Sam Barber Might Have Stole The Show At Windy City Smokeout This Weekend In Chicago. (With Ella Langley A Very Close Second)
Every year, the Windy City Smokeout rolls into Chicago like Christmas morning for adults,. especially those of us who love country music, BBQ, and cold beers in equal measure. Hands down, this weekend is always the highlight of Chicago summer. And with a lineup this stacked, expectations were sky high.
But I have to start this blog by discussing the guy who really had the whole festival buzzing- Sam Barber. When I say everyone, and I mean everyone, was hyped for this guy's set, I'm not exaggerating. I've seen headliners draw smaller crowds than the mob that showed up early for Barber’s 3pm Sunday slot. The place was packed wall-to-wall, beer lines were deserted, and I’m pretty sure even the BBQ pitmasters took a smoke break just to catch his set.
Barber hit the stage and absolutely lit the place on fire. From the first note, he had everyone locked in. The dude’s voice is raw, soulful, and honest as hell. It felt like one of those moments where you realize you're watching a future superstar in real-time. Every track he played had the crowd singing back lyrics word-for-word, which, let's face it, is wild considering this kid is still relatively fresh on the scene.
(Sidebar - if you're wondering how this kid sounds, here's a good crash course)
Advertisement
And while Barber stole the weekend, I got to shout out our guy Bailey Zimmerman, too.
This poor kid went from an opening slot in 2023, to closing this fest down on Thursday night. The place was packed, all fired up for him to go on, when they had to shut everything down and evacuate everybody into the United Center because of a torrential storm that hit us and threat of lightening. It pushed things back about an hour and caused a lot of people to just head home. So not only did Bailey end up with a depleted crowd, but he had to build back all the energy that had been generated all day long- which he did easily.
This kid is so good and is such a natural performer.
He put on a hell of a show and made everybody's decision who came back to watch him close out a good one.
Advertisement
I’ve got to shout out Kashus Culpepper, too. I’ve been itching to catch him live for a while now, and damn if he didn't deliver. There’s something about his gritty sound and storytelling that just hits differently in person.
Keep your eyes on this guy, I'm telling you he’s got something special brewing.
Now, I also have a confession to make. Since we're in the trust tree here, I have to admit that I think I still haven't caught my breathe since seeing Ella Langley in person yesterday.
Advertisement
This woman is drop-dead gorgeous and owns the stage like few others can. Talent, charisma, and looks. Talk about a triple threat. Ella had every guy (and plenty of gals, too) absolutely mesmerized. (There's just something about a girl with a guitar too…)
Sadly, our media request for interview time with her was turned down, so we didn't get to talk. But that's probably a good thing because I think I would have just made an ass out of myself, mumbling and stumbling all my words.
Advertisement
The guy whom rumors have been flying about possibly dating Ella, Riley Green, was also too tied up to make time for us. We got him back last summer in Michigan-
But White Sox Dave really wanted to challenge him to try to go yard off of him, and talk baseball with him. So that stunk. But least he didn't do any other interviews, and didn't just flat out blow us off, like some people. But, Riley, we still love you man.
Riley actually brought Ella back out so they could perform their smash hit, "You Look Like You Love Me" , together -
Jon Pardi wrapped up the whole shebang perfectly. His set was exactly what you hope for on a summer night in Chicago, everyone dancing, beers raised high, and singing along at the top of their lungs. Classic Pardi vibes, and exactly the way you wanna close out a weekend like this.
Advertisement
p.s. - "Head Over Boots" is one of my top ten guilty pleasure songs. Puts me in a good mood instantly anytime I hear it.