Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The Windy City was already getting acquainted with the Freddy Jones Band on the underground as early as 1990, but the roots meets blues rockers really made a splash all across America after the widespread re-release of “In A Daydream” raced up the charts.

Believe it or not, it’s been three decades since becoming the breakout single from the band’s national debut album, “Waiting For The Night,” helping define the non-grunge side of the era alongside Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Toad The Wet Sprocket and Spin Doctors.

Nowadays, the group is comprised of founding frontman/guitarist Marty Lloyd, longtime bassist Rich Ross (who formerly toured with The Samples), fellow vocalist/guitarist Terry Goldstein and drummer Goose Lapoint, all of whom authentically upheld the Freddy Jones Band’s legacy during that very anniversary at a packed Park West.

Even so, the musicians colored well outside the lines of the studio versions with improvisations and jams as they not only addressed the immediate celebration at hand, but sampled several more significant moments off various Capricorn, PolyGram and independent collections.

“Wonder” was a fiery way to open, “One World” began the 30th birthday portion of the party and “Kerosene” added fuel to the flames as one from the less distant past of 2015’s “Never Change.”

Though that’s the most recent Freddy Jones Band long-player thus far, the 90-minute set introduced a couple fresh “EP23” tracks, including the jangly chords and hearty harmonies of “Mirror Ball.”


The guys also invited out close friend and multi-instrumentalist Chris Reedy to join on bass come the fellow new cut “Connected” on back through “Those Diamonds,” “Texas Skies” and “Mystic Buzz.”

“In A Daydream,” further accompanied by acoustically-framed openers The Nadas, unsurprisingly wrapped the initial portion of the evening and had hands waving and phones filming with the fervor of New Year’s Eve countdown, despite being one day shy of the occasion.

An encore found the Freddy Jones Band saluting another Chicago institution, Wilco, via a cover of the Billy Bragg collaboration “California Stars,” capping off a milestone trip down memory lane, while pointing to a future full of similar promise as the respected ride thus far.

For additional information on Freddy Jones Band, visit FreddyJonesBand.net.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Park West include Vav (Jan. 7); G. Love & Special Sauce (Jan. 12); Noah Reid (Jan. 13); Couch (Jan. 26); Mayer Hawthorne (Feb. 3); The Record Company (Feb. 9); Vicke Blanka (Feb. 13); Mia X Ally (Feb. 16); Eric Bellinger (Feb. 17); Max Barskih (Feb. 23); Ryan Hamilton (Feb. 24); Nicotine Dolls (Mar. 8); The Celtic Tenors (Mar. 9); The Infamous Stringdusters (Mar. 15); Little Stranger (Mar. 22); Crankdat (Mar. 29). For additional details, visit JamUSA.com/Park-West.

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