Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Friday December 12, 2025 - Chicago, IL

Road Blog
December 12, 2025
Chicago, Illinois

Friday was another chill day of hanging around the motel, doing some work, strumming my new Stratocaster, watching rock and roll stuff on Axs… man, I wish I had that channel. The Dan Rather interview series is amazing and I watched episodes with Fogerty, Haggard, Felder, Lynn… There was a cool documentary about the early days of punk, focusing on the Ramones legendary first trip to London and the fall of the Sex Pistols. It wasn’t all new news to me, but just so much better than most other crap on TV.

Anyhow, I showered up, got my gear together, and headed into the city around 3PM. Down in the lobby of the motel there were some friendly fellas in a van with Virginia plates who quickly called me out as a rock and roller (the guitar and hair maybe gave it away) and they are TFC Band & Show, from Virginia Beach, in town for a couple nights of their “Masters of Soul” Motown Christmas Show at Freedom Hall - Park Forest. We traded a couple war stories, had a laugh, got a photo, and went our separate ways. I love those brief, chance encounters.

It took me nearly as long to get from my motel to the north side of Chicago as it did to get all the way to Milwaukee the night before on count of the terrible traffic. I abandoned my GPS and just zig-zagged up surface streets and eventually got to the Avondale neighborhood and found a parking spot in front of Honey Butter Fried Chicken. I love me some fried chicken, and I like to scope out the fried chicken joints for the mega-connoisseur TrooperGirl22, and maybe get a little kick out of sending her fried chicken pictures while I’m out here living the dream. Anyhow, it’s a small, relatively non-de script building on a corner and there weren’t many seats, so the super friendly manager told me I could wait or I could sit at the little bar back by the take-out station, and that sounded fine to me. I got me a 4-piece, 2 legs, 2 thighs meal that came with 4 cornbread biscuits and their famous honey butter. The thighs and breasts are boneless, the legs are bone-in. And I got a side of the pimento mac and cheese on the side, because I am not able to go anywhere where they have mac and cheese and not get it on the count of I am basically 12. The food was AWESOME – juicy chicken, breading that had just a subtle little kick, cooked hot and served fresh. The staff was awesome. This isn’t a commercial, but if you like you some fried chicken, check it out. I’ll be back.

I had a few minutes to kill before heading to the bar so I called TrooperGirl22 and got caught up about things back home. Not much new or exciting there. All the talk on the news is about the University of Michigan football coach who’s been fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and then arrested for a B&E and assault when the news came down. I’m not 100% up to speed on the story, so the details may be a little skewed, but the dude is basically gone, an idiot, throwing away millions of dollars by losing his career, and he’s in the spotlight, but we can’t forget that there is a victim who has been damaged and hurt here by him, and the whole thing just stinks.

Lizard's Liquid Lounge is a short half-mile north of the chicken joint and I got rock star parking right across from the front door. Gary Camaro was setting up the PA when I walked in, and it was “hey brother!” and hugs while I unloaded my truck. I met him back in the mid `00s when The OffRamps played with his band The Wabash Cannonballs. We lost track of each other for nearly a couple decades but started rekindling that rock and roll flame online and did our second show together earlier this year in Wrigleyville and it was a blast. Camaro set this up at his local watering hole, so I was very grateful. We got set up then ran through a few songs quietly that we were planning to hit at the end of the night.

Camaro went on at 7:30 to a good, attentive crowd and played a great set. He’s got it all – funny and serious songs about drinking, traveling, and UFOs. He’s a great picker in the vein of Thunders, Richards, and the other blues-rock greats, and he puts on a show. He’s got a look and he commands the stage and keeps the audience in the palm of his hand. He’s the complete package up there and it’s always a pleasure watching him work.

I went up around 8:45 to a great crowd and did about an hour, abandoning my setlist second song in. After a few songs it became apparent to me that I had the attention of the crowd, so I did a couple quieter tunes that I don’t always get to do, or when I do anyway, they get lost in the fray. The response was great, and even though my fingers weren’t quite working the way I wanted them to, the set was a blast.

I got a refill and Camaro and I went up and did a handful of songs together, each of which one of us knew, none of which we both knew well, but it was a gas. Owens, Ramones, Prine, Dylan, Thunders, and then we butchered “Torn and Frayed” at the end (well, I butchered it… Camaro killed it!). It was a super fun gig!

I have to give a couple shout-outs to my friends who were able to come – Erin from Marquette, who’s sister Lesley is a friend and keeps her updated on my tour dates. Erin and her husband live a couple houses up from Lizard’s, so it was super convenient. One dude walked up to me and said “Last time I saw you play was with Green Day.” So I did the math and that had to be about 35 years ago. Holy smokes! Ryan and his son were there and it was great to see him again after so long. His son is clearly going down the rock and roll rabbit hole and had a lot of questions about who my fav grunge bands were and who I’d seen and all that. It was a great chat! Then my pal Frank came in and it’s always awesome to see him. We go back to the SlugBug days and have no shortage of stories about those times and our departed comrade Dave Miller, who ran around in that very neighborhood, and who we all still miss very badly. And finally, good pal Daryl and his friend Erica came in, driving up from north-central Illinois. Darly is a great rock and roll fan and a good friend, and Erica was awesome. We talked about my song “Girls Named Erica” and she loves it, so I told her we’d learn it with the band and play it for her one day.

Phew…I hope I didn’t miss anyone! THANK YOU for coming out and along with Camaro, his crew, Rachel, the staff at Lizard’s, and everyone else for making it a great night and one of the best shows I’ve had in Chicago. That is something we’ll try to do again!!!

I loaded out in the freezing cold and drove the 40 miles back to the motel through downtown Chicago with Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell cranking, high from the adrenaline of a great show. I didn’t last long once I got in the room and crashed out hard around 2am.

Today I am off to Springfield, Illinois for the last show of the year, and the last show of the Dynamite Alley Solo Acoustic Tour. It’s been about 80 shows, nearly 60 this year, across more than 25 states and 3 provinces. What a ride it’s been. Let’s celebrate tonight at Buzz Bomb Brewing Company from 7-10. I hear there’s a blizzard coming, and that seems oddly appropriate. I ain’t a-feart. Rock and roll. Xx