LINCOLN PARK — Got the holiday blues? They can be had if you want them — or dispensed with, on the other hand — at two prominent Lincoln Park blues clubs.
Both Kingston Mines, 2548 N. Halsted St., and B.L.U.E.S., down the block at 2519 N. Halsted, plan to be open and offer music both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
In a recent interview, Kingston Mines owner Doc Pellegrino and his daughter Donna both emphasized it was important for them to keep the club open every day of the year.
"A lot of people don't have a place to go on the holidays," said Donna Pellegrino.
Big James and the Chicago Playboys and the Mike Wheeler Blues Band play Kingston Mines Saturday on Christmas Eve, with tickets $15. The club plays host to a blues jam from 6-9 p.m. Sunday on Christmas Day, followed by performances by Claudette Miller and Linsey Alexander. Tickets are $12.
Down the street at B.L.U.E.S., Vance "Guitar" Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band play Saturday, with a $10 cover charge, and on Sunday Ronnie Hicks and Masheen Co. play host to a "Christmas night pro jam." For holiday bargain hunters, the $8 cover also gains entrance to Kingston Mines as part of what they call the "Blues Alley Sundays" deal the clubs have together.
B.L.U.E.S. General Manager Jen Littleton said, "We've been friends for over 30 years, so we've got to stand by each other," which captures the essence of holiday blues in a chestnut shell.
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