CT’s I-95 in Norwalk reopens days after fiery crash that brought down a bridge

May 5, 2024 at 5:10 pm

Things to DoEntertainment

On The Town: 10 things to do in Chicago this weekend

At 15, Jonny Lang made a blues album, 1997's "Lie to Me," which went platinum and hit No. 1 on Billboard's New Artist chart. At 17 he made another, "Wander This World," which earned a Grammy nomination. Today, at age 32, he can't listen to them. "It's like torture," he says. "It's like going back and looking at your high school yearbook or something. But no, I wouldn't change anything. It's all a part of where you are presently as a person."

Fans of the teen blues-guitar phenom, as he was frequently called in those days, didn't know he was spending those early glory years succumbing to the usual show-business demons. Everybody saw him jamming with heroes like Buddy Guy and B.B. King, touring with the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, playing before President Bill Clinton at the White House, but few saw what happened backstage. "I was on the road constantly, playing with musicians twice my age in places where they check your ID at the door," he wrote years later. "But it didn't matter how old I was because I was the headliner."<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0308-jonny-lang-20130307,0,4665640.story">Read the full Jonny Lang interview</a>
8 p.m. Saturday at Rialto Square Theatre, 15 E. Van Buren St., Joliet; $40-$95; 815-726-6600 or rialtosquare.com — Scott Legato / Getty Images
At 15, Jonny Lang made a blues album, 1997’s “Lie to Me,” which went platinum and hit No. 1 on Billboard’s New Artist chart. At 17 he made another, “Wander This World,” which earned a Grammy nomination. Today, at age 32, he can’t listen to them. “It’s like torture,” he says. “It’s like going back and looking at your high school yearbook or something. But no, I wouldn’t change anything. It’s all a part of where you are presently as a person.” Fans of the teen blues-guitar phenom, as he was frequently called in those days, didn’t know he was spending those early glory years succumbing to the usual show-business demons. Everybody saw him jamming with heroes like Buddy Guy and B.B. King, touring with the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, playing before President Bill Clinton at the White House, but few saw what happened backstage. “I was on the road constantly, playing with musicians twice my age in places where they check your ID at the door,” he wrote years later. “But it didn’t matter how old I was because I was the headliner.”Read the full Jonny Lang interview 8 p.m. Saturday at Rialto Square Theatre, 15 E. Van Buren St., Joliet; $40-$95; 815-726-6600 or rialtosquare.com

By Chicago Tribune

PUBLISHED: March 8, 2013 at 2:13 p.m. | UPDATED: December 28, 2018 at 8:44 p.m.

Looking for something to do in Chicago this weekend? Check out our list of the best bets in and around the city.