CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The Chicago Blues Festival has kicked off in Millennium Park, and it's bringing attendees from near and far.
"I'm crunk, I'm fired up, and I'm ready to go," said festival goer Trina Mathis
Mathis said she and her husband traveled from Florida for Blues Fest, while visiting family in Michigan.
"We found out that you guys were having a Blues festival this year...We actually got off the plane…We left Florida about 3 a.m. this morning, so we could get to Detroit early enough to get a rental car to drive all the way over here for the Blues festival,” Mathis said.
She said it was a stop she had to make.
"I absolutely love, love the Blues music. It's very heartfelt, and I think it crosses all genres,” said Mathis.
For others, like Denise DeRoss, the Fest was an impromptu stop.
"I saw that we were having the free Blues Festival, and I thought it would be a great day to listen to some music in this sunshine,” DeRoss said.
Over 180,000 people are expected to attend the Fest this weekend.
This weekend you might also notice several photographs surrounded by vines and flowers at Pritzker Pavilion.
They're part of a photography installation entitled “The Rhythm Within Our Blues.”
"It's told through the eyes of Black artists from the South Side… I thought that was very important to make sure we are amplifying the voices and platforms and narratives of artists in this art form,” said Ennerèssa LaNette, executive director of Bronzeville’s Praize Productions.
The nonprofit organization is part of the Millennium Park Residency Program. She said the photos displayed this weekend are the work of three Black photographers.
"They took pictures of Blues artists and young people who are now learning instrumentation, who will be the next generation of Blues, people who are now actually musicians already, instrumentation, so I wanted to show all aspects when it comes to Blues," LaNette said.
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