Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Friday April 04, 2025 - Marion, IL

Road Blog
April 4, 2025
Marion, Illinois

I left my motel in Bloomington, Illinois around 11am CST and headed east towards Champaign. Whenever I’m in Illinois I always try to stop at Binny's Beverage Depot to take advantage of their great prices and selection, both better than anywhere in Michigan, and outside of the city of Chicago, less taxes. I hit the Binny’s in Bloomington on Thursday, but late requests from TrooperGirl22 and my brother-in-law dictated a second stop, and was happy to oblige. I think I set a record spend this time, but only a portion was for me.

From Champaign it was a straight 2:45 shot down I-57 to Marion, Illinois, a small city about 2 hours southeast of Saint Louis. The rain hit about an hour out and continued off and on until I got to my hotel and checked in around 3PM. I had time to catch a couple episodes of The Rifleman, a favorite when I’m on the road, and chill for a bit. Patty Patrick turned me on to the show when he was in the band and we bunked together when we traveled, and when I couldn’t talk him in to watching Little House on the Prairie.

I headed out just before 5PM and stopped for dinner at Taco John's. I have a soft spot for TJs going back to my Marquette days when the muchies were hitting strong and I could get a bean burrito for $.79. To this day I say it’s the best bean burrito on the fast-food market, but it’s getting harder and harder to defend the rest of the menu. Last time I talked the boys into hitting this particular TJs it was a debacle beyond imagination. This time the service was a bit better, but the food was terrible. The bean burrito was cold, and the Boss Bowl was beyond ridiculous. I really want to like and support them, but it ain’t easy.

I parked next to John Brown's on the Square and walked into the crowded bar. It was Cubs’ opening day at Wrigley Field and a big party at John Brown’s. I was to be the after-game entertainment, with an early couple sets. I said hi to John and his wife Missy, who I haven’t seen since the last Tucos show there in October, 2023. They are the best people, a part of my extended rock and roll family, and it was great to get caught up. I was a bit worried that the crowd would be worn out and slowing down after the game - when I’ve gone to opening day games or parties I’m ready for a nap after the second inning. But I went on around 6pm and it was a good, rowdy time. The vibe called for the faster, more fun stuff so I kept it upbeat and it went over well. I took a break and did a second set as the game and after-work crowd transitioned into the Friday night crowd. About halfway through my second set Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record, and that is a pretty significant hockey moment and got a reaction from a few in the back who were glued to the TV. I wrapped up around 8:30 and loaded out.

One girl pulled me aside and she was a be teared up. She thanked me for playing “Dance Dance Dance” by the Steve Miller Band. I don’t do a whole lot of covers, during a long set it’s maybe 85-15 originals-covers at the most, and if it’s a shorter set maybe one or none, but I decided on the fly last night to pull that one out because it’s fun to play and it seemed like it would suit the room. She said it was her daddy’s favorite song and they used to listen to it together. She said she loved the way I did it and seemed genuinely moved. I told her she made my night and gave her a CD. It’s not exactly the Steve Miller Band, but maybe she’ll dig it.

As I was loading out, the all-too-familiar lightning strikes and storm clouds started circling overhead. By the time I pulled away it was a torrential downpour. I decided to stop at a party store called Huck's Food & Fuel to get a REAL (gas station) burrito to get the taste of that Taco John’s garbage out of my mouth and by this time the tornado sirens were blowing for the third time since I left home. The weather has been really terrible at times on this run. I got back to my room, soaked to the bone, dried off my guitar case, warmed up my burrito in the lobby microwave, and it was 100x better than the Taco John’s. I hung up my clothes to dry (I only have 1 pair of pants, I forgot my civvies at home), and settled back into The Rifleman with a nightcap. Big thanks and hugs to John and Missy for having me at John Brown’s – I know I say this a lot about a bunch of places, but it is one of my favorite joints.

Today I grabbed some lobby breakfast and I am out early with a daunting 7-hour drive ahead of me to Findlay, Ohio where I’ll play the FlightHouse tonight from 7-10. Not sure what to expect – it’s a new-to-me bar and grill and they do regular music, so I’ll give `em a little taste of Detroit rock and roll and hope for the best. I’m more concerned about getting through Indianapolis after the shitshow I went through there on Thursday morning. After the show I’ll drive home, so it’s gonna be a marathon today, but who said rock and roll was easy? See ya tonight in Findlay – it’s free! Xx