Chicago is about to welcome home one of its own when award-winning recording artist Irene Michaels takes the stage this Saturday, August 22, 2026, appearing as special guest with rising blues sensation Meaza Joy at the intimate Bourbon ’N Brass Speakeasy, located on the second floor of the historic Des Plaines Theatre.
For Michaels, the evening carries special meaning. Born and raised in Chicago, she has spent a lifetime reinventing herself while refusing to allow age—or expectations—to define what comes next. Now, at 80, Michaels continues to perform, record new music and prove that creativity has no expiration date.
The evening will showcase the remarkable Meaza Joy, the teenage St. Louis blues singer-songwriter whose powerful voice has already taken her to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the National Blues Museum, Buddy Guy’s legendary Chicago club and the 2026 Chicago Blues Festival. Michaels will appear as her special guest, bringing together two performers at dramatically different points in their lives but united by a fearless devotion to music.
Michaels’ appearance is another chapter in an extraordinary late-career musical renaissance. The Chicago-born singer has earned recognition from the Josie Music Awards, BroadwayWorld Regional Awards and the World Entertainment Awards while performing everywhere from Chicago and Nashville to Los Angeles, New York and Times Square.
Perhaps most inspiring is that Michaels has entered the world of house and dance music at an age when many people are thinking about slowing down. Instead, she has accelerated. Her recent music has introduced her to new audiences and a new generation, while her live performances reveal an entertainer who remains completely at home beneath the lights.
Saturday’s performance is particularly fitting: a young artist at the beginning of an exciting journey sharing an evening with a woman demonstrating just how long—and how beautifully—a musical journey can continue.
The show takes place Saturday, August 22, at Bourbon ’N Brass Speakeasy, 1476 Miner Street in Des Plaines, Illinois. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with entertainment beginning at 8:30 PM. There is a $10 entertainment fee, no RSVP is required, and seating is first-come, first-seated.
For Irene Michaels, this isn’t simply another performance. It is a homecoming—and another declaration that at 80 years young, she is still evolving, still creating, still taking chances and, most importantly, still taking the stage.