cleaning rooms asked how the show was last night. Downtown was awash in hippies and we were made to feel welcome. I love NYC and I know that it is a far friendlier city than most people give it credit for but this was heartwarming to see how much the city, at least where we were, fed off of the spirit of the event. It was magical.
And that brings us to the big take away. It was magic. It was a sea of 71,000 people overcome by love and magic. It was that old magic that separated a Grateful Dead show from everything else in the world. That magic that once it got inside you stayed there no matter how long it was since you last felt it. You could see it shining in every face. It was palpable.
I’ve seen a lot of shows. Really great shows. Once in a lifetime experience shows. I’ve seen Phil shows and Ratdog shows Mickey shows and Billy shows and Furthur shows and The Dead shows and The Other Ones shows and Phish shows and Widespread Panic shows and all sorts of other shows. You know what I haven’t seen in a long, long time? I haven’t seen a Grateful Dead show. And that is exactly what we saw this past weekend. The Grateful Dead walked the Earth again and it was good. It wasn’t the Jerry Garcia led Grateful Dead or the Pigpen led Grateful Dead but it was the Good Old Grateful Dead none the less. Everyone that was there knows it’s true. We told the kid sitting next to us on Sunday to never let anyone tell him he had never seen the Grateful Dead because he had. I’ll go further than that and say that if you hear anyone that was there and thought Trey fell short or that the Grateful Dead died when Jerry did or that these weren't really Grateful Dead shows you should immediately recognize one simple thing. They just don't get it and they probably never did.
Post by ann on Jul 9, 2015 9:52:58 GMT -5
THIS x a Bazillion
And that brings us to the big take away. It was magic. It was a sea of 71,000 people overcome by love and magic. It was that old magic that separated a Grateful Dead show from everything else in the world. That magic that once it got inside you stayed there no matter how long it was since you last felt it. You could see it shining in every face. It was palpable.
I’ve seen a lot of shows. Really great shows. Once in a lifetime experience shows. I’ve seen Phil shows and Ratdog shows Mickey shows and Billy shows and Furthur shows and The Dead shows and The Other Ones shows and Phish shows and Widespread Panic shows and all sorts of other shows. You know what I haven’t seen in a long, long time? I haven’t seen a Grateful Dead show. And that is exactly what we saw this past weekend. The Grateful Dead walked the Earth again and it was good. It wasn’t the Jerry Garcia led Grateful Dead or the Pigpen led Grateful Dead but it was the Good Old Grateful Dead none the less. Everyone that was there knows it’s true. We told the kid sitting next to us on Sunday to never let anyone tell him he had never seen the Grateful Dead because he had. I’ll go further than that and say that if you hear anyone that was there and thought Trey fell short or that the Grateful Dead died when Jerry did or that these weren't really Grateful Dead shows you should immediately recognize one simple thing. They just don't get it and they probably never did.
AHH!!! I can't believe that I had forgotten what it felt like to be at a Grateful Dead show. What a great reminder of why I spent so much time & money following this band. I didn't see my first show until 1990 when I was 18 (only saw Brent once), but from 90-95 I was able to squeeze in 75+ shows. After Jerry died I continued to see the remaining members in all their different forms, saw a ton of Widespread (my 2nd favorite band ever) & lots of great live music, but it wasn't until I walked into the stadium this weekend that I felt home. There is truly nothing like it & I feel truly blessed that I was able to feel it once more and experience it with 71,000 others.
suebhunny
Old Head
Posts: 2,089
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: Give me TTB or give me death!
Number of LOCKNs attended: 3
Post by suebhunny on Jul 9, 2015 17:14:36 GMT -5
This was really my first Grateful Dead experience. I had seen Furthur once, DSO a couple of times, and the various Dead derivative bands at the two Lockn' fests. But Friday night I looked over at Worf and said, "I think I get it now." He responded that I'm only starting to get it. But the experience was definitely quite a ride. The circus. The music. The lights. The music. The gigantic crowd. The music. Trey. The music. It was amazing. I wouldn't trade it.
