The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago 2011 | Photo gallery + live review

The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste01.jpg148385531
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste02.jpg148385552
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste03.jpg148385573
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste04.jpg148385594
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste05.jpg148385615
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste06.jpg148385636
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste07.jpg148385657
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste08.jpg148385678
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste09.jpg148385699
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste10.jpg1483857110
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste11.jpg1483857311
• 

  The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

  Photo: Zach LongJayhawksTaste12.jpg1483857512

PreviousNext

The Jayhawks at Taste of Chicago

Photo: Zach Long

"Time to put down the plates of food and listen to some music," quipped singer Mark Olson as the reunited Jayhawks took the stage at the Taste of Chicago on Saturday. With Olson and Gary Louris sharing the helm of the seminal alt-country group once again, the band settled into a retrospective mood, focusing on tracks from 1992's Hollywood Town Hall and 1995's Tomorrow the Green Grass. The latter's title track was one of the highlights of the set, a staple of the genre the band helped bring to prominence performed with as much gusto as the band could muster in the sweltering Grant Park heat.

The Jayhawks also took time to play some material from their fourthcoming release, the group's first studio record in eight years, Mockingbird Time. It's fairly standard fare coming from the aging, country-inclined band which has shed what little edge they had in favor of the more pop-oriented jangle of new tracks such as "She Walks in So Many Ways" and "Black Eyed Susan." There were no audible complaints coming from the predominantly diehard fans in attendance—more than anything it was just nice to see the Jayhawks back onstage once again.