Pilot Games is a gaming software development company based out of St. Paul, Minneapolis. Every year the company holds a convention for their customers to show off upcoming new releases and changes to existing games.
At the conclusion of the event, after dinner and drinks, they have a live concert! Last year was The Beach Boys, and this year was THE BLUES BROTHERS!!!
When I was first approached by the President of Pilot Games to bring The Chicago Bluesmobile up to the event, I had no idea that The Blues Brothers would be the headlining act! He had a vision for what he wanted, and he said he wanted the best!
Not only was the The Chicago Bluesmobile going to be available for all employees and customers to take photos with, it was going to be the main backdrop for their Live Web Gaming events held throughout the day! How awesome is that???
Even the fact that the car wouldn’t fit in the building without taking the middle beams out of the doors did not deter Jon! He made it happen!
By the time pictures were done, and guests made their way into the ballroom for dinner and the concert we were already running on fumes from working 14 hours, but what the hell, how many times do you get to see The Blues Brothers live? (Well, I have seen them twice this year, but who’s counting?)
The show was excellent! It was an abbreviated version of the show we saw on New Years Eve, but the Sacred Hearts Band rocked the house and Elwood & Zee weren’t half bad either!
After the show we were chatting with some guests about the car and other things and I totally forgot that there was a picture line with Elwood and Zee (long hours + a couple of beers) but can you imagine the shock of my life when I hear a bellowing voice behind me asking to see the Bluesmobile?!?!? It was none other that Jim Belushi!!!
We chatted for a few moments and he looked around the car, he instantly zeroed in on the packs of Chesterfields on the dashboard and reached in to grab a pack! He started reminiscing about those being his Dad’s favorite brand! Now we know how they ended up in the movie!
At this point we’re having a good time and I tell him that I have something that will blow his mind, and he gives us an eye roll like, yeah right I’ve pretty much have seen it all. He was so sure that I didn’t that he went to his phone as I went to the trunk to get my briefcase.
First I hand him my Chicago Police Department ticket book that was signed by his brother John in 1979 during the filming of The Blues Brothers. He was gobsmacked.
Then I give him two pictures of Dan Aykroyd from my collection taken by the same police officer that I got the ticket book from. I asked him to please give to Dan, as they were taking on a film camera and were locked away for almost 40 years, so I know he never saw them!
While Jim didn’t outright say it, I like to think that I did actually blow his mind like I said I would!
And just like that the convention was over. My wife and I went to the bar for a night cap and by the time we were heading back to our room it was all gone. The only reminder of the night we just had was the Bluesmobile sitting all alone in the hotel.
I do want to give a special shout-out to Matt Altman of Headline Booking for his advice and helping me throughout the day and especially for getting Jim to the car!
You may be asking yourself, well what about Dan? Did Elwood see the car? Any pics of him? Unfortunately I didn’t get to take a pic with Dan in front of the Bluesmobile.
Earlier in the day though he did a walk through of the stage area and did stop by to look at the Bluesmobile. If I may paraphrase he said Wow, wow, wow, would you look at this beauty. He wasn’t working at the time and was with family. They were ready to take a pic of two little girls that were with them in front of the car and I said let me get out of the shot (I was wiping down the car for the upcoming photo shoots). Since he wasn’t working and with family I didn’t want to bug him and respectfully stayed off to the side while they were enjoying their quiet moment.
I really wish he could have stopped by after the show, I would have loved to speak with him and tell him all about why I built the car and to give him the pictures myself. But I guess it was not meant to be that night.
Maybe on my next adventure…
