Chuck Berry falls ill during show
CHICAGO ñ Rock ëní roll great Chuck Berry was feeling fine and headed back to his hometown of St. Louis on Sunday, hours after falling ill during a New Yearís performance in Chicago.
An assistant for Berry said in a telephone interview he was feeling well on Sunday morning and was planning to return to his home outside St. Louis in the afternoon.
Hotel staff at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, where Berry was staying, told Reuters they saw the performer on Sunday morning and that he looked good.
The 84-year-old entertainer slumped over his electric keyboard on Saturday night while playing for a crowd of about 3,000 at Chicagoís Congress Theater, and was helped off the stage by two assistants as fans shouted ìWe love you, Chuck!î
Berry returned to the stage about 30 minutes later, waved to his fans, thanked them and said he was OK, according to concert-goer Jim OíMalley.
Then, as if to reassure the audience, he did an abbreviated version of his signature duckwalk move before leaving the stage again.
OíMalley said Berry had appeared to be struggling through much of the set, and paused a number of times for difficulties with his guitar, before he finally ceased performing at little over an hour into the show.
ìHe appeared to be very tired, and seemed disappointed that the set didnít go well. But he also seemed physically drained and not steady on his feet,î OíMalley told Reuters.
OíMalley said worries among members of the audience were palpable as the performer, known for such rock ëní roll standards as ìJohnnie B. Goode,î ìRoll Over Beethovenî and ìSweet Little Sixteen,î left the stage.
ìThere was definitely a strong sense of concern and affection for the man. Heís an American institution,î OíMalley said.
A local fire department spokesman said Berry had complained of feeling ill before Saturdayís concert and was checked out by paramedics before going on stage.
The musician arrived in Chicago for the show, billed as ìChuck Berryís Winter Dance Party,î after playing for a New Yearís Eve celebration the night before in New York City.
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