Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Saturday May 10, 2025 - Rockford, IL

Road Blog
May 10, 2025
Rockford, Illinois

The drive from Wausau to Rockford was three hours, under sunny skies with Hüsker Dü, Jim Croce, and Jason Isbell providing the soundtrack. First stop was Machesney Park, just north of Rockford, to get a look at the Robin zander commemorative street sign. Each member of Cheap Trick has a street sign in the neighborhood they grew up in that was designated around the time they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Previous visits with the Tucos included stops at the Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos signs, and now I’ve visited Robin’s. I wondered what the neighbors in this quiet suburban neighborhood thought as I snapped a selfie and took it in for a moment. Next time I’ll wrap this checklist item up with a visit to Tom Petersson’s sign.

From there I headed into Rockford and stopped off at Culture Shock Records. I was bummed to miss my pal Skeyler but happy to see his partner Jared and we had a nice talk about Rockford, Cheap Trick, and the record store business. I saw a bunch of stuff I wanted, but nothing I wanted to carry across the country with me for the next week, so I narrowed it down to one gem and headed out. They now have a copy of my new album Dynamite Alley (GTG Records), so stop in and support these good people!

After a quick stop at Binny's Beverage Depot for some motel whiskey I pulled into the new Hard Rock Casino Rockford on the other side of the highway. I’m generally not a big Hard Rock fan, or casinos for that matter, but this one is Cheap Trick themed and a must see. There’s a giant replica of Rick’s Hamer checkerboard explorer out front, which is one of my favorite guitars ever (like, the guitar that is modeled after, the checkerboard Dream Police Explorer that he’s still playing). I got a couple photos and did a lap around the casino floor checking out the Cheap Trick kiosks and memorabilia. It’s pretty awesome. Not something I’d likely do every visit to Rockford, but a must-see if you’re on the Cheap Trick wagon.

I checked into my dive motel, which was a bit of a culture shock itself after some of the nicer accommodations I’ve had so far on this run. I enjoyed a little downtime, called TrooperGirl22 back home, and got ready for the show. I stopped off for dinner at another Rockford tradition: Beefaroo. My double cheeseburger with olives was awesome and the curds in the side made for a nice binder. It was a bit of a gut bomb, but I’ll only do a fast food burger once or twice a year, and when there’s a Beef-A-Roo around…well… Do try if you ever get the opportunity.

Marys Place is a great dive bar that sits on the Rock River just off downtown Rockford. It checks all the boxes: great people, built-in, music-loving crowd, and a great townie/party atmosphere. I’ve come to know a lot of these people since The Tucos have played there a couple times in recent years and it’s become a favorite tour stop. Kinda like the venue I played in Rochester last week, except the majority of the audience is actually into the music. The Cheap Trick connection might be enough to make this a great stop, but it goes way beyond that – it’s a great gig in every way.

I said hello to the main band – Mana Kintorso, and my friends Daryl and Charma, who’d driven up from DeKalb and Sandwich, Illinois, respectively. Charma told a great story how the had to change the lettering on the cop cars so it says Police of Sandwich rather than Sandwich Police. Then out of the woodwork appears my pal Tim from Detroit, rocking his Tucos shirt, and excited to surprise me with an impromptu visit. Tim is a mega live-music fan and he’s not afraid to put some miles in. A great dude, and it was awesome to get caught up after not seeing each other for quite a while.

I went on around 8:30 and did an hour for an engaged, rowdy crowd, which isn’t something that happens all that often. I felt good about the performance and talked to several people afterwards who seemed to dig it. Mana Kintorso went on around 9:45 and played a killer set with some psychedelic visuals and some great tunes. They have their own thing going on for sure, but at times I heard hints of Afghan Whigs and The Vertabrats. And they really sounded great - a great mix in that room – not too loud, not too quiet, and good separation. I’ll be pulling their stuff up for my long drive tonight.

After their set I got caught up a bit with my pal Jason who works at Mary’s, sold a decent amount of merch (sorry, hardcover bathroom books are now sold out!), packed up, loaded out, said my goodbyes, and headed back to the motel.

Once again, Rockford and Mary’s Place did not disappoint. Love this city, these people, and that bar! Thanks to Jason and Mana Kintorso and my friends who came out and the new friends I met last night!

Today is the bear of the tour. I’m playing a matinee 3-6pm (after the Mother’s Day brunch) at Black Lung Brews Fox Lake, IL, then driving to Cleveland after the gig. Don’t worry, I stocked up on a BIG bag of gummy bears, some Binny’s honey-roasted peanuts, and a 6-pack of diet coke to keep me awake. I should be ok. Come hang for the brewery matinee and let’s cap-off the first half of the run in style!

And happy Mothers Day to my sister Kristen, my friends Rachel, Kelly, Debbie, Amy, Amy, Alessandra, Angie, (and so many more), and everyone else out there who is a mom! I lost my mom in January, but she’s still around to some small degree in some of these songs I’m out here slingin’ every night. xx