5/24-27 Dark Star Jubilee Legend Valley Thornville OH
6/13-16 Beardfest Hammonton, NJ
7/7 Outlaw Music Fest Hershey PA
7/18-21 4848 Festival Snowshoe WV
8/2-3 Billy Strings Bryce Jordan Center Penn State
8/29-9/2 - Karnival of the Arts (East) Kempton PA
9/19-22 Infamous Weekend Pops Farm VA
mccjeff
Merry Prankster
Look, a squirrel!
Posts: 7,848
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: BIG Something
Post by mccjeff on Jul 9, 2015 17:41:51 GMT -5
There is nothing like a Grateful Dead show. So very glad you got to experience it. And even gladder that you got it. Not everyone does.This was really my first Grateful Dead experience. I had seen Furthur once, DSO a couple of times, and the various Dead derivative bands at the two Lockn' fests. But Friday night I looked over at Worf and said, "I think I get it now." He responded that I'm only starting to get it. But the experience was definitely quite a ride. The circus. The music. The lights. The music. The gigantic crowd. The music. Trey. The music. It was amazing. I wouldn't trade it.
This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
What happens if I take both?
Post by waycha on Jul 9, 2015 19:34:38 GMT -5
It's great to hear what a great time everyone had at the shows & reading the reports. Things did't work out for me but reading the stories & people like Suebhunny getting to see them for the first time is wonderful. It is a real experience to see live. Just not the same as watching it on TV or listing on the radio although I was out & about a lot so listened a lot on the Grateful Dead channel. Sounded real good. They really went all out. Keep telling us all about it & more pics if you have any. Now on to Lockn'!!!!
Post by dool on Jul 9, 2015 22:52:34 GMT -5
I am finally back from Chicago, after a brief work stop in DC. I can not believe what a time my wife, friends, and I had. I start this feeling like I am writing to Penthouse Forum. Because, our story does begin with, "I know you are not going to believe this but every word is true."
The trip began meeting up with friends in Afton and driving to Toledo on Wednesday. We pulled into Chicago around 3:00pm Thursday after dealing with some congestion getting into town. We stayed at the Chicago Hilton, about a 15 minute walk down Michigan Ave to Soldier's field. The room was not ready even though I called a week in advance to make sure it would be. After waiting 1.5 hours they stuck us in a small room with no wi-fi. I went down and found a manager and explained how frustrated we were and how important this weekend was to my wife and I. He put us in the CHICAGO SUITE on the 23rd floor overlooking Lake Michigan and Soldier's field. it had a private bedroom guest bath, hardwood floors, two couches, a dining room, wet bar and 7 windows in the main room. We walked down that evening and listened to the sound check and could see part of it on the screens. We finished the night at the Kingston Mines.
On Friday we went to Wrigley and sat in the Bleachers. That is an experience you do not want to take the kids to, but a hell of alot of fun. We had GA field tix from ticketmaster on Friday. Sound was not the best but the crowd was great and the band was awesome.
On Saturday we had tix behind the stage. As we were walking into the show I was asking if anyone had better tix. A person approached me and told me he could get me in the pit. Pit tix at this time were being scalped for between $800 -$1200. After some negotiating we traded our behind the stage tix and some cash for the pit. he said we did not have to pay until we were on the pit and he showed me passes in his pocket. Next thing I know we by passed every security guard and were standing at the entrance to the pit and he was telling the security to put wristbands on my wife and I. We were on Bruce's side and had the best time with people from all over the country, especially Colorado. This was my favorite night. The band and crowd had incredible energy. I found myself crying like a baby during Stella Blue. i was so thankful for everything my emotions got the best of me.
Sunday, believe it or not we ran into the same guy and got in the pit again. We saw the same people on the floor and shook hands with Bill Walton walking to the show.
The music and band was great each night. I can not wait to listen to it again. Every night we came into the hotel there were vendors and tanks at 2:00am in the morning outside of the door.
On a side note. We were riding home through Indiana and listening to a local reporter review the Stones show. The DJ ask him about future shows at the Indy Speedway. The beat reporter said he was hearing from sources, The Dead, with John Mayer in the Fall.
mccjeff
Merry Prankster
Look, a squirrel!
