The Taste of Chicago is the world’s largest food festival spanning over several days. Held in Grant Park from July 8-July 12, The Taste promoted the food of almost 40 restaurants, as well as many food trucks, and showcases the talents of different chefs every day. In addition to the delicious food, The Taste is also known for their great musical performances.
The headliners for The Taste, playing at the Petrillo Music Shell, included: Weezer, Erykah Badu, The Chieftains, Spoon, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. In addition to the main stage, several artists throughout the day played on a smaller stage, The Bud Light stage. Each day had a different theme at the Bud Light Stage.
The musical theme on Sunday was “tribute bands”. The bands that played included: Infinity (a Journey tribute band), American English (a Beatles tribute band), and Reginald Toran Sr. All Things Mayfield (a Curtis Mayfield tribute band). I was surprised to see how many people went to see these bands. Infinity had a good crowd turn out and played the crowd pleasers such as, “Any Way You Want it”, “Wheel in the Sky”, and closed out with “Don’t Stop Believin’”. The crowd that surprised me the most was the crowd that came out to see American English play. Everyone knows and loves The Beatles. American English was able to capture the spirit of the iconic band, with their fake wigs, fake accents, and even an outfit change halfway through their set to accommodate The Beatles change in look through the years. Adults in their 60s were jamming to their music just as much as kids in their early to late teens, which seems to be a rare occurrence with the generation gap we see today. American English played crowd favorites such as “Twist and Shout”, “Help!”, and closed their set with “Revolution”.
In addition to these tribute bands, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly played at the Petrillo Music Shell. The crowd there was completely different than the crowd that watched Infinity and American English play, but the contrast was nice. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly was the soulful act that was a great way to end the last day of The Taste.
Liz Byrom
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