Happy 85th, Mavis Staples!

The "Mavis Staples Hometown Birthday Celebration" took place Friday, December 6th, at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre, with special guests Jackson Browne and Margo Price.

WXRT and Jam Productions presented Mavis' birthday show as the climax to their fabulous 93XRT Fall Jam Series, and man.... it was a doozy!

Julie and I went with her sister Kathleen and our longtime friend Maureen. We had great seats on the main floor with a terrific view and some fun neighbors.

This was Kathleen's first time at the 135-year-old Auditorium, so we walked around a bit before the show to take in the history and art.

Margo Price

Opening the show was the terrific Margo Price, a gifted country singer-songwriter out of Nashville.

Her stage banter was relaxed and fun as she reminisced about her childhood in Illinois and the times she worked with Mavis.

The quiet acoustic set she played with her husband, Jeremy Ivey, was a perfect opener for the great music to come.

Margo Price's Setlist

• HANDS OF TIME

• LOVE ME LIKE YOU USED TO DO

• REVELATIONS

• DON'T WAKE ME UP

• NOWHERE IS WHERE

• END OF THE ROAD

Jackson Browne

Browne is a music legend who emerged from the L.A. music scene of the late 60s as a successful songwriter (he co-wrote The Eagles' hit "Take It Easy") before releasing his first album in 1972.

He has sold over 30 million records, had a string of huge hits, was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen, and continues to tour across the globe.

His current band is stacked with remarkable talent who have all been in the business for decades: Bob Glaub on bass, Mauricio Lewak on drums, Jeff Young on keys, and the incredible Greg Leisz playing guitar, lap steel, and pedal steel.

Rounding out the gathering were Alethea Mills and Chavonne Stewart on backing vocals.

Bob Glaub

Greg Leisz

Between them all, this group has played with artists such as The Eagles, Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills and Nash, and more.

We're talking decades of experience and credits. These all-star musicians still have the goods, and damn, they played the hell out of their instruments.

Despite a nasty cold he caught from a guy sitting next to him on the plane ride to Chicago, Browne was in terrific form. He sang well, told fun stories between songs, and kept his tendency to preach to a bare minimum, given that the evening truly belonged to the queen, Mavis Staples.

Jackson Browne's Set List

1. WORLD IN MOTION

2. THE LONG WAY AROUND

3. UNTIL JUSTICE IS REAL

4. FAR FROM THE ARMS OF HUNGER

5. DOCTOR MY EYES

6. THE PRETENDER

7. RUNNING ON EMPTY

8. I AM A PATRIOT

This was my fourth time seeing Browne, and it was probably the best set I've ever seen him play.

Terri Hemmert

After a short intermission, a true Chicago legend, the one-and-only Terri Hemmert, took the stage to introduce the headliner.

The One-and-Only Terri Hemmert

Terri is a beloved radio personality, musicologist, instructor, Beatles Freak, and longtime 'XRT DJ who has informed, entertained, and educated the world for decades.

She is also among the nicest, most genuine people in the broadcasting business.

As part of her intro, Terri told a fantastic story about how a chance moment in 1970 watching The Staple Singers open for The Bee Gees indirectly led to her career in radio.

She also spoke a bit about her wonderful relationship with Mavis over the years, the incredible history of the Staples family, and Mavis's incredible age of 85.

The Queen: Mavis Staples

After Terri's intro, a few minutes passed. Then Mavis's band, led by the amazing Rick Holmstrom on guitar and featuring Greg Boaz on bass, Steve Mugalian on drums, Saundra Williams, and Kelly Hogan on vocals, took the stage.

They played an intro, and then Mavis joined them.

Mavis tore up the stage for over 70 minutes with mind-blowing vocals, beautiful energy, and delight. She sat down to rest at times but only briefly before getting back up to belt out more vocals, tell great stories, and do some funny and endearing crowd work.

To say this woman has a presence is an understatement. She might be 85, but she still has incredible energy, power, and overwhelming talent.

When the audience spontaneously broke out and sang "Happy Birthday," Mavis was visibly moved to tears and seemed genuinely surprised by the crowd's gesture.

It was a wonderful moment and a small part of a great set that included Staple Singers classics and a few outstanding covers by artists such as The Talking Heads, The Band, and Funkadelic.

I don't have space here to properly convey the achievements of her family and original band from the 1960s, The Staple Singers, but it truly felt like they were with her on stage Friday night.