Posts: 7,848
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: BIG Something
Post by mccjeff on Jul 10, 2015 15:40:13 GMT -5
We got to Midway on Thurs around noon. Bought a couple of 7 day unlimited train/bus passes (absolutely the best way to travel) and headed downtown. Checked straight into the Congress and went exploring. We hopped back on the Blue Line and went out to The United Center so PJ could see how to get there. She needed that info because later that night she and a friend of ours went to see U2 there. Last show of a 5 night run. PJ has seen them a dozen times and said this stripped down version might have been the best show she has seen them do.
We took the Pink/Green Line back downtown and went to grab some lunch at Monk's Pub. I went low alcohol with a 3.2% Goose Island 312 Urban Radler (Mint & Cucumber) that was really refreshing and a 3.2% Penrose Brewing Deminimus Blanc Sour.
We strolled around the city and went to the Jay Pritzker Pavillion at Millenium Park where an ensemble was sound checking for the free concert that night. It is an 11,000 capacity amphitheater designed by Frank Gehry that looks and sounds crazy. There is an arched tubular steel lattice structure over the whole thing that has the speakers suspended from it. Surround sound galore.
Then we went to the Chicago Cultural Center at Michigan and Washington. It opened in 1897 and was the original Chicago Central Public Library. Go in the Washington Ave entrance to see the 38' diameter Tiffany stained glass dome. Unreal beautiful.
We met up with our friends for drinks at the hotel lounge, Revolution Brewing A Little Crazy Belgian Pale Ale, and the ladies took off for U2. We fellows went to Frontera Grill for dinner. OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! The apps were divine. Spring Green Guacamole, Three Chile (cascabel, morita, guajillo) & Garlic Salsa, Roasted Tomatillo & Serano Salsa, Short Rib Tamal, Chicken in Asparagus Crema Mini Soft Tacos and Red Chili Pork Queso Fundido. But my entree was some of the best food I have eaten.
Duck Criollo / Grilled red-chile Gunthrop duck breast, criollo sauce (tomato, chipotle chiles, carrot, raisins, pineapple, bacon), duck fat sweet potato mash, grilled green beans, duck prosciutto. Yes, duck prosciutto. Accompanied it with a Two Brothers Brewing Sidekick American Pale Ale and a Moody Tongue Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison. I hear the Topolo Margaritas were exceptional.
We took off from there and went to the Brown Line up to Park West for the Leftover show. Got a nice surprise with a Col Bruce sit in. Great high energy show in a seriously over sold venue. Afterwards we stopped for a nightcap at Sedgwick Stop. They had 3 Floyds Brewing Gumballhead American Pale Wheat Ale on draft. Unfortunately this caused us to miss the last Brown Line into downtown. No worries we took it north away from the city for a few stops and got off and caught the Red Line back downtown. A final beer seemed to be appropriate at our friends hotel room so I had a Revolution Brewing Rosa Hibiscus Ale. A 4 am march of 10 blocks back to our hotel pretty much put Thursday to bed.
This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
What happens if I take both?
lobster
The Head Chef
Proud member of The unofficial unaccountable FAQ for Lockn
Posts: 1,809
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: 49 Winchester
Number of LOCKNs attended: 7
Post by lobster on Jul 10, 2015 17:03:46 GMT -5
Jeff you should have a deadhead travel show. I love reading your reviews and you have helped us who didn't attend get a feel of the experience already.
mccjeff
Merry Prankster
Look, a squirrel!
Posts: 7,848
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: BIG Something
Post by mccjeff on Jul 10, 2015 19:41:04 GMT -5
Jeff you should have a deadhead travel show. I love reading your reviews and you have helped us who didn't attend get a feel of the experience already.
Thanks lobster. I will add Fri thru Mon as time permits.
This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
What happens if I take both?
Post by dool on Jul 10, 2015 20:30:17 GMT -5
Trey will forever be the Ginger Jedi
Post by waycha on Jul 11, 2015 6:44:54 GMT -5
I too look forward to your reviews. Like Lobster I enjoyed reading the reviews & love the pics. Last one made me hungry, now I'll have to take the wife out for a fine meal. Jeff you should have a deadhead travel show. I love reading your reviews and you have helped us who didn't attend get a feel of the experience already.
Thanks lobster. I will add Fri thru Mon as time permits.
mccjeff
Merry Prankster
Look, a squirrel!
