My friends are always skeptical of my random and obscure tastes in entertainment. Movies, music, my tastes are a bit off the beaten path. So when I first saw an ad for Candy Foster and the Shades of Blue, my friends scoffed at my enthusiasm. No one really cared to see a blues singer as much as I did and my friend Jake was the only one who cared that Foster had sang with Etta James and other blues greats.

Luckily, I have good friends and despite their better instincts they agreed to attend a show at Cowboy Monkey. They accompanied me begrudgingly, not quite knowing what to expect. Would this show be a waste of our time and money? Would we be the only people in the bar without senior citizen status? What was I dragging them to? All were complaints I received.

We soon learned my instincts were correct. Candy Foster and the Shades of Blue were one of the best live sets we’d ever seen. The night flew by and at the end of it we were begging for more.

Since that first show we’ve become obsessed, fanatical, crazed. We’ve started a cult following. We never miss a show.

Every time Foster and his band are at Cowboy Monkey, we can be found. We’re usually right in front of the stage dancing, singing and yellin’ out to Candy. We don’t sit down, we never leave early and the only time we leave the dance floor is to re-hydrate in order to continue the dance party.

What is it about Foster and the Shades of Blue that makes for such a great night? According to the bio on the Cowboy Monkey Web site, Foster is “one of the hardest-working blues singers in Champaign-Urbana.” Not only is this true, but it doesn’t even begin to describe the Candy Foster experience.

Foster and the Shades of Blue are quite possibly the best live show I’ve ever been to. And being the concert junkie I am, that’s saying a lot. I don’t care who you are, how old you are or what your tastes in music are, this man puts on a show.

Their set list runs from one genre to the next. They play funk, R&B;, soul and everything in between. They cover Prince, James Brown and Marvin Gaye, just to name a few. Some of my personal favorites are “Lick’n Stick,” “Mustang Sally” and “Sex Machine.”

The latest Foster show I attended Saturday night at Cowboy Monkey, Foster and the band were at their best. Nothing could’ve put us all in a good mood after such a devastating Illini loss. Even my good friend, who’s a manager for the basketball team, couldn’t help but have fun.

I guess I can’t really gush about the band much more. All I have to say is seeing this band is something nobody should miss. It should be put in the I-book’s list of things to do before you graduate. Foster and the Shades of Blue are playing sets all month long at various bars around town.

The most notable show is coming up at the end of the month. The band will be breaking from their normal routine and making an appearance on campus for Fat Tuesday. The band will be playing at Kam’s, yes you read right, Kam’s. So now you don’t have an excuse, go check them out. You can send me an email later thanking me for such a great night.

For more information, check out www.listen.to/candyfoster.