Mavis Staples's Set List

1. CITY IN THE SKY

2. I'M JUST ANOTHER SOLDIER

3. HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

4. CAN YOU GET TO THAT

5. RESPECT YOURSELF

6. HEAVY MAKES YOU HAPPY

7. FRIENDSHIP

8. FAR CELESTIAL SHORE

9. SLIPPERY PEOPLE

10. WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN (with Jackson Browne and Margo Price)

11. THE WEIGHT (with Jackson Browne and Margo Price)

12. FREEDOM HIGHWAY

13. [ENCORE] I'LL TAKE YOU THERE

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THE CHICKEN BIG MAC!

McDonald's has been teasing us for at least two years, but now it's finally here:

THE CHICKEN BIG MAC!

Yes, it's the poultry-based version of the classic Big Mac. It features two tempura-battered chicken patties on a Big Mac bun with Big Mac Special Sauce, cheese, lettuce, and pickle slices.

The Chicken Big Mac was previously available in the U.K. and Ireland in 2022, where it sold out within 10 days. It was also tested in Miami in 2022, with lines out the door and jammed drive-thrus all over the city.

Based on those successes, it's shocking that it took so long to get the National push that it's finally getting now.

If you know the classic Big Mac jingle that started in the 1970s, then you know that onions are the only thing that needs to be added, and I'm not sure why.

Well, as a fan of the classic Big Mac, a former employee of McDonald's, and someone who is wholly dedicated to my readers, my listeners, and my fans, I felt it was my duty to go to McDonald's, try this new menu item, and give you all a full report.

I mean, I owe you all so much that it's the very least I could do, and here is my report.

THE CHICKEN BIG MAC REPORT

This past Monday, I had some free time before the Press Screening of the new Hugh Grant horror movie Heretic—which is excellent, by the way— so I stopped by McDonald's in downtown Chicago, located upstairs from the Clark & Lake subway stop on the CTA's Blue Line.

I have been to this specific McDonald's location many times, and I am usually satisfied with the cleanliness, the quality of the food, and the efficient service.

On a side note, this location also has the greatest lobby music of any McDonald's I have ever dined in. On one of my visits, I heard Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns and Money," followed by Suzanne Vega's "The Queen and the Soldier," followed by "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, and as I was leaving, "Tom Sawyer" by Rush was beginning.

I have no idea what music service they subscribe to, but it's a damn good one.

On this particular Chicken Big Mac visit, there didn't seem to be any lobby music playing, so that's an automatic demerit.

It was very crowded then, and I noticed that many people in the lobby, both waiting for their food and those already dining, were trying the Chicken Big Mac. I asked a few people what they thought, and everyone said they enjoyed the sandwich and would order it again.

I placed my order and paid at the kiosk (I'm finally used to doing that). My order simply consisted of the Chicken Big Mac and a small Sprite. There were no fries or apple pies. Just the sandwich and a drink. Simple.

I got my order and sat at a crowded counter to finally try this much-anticipated fast-food delicacy!

When I opened the container, I first noticed that the sandwich was tilted to one side and sloppily presented. There was too much lettuce on the sandwich, the special sauce was all over the place, and the cheese was not melted. It did not look like the picture in the ads, and I began to feel like Michael Douglas in "Falling Down."

However, I did not pull out an automatic weapon like Douglas does in that movie; I simply took a sloppy bite and began chewing. Despite the sloppy presentation and the overabundance of lettuce, it tasted great.

The chicken patties were the perfect size (not too thin or thick), had a terrific texture, and were nicely breaded. The tempura coating was well seasoned and properly fried, and the ratio of poultry to batter was perfect.

Of course, the Special Sauce is still legendary, even if it is just a slightly altered version of Thousand Island dressing. The cheese and pickles gave me a lovely, comfortable feeling. It was an excellent first bite, followed by many more great-tasting bites.

In between sips of my Sprite, I ate the Chicken Big Mac with gusto and a smile on my face. It is a delicious fast food sandwich, a successful variation of one of the classic staples in fast food history.

I finished the Chicken Big Mac fairly quickly, leaving just a pile of uneaten saucy lettuce in the bottom of the cardboard container (as I said, there was too much lettuce on the sandwich) and a few extra used napkins because of the sloppy stacking.

Overall, I was very happy with the experience and recommend this hot new product. Despite this sandwich presentation's flaws, I look forward to my next Chicken Big Mac.

Next time, though, they need to lighten up on the lettuce, melt the cheese more, stack the layers better... and play some Suzanne Vega over the PA, for God's sake!

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Thanks again!