There’s nothing quite like a Monday night in Beverly when the music is good, the air is warm and neighbors show up just because they know it’s going to be a good time.
That feeling returned June 15 as the Beverly Arts Center kicked off another summer of Music Mondays in its courtyard at 2407 W. 111th St. The season opener set the tone right away with Smiley Tillmon and his band bringing the kind of blues that doesn’t just play in the background but fills the whole space.
The series continues every Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. through Aug. 31, offering free outdoor concerts that have become a true summer tradition for the South Side. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the show simply moves indoors to the Baffes Theatre so the music doesn’t miss a beat.
The Smiley Tillmon Band did not need much introduction for the crowd that showed up early. One of the busiest blues groups in Chicagoland, they have built a reputation on tight musicianship, soulful energy and a frontman who clearly still loves every minute of it.
The band is made up of Smiley Tillmon on lead guitar and vocals, Kate Moss on guitar, Tom Rezetko on bass and George Baumann on drums.
Tillmon has been part of the Chicago blues world for more than 55 years. Born Moses Tillmon in rural Georgia, he came up on gospel and country before eventually finding his way through Florida’s music scene and into Chicago, where he became a steady name on the South Side circuit. After years of playing alongside local legends, he stepped away for a time, then came back full force after retiring in 2007 and has not slowed down since.
Tillmon turned 86 years old on Tuesday, June 16. A birthday celebration is planned for Thursday, June 18 at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago, where the band is scheduled to perform.
“I love Beverly. All my Beverly buddies are here that I’ve come to know and love over the past twenty years. I love the people and love the community,” Tillmon said.
On stage in Beverly, the group locked into a groove early and kept it there. The set leaned into blues and soul standards, the kind of songs people do not get tired of hearing because they are done right, and this band does them right.
“The Beverly Arts Center is where I had my first gig with our band. It holds a lot of meaning for me personally. Every time we come back, it’s always a cool experience,” Moss said.
“It’s a great facility and the people are so nice,” Baumann added.
June 22 brings Dirty Wellies and traditional Irish music. June 29 shifts into R&B and soul with Kenchris. July 6 features Dom Rossi with singer-songwriter covers from across the decades, followed by Return2Soul on July 13.
Jazz takes the spotlight July 20 with NuSource, and July 27 turns to classic pop and rock covers from Brazel Band.
August opens with more blues from Dave Herrero on Aug. 3, followed by rock covers from Little Giant on Aug. 10. Le Travaillant brings Cajun and Zydeco sounds on Aug. 17, then Crosswind delivers Latin jazz on Aug. 24. The series wraps Aug. 31 with Steve Haberichter and a bluegrass finale.
The concerts are free, though the Beverly Arts Center suggests a $10 donation to help keep the series going. Space is first come, first served, and once it fills up, it fills up, another reason regulars tend to arrive early.
Rezetko, who resides in Beverly, said the band has been playing at the Beverly Arts Center for the past 15 years.
“It is really fun to be able to play for my neighbors. I have lived here a long time and always look forward to it,” Rezetko said.
Dr. Carla Carter, executive director of the Beverly Arts Center, said the series has become a summertime destination for music fans throughout Beverly and beyond.
“If you’re a music lover, you want to be here on Monday nights,” Carter said.
And maybe that is the real story of Music Mondays. It is not flashy. It is not complicated. It is just a summer night where the music is live, the crowd is local and Monday somehow becomes something people actually look forward to.
