Aykroyd, Belushi back in Joliet for ‘a closing chapter’ for Blues Brothers

Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi returned to Joliet on Saturday for what Aykroyd called “a closing chapter of Blues Brothers history.”

The Blues Brothers performance at the Old Joliet Prison would include a tribute to the late Judy Belushi Pisano, whom Aykoyd when meeting with media described as a key figure in keeping the band together more than 40 years after the release of “The Blues Brothers” movie.

“This is a closing chapter of Blues Brothers history,” Ayrkoyd said. “We just lost Judy.”

Judy Belushi Pisano was the widow of John Belushi who co-starred with Aykroyd in the movie released in 1980. She was instrumental in bringing the band to Joliet for the first Blues Brothers Con in 2022 and the repeat performance Saturday.

Belushi Pisano died July 5.

“She wanted to be here,” Aykroyd said. “She held on for four years battling health issues.”

Aykroyd, now 72, did not discuss his future with the band, although many fans in the audience said there was talk that the evening in Joliet could be his last performance.

But there was more talk of enthusiasm for the Blues Brothers revival of musical traditions that continue to be reintroduced because of the movie and performances by the band.

The movie “opened up the blues to a whole new generation of people, and that’s what they were trying to do,” said Anthony Gallela of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gallela was one of many people who came to Joliet from other states and even other countries to see the Blues Brothers perform at what was the Joliet Correctional Center, a working prison that provided the opening scene for the movie when it was filmed.

“It has been a lifelong dream to come here and experience Joliet and Illinois in general,” said Emily Mohring, who lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Morhing is only 24. But she traces her interest in visiting Joliet to age 3, thanks to her parents who introduced her to “The Blues Brothers” move and blues music. Aykroyd, a native of Canada, also was an influence, she said.

The widespread appeal of Blues Brothers Con, an event organized by the Joliet Area Historical Museum that manages the Old Joliet Prison, was evident in random interviews that typically led to people from other states visiting Joliet.

“This is an international event,” said Tiffany Johnson of Audiophil’s Records in Joliet.

Audiophil’s combined with three other local record stores to create a “Ray’s Music Exchange” booth, named after a music store in “The Blues Brothers” movie.

Johnson said in the early hours of the event they met people from Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom and “a gentleman from Ohio.”

Blues Brothers Con is a daylong event that opened at 11:30 a.m.

The Blues Brothers band was the headline act. It was preceded by five other blues bands, including Al Spears and the Hurricane Project, Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials, Toronzo Cannon and the Chicago Way, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Curtis Salgado.