Blooze Brothers offer performance at HIT

By P.J. GLISSON

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Ironwood - Saturday night's audience for the Blooze Brothers was whistling and hooting even before the concert began, and the enthusiasm only grew as the performance proceeded over a three-hour span at the Historic Ironwood Theatre.

The response from the full house was no surprise as the 11-member Chicago band took the stage by storm, providing a level of talent that was not only musical, but magical, and always compounded by relentless physical fun.

"Let's get this party started," cried Chuck Little, who leads the tribute band that was formed more than a quarter century ago in homage to the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers," which in turn was inspired by the Blues Brothers band that started in 1978, growing out of a "Saturday Night Live" skit.

While performing in his own band, Little - who also emceed the concert - mimicked the character of Elwood Blues (a.k.a. Elwood Blooze) that Dan Aykroyd played in the movie.

The character of Joliet Jake Blues (a.k.a. Blooze), played by Jim Belushi in the movie, was portrayed by band member Kevin Pollack, who took over for Little's previous partner, John Aguila, who retired from the band several years ago.

Anchoring the "brothers" was lead vocalist Sheila Jones, who gave a superb performance singing the music of greats such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.

The band members pulled out all the stops during a lively line-up of songs that covered multiple genres in the spirit of the original Blues Brothers and beyond, including songs by Chicago and Bruno Mars, and turning back to the movie - the "Rawhide" TV show theme song.

Little and Pollack embraced their roles with relish, sometimes dancing around the stage as they sang with great gusto.

It wasn't long before the song "Mustang Sally" inspired several women in the audience to swarm in front of the stage to dance along to the tune.

As a whole, the band performed like a classic engine, but each individual member also contributed solo performances that were just as exceptional - leading Little to point out that his band operates with no computer tricks, relying only on members' talent as "world-class musicians."

The four members of the horn section were masterful multitaskers, playing their instruments with finesse in one song while, in the next, twirling and clapping as apt back-up singers or calling out like a fun-loving Greek chorus. Sometimes, they would blow out a few notes, and then stop to sing a line before returning to play, while also tossing in an occasional high kick.

A highlight, just before the intermission, was when Pollack sang the Joe Cocker song "With a Little Help from My Friends" with such intensity that he collapsed (in fun) on the floor at the end of the piece, resulting in a standing ovation.

The audience also got a special treat when Tim Mesun, one of HIT's regular local performers, joined the band for two separate numbers while dressed identically to "Elwood" and "Jake" in a dark suit, fedora and sunglasses.

Little described Mesun as "phenomenal" and explained that band members had happened to hear him play in the theatre earlier that day and extended a spontaneous invitation for him to join the group that night.

As a result, Mesun played a mean harmonica during a piece in the first half of the concert and, in the second half, played the organ during the song "Sweet Home Chicago."

Adding to the entertainment was a brief interlude, during which Little called up five members of the audience to play a trivia game based on "The Blues Brothers" movie.

At the end of the concert, the band offered the audience - who again had provided a standing ovation - the song "Purple Rain" as an encore, with everyone encouraged to wave flashlights that were mainly sourced from smart phones.

After the event, band members spent additional time with fans by visiting next to the band's "Bloozemobile," a 1974 Dodge Monaco, parked out front of the theater.