Nashville singer, songwriter, and guitarist Patrick Sweany is looking forward to returning to one of his favorite venues. Sweany is bringing his quartet to Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn for a Nov. 13 show.
“I’ve played at Fitzgerald’s many times,” Sweany said. “The vibe there is always cool. Tight, good-sounding stage. It seems like everyone great played Fitzgerald’s.”
Sweany is particularly happy to be touring again with the three members of his band.
“I’m lucky to have a really killer band,” he said. “We’ve been out to play some shows. It’s been great after almost two years of not touring. I’ve always made my living performing live. I’ve never done anything else.”
He is particularly pleased that he is touring with guys that he considers top performers.
“Nashville is filled with musicians. Everyone plays with everybody else,” he related. “These guys are my first call. In the shows we’ve played in the last couple months we’re really into a nice musical unit.”
Sweany joked about two positive things that happened during the non-touring months. “Everybody got all their gear worked on. Everybody’s playing their nicest guitar now,” he said. In addition, “Sometimes it was the first time in their adult career the guys really had a chance to woodshed and practice. Everyone’s technique is right up there.”
Sweany has made good use of his time off the road. “I’ve been home frantically trying to finish the record I’ve been trying to make all year,” he reported.
The Fitzgerald’s concert will be filled with all original numbers by Sweany. “We’re very, very blues and soul influenced but we’re not like a guitar solo vehicle blues band,” he said. “The pace of the show and the frame of the show is very much like a soul band. It’s high energy. I’m no spring chicken, but I’m still moving around. We’re putting on a show.”
Sweany said it is possible that the band will perform some of the new songs he has written for the upcoming album. “That remains to be seen,” he teased. “I don’t want to make any guarantees. There may be one or two that pop in. It’s been a long career so I’ve got a lot of records and things that people want to hear.”
Sweany will draw from his eight studio records. With that amount of material, he and his band are able to mix it up at every show.
“We try not to play the same show twice,” the performer explained. “We’re going to vary things up, as well arrangements of the tunes and points of improvisation. It’s a very big part of the show.”
Sweany is hoping that he’ll have time to see some of his friends perform when he is in town. “I always love to grab a beer at the Hideout when I can,” he said.
Sweany is also hoping that he will have a chance to visit Muddy Waters’ house which has been designated as a historical Chicago landmark.
And there’s one more thing that’s an essential part of any visit Sweany makes to the Chicago area. “Italian beef. Always,” he declared.
Fitzgerald’s is requiring all performers, staff, and audience members to provide proof of either a vaccination or of a negative COVID test within the last 72 hours. Masks must be worn indoors by audience members and staff.
Patrick Sweany
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 13
Where: FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn
Tickets: $15
Information: 708-788-2118; fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
