Alas, there is but one more week of Peanut Butter and Jam at the Kenosha lakefront on Thursday 8/30. This show will close another amazing season for this concert series sponsored by Happenings Magazine and Frank and Kim Carmichael. For the past 17 years the best party in town has taken place every Thursday in July and August, and if you have not been to PBnJ, you are simply missing the boat. Take 52nd Street east and when you come to the T in the road, look for the fountain and listen for the fun. PBnJ has gone from an idea, to an event, to a staple, to a birth right and shows no sign of doing anything but continuing to flourish.
PBnJ runs the entire gauntlet when it comes to the type of music one may hear there on any given night. You have your well-attended “regulars” shows with the likes of Little Ed and the Blues Imperials and Copperbox as well as new acts like Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos and The Moods. And the most recent act to grace the Kenosha lakefront was Up All Night. This band was the embodiment of what PBnJ represents…a full scope of music, that appeals to folks of all ages, shapes and colors, and results in a few surprises wrapped around a good time. Everything from Highway to Hell to Bang Bang.
It would be difficult to find a city equal to the size of Kenosha that puts on a free event such as this that is anything remotely close in size, scope and quality. Kenoshans may take a few lumps now and then, but the folks at PBnJ are well behaved, and carry themselves in a way that it is even conceivable to offer a recurring event like this. In its 17 years of existence, PBnJ has seen virtually no behavior issues. The worst thing that may happen is you gotta tell the “bubble man” to point them damn bubbles down wind.
And at the end of the season, like at the end of each show, there is Frank standing on stage saying “what do ya think folks, should we ask ‘em to do one more?”. Followed closely by “what do ya think folks, should we ask ‘em back again next year?”. To answer question number one, fortunately there is “one more” for the 2018 version of PBnJ on 8/30 featuring The Hat Guys. Two answer question number two, everyone is coming back next year from a spectator’s perspective, so he better line up another round of fantastic musicians and prep for a great 2019 PBnJ season. And to close, thanks to everyone who has ever had any part of making PBnJ a great Kenosha event and remember, call Frank when you get home…you know how he worries.
