Road Stories : That One Show I Regret Missing Is........
James Brown, There I said it. No build-up to what this blog is all about, Just “BOOM”, there it is, I guess the image above gave a hint to who it was.. . It was July 5, 1996, The show was to be at the Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park in Chicago (I was still living there) …. That’s the one show I had to miss.
‘96 was the second year Alligator Records Photographer Eugene Kimmons would toss me a bone, The year before (because of him) I covered the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival featuring Blues greats such as Luther Allison and Eddie Campbell. Eugene always thought I was capable of becoming a music photographer, though I was much harder on myself and my abilities, both as a visual artist and more so as a photographer.
So back to the “why” this is the one show I regret missing. I remember I had my gear with me at LaSalle photo, where I worked at the time, it was at least a 40 to 45-minute ride by bus and train, that was on a good day, about an hour when there were festivals in the downtown area.
Before I departed for the show, I had been nursing a Migraine all day long. My 30’s was a time in my life I started to get migraines, they’d come and go and I’d go about my day, but it was also in my 30’s the frequency and intensity would get worse over time. This was one of those times it was not going to let up, and leave me totally incapacitated, I still decided to try and make the James Brown show later that day.
I was able to get the boss to allow me to leave early that day, all the while thinking to myself the sun was too fucking bright and I was feeling sick to my stomach. I still departed for the show. I always made it a habit to arrive at any shoot I was engaged in, it helped in planning the day.
The press table was already open to my surprise, though I still had a few hours to kill, So I made my way and stood in line. My migraine was worse, I was light sensitive, sick to my stomach, dizzy, I knew my blood pressure was being affected as well. Soon I was the next in line to get my credentials for the show, and it was then I told the staff there I was not feeling well and decided to go home.
So yea, James Brown was the only show I ever regretted missing.
Here is an article from Rick Regar that appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1996. I really missed something special that day.