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photos and words by Cameron Bruegger

A foggy glass door was the only thing that kept Joe Louis Walker’s guitar from bursting out onto the street. When opened, the main door of The Zoo Bar released waves of music onto the empty sidewalks as people shuffled in and out to see a 6 p.m. set from the Blues Hall of Fame member.

Walker’s soulful voice and squealing guitar acted like a siren, drawing middle-aged couples to the dance floor, shimmying and swinging in the crowded area in front of the stage. Playing to the crowd and the wellfare of the bartenders, Walker’s song “Too Drunk to Drive Drunk” from his 2012 album Hellfire, may have come as a warning to some and a piece of encouragement to others to hang around the Zoo and enjoy some more drinks with a splash of blues.

Walker is currently on tour promoting his new album Hornet’s Nest, which came out last month. In an interview earlier this week with Hear Nebraska, Walker highlighted his connections to The Zoo Bar and Magic Slim. On Wednesday, Walker and his band honored Magic Slim's spirit by bouncing solos off each another and, at times, seeming to be possessed by their instruments in writhing and wincing fashion. 

Cameron Bruegger is a multimedia intern for Hear Nebraska. Contact him at cameronb@hearnebraska.org.