Posts: 7,848
If I could add one artist to the 2023 lineup: BIG Something
Post by mccjeff on Jul 11, 2015 12:10:13 GMT -5
At some point Friday morning I quit pretending to sleep. This was going to be a big day so let's get started. I headed down to the lobby to see what I could see and the place was a zoo. One of only two people that I saw pissed off the entire weekend was there with his cooler being inspected by a octogenarian hotel security guard. This guy almost acted so douchey as to cause the security gentleman to cop an attitude towards the rest of us. Luckily it seemed to slide right off of him. Good on him. I hope all of the pissed off dudes beers were skunked. He deserved it. I plopped down in the lobby next to an older Asian couple. These were not old San Francisco Asian American hippies here to see the boys. This was a couple that had probably booked their big American 4th of July in Chicago vacation a year ago. Thursday night they had gone to bed in a normal world. They woke up center ring at the circus. They were obviously baffled by what had become of their circumstances. If you kept a careful eye you could spot these people in various shapes, sizes and colors all weekend. The double-decker bus tours must have been reminiscent of the Summer of Love tours at Haight & Ashbury. Surrealism at it's finest.
We had our Thursday night roomie move out into his room and met our new roomies for the duration. I had met her before but not him. It was kind of weird at first but turned out better than awesome. I consider them really good friends now. Nothing like laying up in a hotel in a strange city for three or four days to bring you together.
I forgot to mention what we found in our hotel. A wallet. A wallet full of credit cards, a social security card and a check book. No cash other than change. I knew that if I kept hold of it they would get all of it back untampered with. If I turned it over to lost and found or hotel security then who knows what would happen. So with just a little bit of online sleuthing I figured out who it was in Nashville so I called their work numbers and left a messages to get in touch with me. I did that a couple more times over the next few days. No response. What the hell? Finally on Thursday, a week after finding it, I made another call and finally got a call back. She didn't even realize she had lost it in Chicago. She thought it was lost somewhere in the house! REALLY lucky it was one of us, and I mean us in the broad sense of generally honest people that we tend to congregate with, that found it. Mailed it back to them on our dime as a wedding present to them.
So now it was really getting time to eat something. Last time we were in Chicago we didn't get around to eating an Italian Beef so Al's Beef was our destination for brunch. Combo #3 Dipped Sweet & Hot. Oh my. How did I live this long without ever eating this? How much has this discovery taken off my life expectancy? The #3 Combo is an Italian Beef Sandwich with the addition of a whole piece of Italian Sausage in it. Dipped is just that, dipped in a bucket of gravy/au jus. It is beyond moistened. It is like cookie meets a glass of milk soaked. Hot enough and sweet enough to make your lips sting. The faint of heart may not want to see this but...
Turns out there isn't much for a vegetarian there. PJ hung with us and got some fries instead of walking out the door and seeing the vegetarian restaurant right next door. Sometimes you need to find your own path. When we finished it was time to go adventuring.
Yes, it was time to go yachting on Lake Michigan. We chartered a sailboat thru Offshore Adventures Chicago. It was a 35'... That is where my expertise ends. We headed for the marina to hookup with the boat while the rest of the crew made a beer run. We headed down Michigan to Randolph then took a right and headed towards the lake. That would be Upper Randolph. Lower Randolph, where we wanted to be, was underneath us. I saw a set of stairs descending and a beat up sign that said "Marinas" pointing down the stairs. I am really thankful it was 2:30 in the afternoon and not 2:30 in the morning. It would probably have been a very different experience. We got there and found the captain, Rick, and waited for the beer party to catch up. And waited. They got confounded by the Upper/Lower thing and had to back track. A twelve pack of Tecate Light was apparently the best cans they could find, or the cheapest, at the Walgreen's Drugs Store. They also snagged some bottles of Two Brothers Wobble American IPA. We sailed around and played the Grateful Dead and drank some beers and laughed and had a high old time. Absolutely a lovely way to spend your afternoon before the insanity begins. I HIGHLY recommend.
Disembark at 5:00 swing by the hotel to prep for a second and head to the show.
Last Edit: Jul 11, 2015 12:16:06 GMT -5 by mccjeff
This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
What happens if I take both?
Post by veryorange on Jul 11, 2015 20:24:04 GMT -5
Chicago was such a powerful experience, I am still processing everything.
