Matt Orndorff says: I attended the Aug 17 show at the HOB at all I can say is it was the most incredible experience. As soon as she hit the stage I lost it and started to cry, everyone around me was crying cause they were so happy for me. She is everything I ever dreamed she would be. I was about 15ft from the stage. Athough I have no pics ( I was scared I would get in trouble) lots of people around me were taking them. My absoulute favorite numbers of the night, were Coat of Many Colors, Shine, Appalachin Memories and After the Goldrush. She was stunning in a red sequined dress, complete with pink nails and shoes that were so high I could barely believe it. Full of fun and excitement, lots of classic quotes...AMAZING! She was totally larger than life and Chicago loved every minute of it. I talked to some of the staff at HOB before the show and even people who weren't fans were just frantic to catch a glimpse. She gave one hell of a show that lasted around 90 minutes. The crowd was going crazy for an oncore...but she didn't come back out as I expected based on other concerts I had read about. However, Stairway to Heaven blazed from the speakers upon her departure and seemed to satisfy everyone. I'm actually still in shock, that I was as close as I was. It was truely a dream come true! I hope to be so lucky to see her again.

Christopher writes: Well, it was much more than I could have hoped for. She sang for almost two hours w/o intermission. I never saw her mop her brow or even drink any water and it was warm in the club. She had more energy and stamina than most people half her age! How does she do it? Her voice was strong and flexible; never missing a high note. In such a small venue we were able to see her up close and she was beautiful. What a body! The mostly under 30 crowd was in complete rapture and hung on every note. I came away even more floored by her voice. I think her self deprecating humor may be a defense against people who would be too envious or jealous of her. The house of blues staff was great. Helpful and not obtrusive. I think they were just as thrilled to have Dolly in their club as we were. Just as in the previous shows she did not give an encore though everyone waited a long time to make sure she wasn't coming back. The crowd thought it was her singing "Stairway to Heaven" backstage when they played the cut and any moment she would come back out but it didn't happen. It wasn't a disappointment, though. It seemed everyone was walking out on clouds after experiencing a truly awesome woman who was born to be on stage and share her love for music and zest for all life has to offer. Thank you, Dolly!