Ashley Cooke Brings the Baby Blues Tour to a Rainy Night at Joe’s Live in Rosemont
Rain poured down outside Joe’s Live in Rosemont, but inside, Ashley Cooke was having one of those nights that showed just how far she has come. Chicago has had a front-row seat to Cooke’s rise. Melodies N’ Memories has caught her journey through the city more than once, including performances at Joe’s on Weed Street when she was still building her name and finding new fans one room at a time. On October 1, she returned to the area in a much different position, this time commanding the stage at Joe’s Live as the headliner of her own Baby Blues Tour.
All Photos By: Aaron R. Shriver PhotographyThe rooms have gotten bigger. The production has become more ambitious. The crowd knows a lot more words now, but what made this rainy night in Rosemont stand out wasn’t simply how much Cooke’s career has grown. It was how much of that journey she brought onto the stage with her.
Old televisions played childhood home videos and music videos. Stories from different chapters of her life connected the songs. There were heartbreaks, throwbacks, a kiss cam, a hilarious Chicago-themed ex-boyfriend hotline, and plenty of moments when Cooke seemed genuinely taken aback by how loudly the room sang her songs back to her. The Baby Blues Tour wasn’t just Ashley Cooke playing a collection of songs. It felt like watching her story unfold in front of you, and Chicago has been lucky enough to watch a good part of it happen.
McCoy Moore Introduces Himself to Chicago
Before Cooke took the stage, 25-year-old Florida native McCoy Moore opened the night and quickly gave the Chicago crowd a reason to remember his name. Moore shared some of his story throughout the set, including finally signing a record deal last year after spending years chasing the dream. That journey helped inspire “Prayin’ for Me,” a song rooted in realizing just how many people had been praying for him and supporting him along the way.
Opening with “Sunshine,” Moore worked his way through a seven-song set that included “Prayin’ for Me,” a cover of Toby Keith’s “Who’s Your Daddy?,” “Went to the Bar,” “Forget We Even Met,” and “Something to You.” One of his biggest moments came with “Not Even Close.” Moore told the crowd about the day Hardy invited him to play the Grand Ole Opry, which just happened to be the same day the song was released. For a young artist still experiencing plenty of career firsts, it was another example of how quickly things have started moving.
Welcome to the Baby Blues Tour
Before Cooke ever stepped onto the stage, the production began telling the story. Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” played through Joe’s Live while lyrics appeared across old televisions onstage. The collection of retro TVs would become an important part of the evening, giving the production a nostalgic, scrapbook-like feeling that perfectly complemented the stories Cooke was telling.
She came out swinging with “Excuses” before moving into “I Almost Do.” By “Sleepless in Seattle,” music videos were playing across the televisions while Cooke took some time to talk about her journey and her history of performing in Chicago. She reflected on growing up through the business, playing Joe’s earlier in her career, and her appreciation for the fans who have continued showing up. For anyone who caught Cooke during those earlier Chicago appearances, the moment carried a little extra weight.
“Swear Words” followed before the show delivered one of its funniest Chicago-specific moments during “Exes.” The production incorporated an ex-boyfriend hotline, and Jake from Chicago called in with a message comparing his relationship to a Bears touchdown; he thought there would be fireworks, but instead it all went up in smoke. It got a huge reaction from the Rosemont crowd and was exactly the kind of personalized detail that made the Baby Blues Tour feel like more than a production being repeated in every city.
Cooke kept things rolling with “The Hell You Are” and “I’m Up and Down” before turning the clock backward for one of the most nostalgic sections of the show. A medley of “Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” “Come Clean,” and Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” became a full-room throwback while old home videos of Cooke played across the televisions. Those videos helped make the entire concept click. The TVs weren’t just stage decorations. They became windows into Cooke’s life, showing pieces of the person who existed long before thousands of fans were singing her songs back to her.
Cooke continued with “Johnny and June” and “The Girl Who Cried Wolf” before moving into “Famous to Friends.” Then “Never Til Now” turned Joe’s Live into one giant date night. A kiss cam began finding couples throughout the crowd, bringing plenty of laughs, cheers, and reactions from around the venue while giving another personal touch to a song that has become an important part of Cooke’s catalog. Underneath all the fun production, however, remained the thing that has helped Cooke connect with fans from the beginning: honest songwriting.
“If I’m Being Honest” provided one of those more vulnerable moments, while “It’s Been a Year” once again showed Cooke’s ability to take relationships, growing up, moving on, and everything that happens in between and turn those experiences into songs that feel like conversations with the person standing next to you. One of the night's biggest surprises came when Cooke brought McCoy Moore back onto the stage. Together, the two jumped into a cover of Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights,” and the familiar country hit immediately turned Joe’s Live into a singalong. After Moore had already won over the room during his opening set, seeing him return alongside Cooke gave the crowd another reason to crank the energy up. It was loose, fun, and exactly the kind of collaboration that makes a tour stop feel unique.
Cooke followed with “High School Sweetheart” and “Dance Around It” as the show began making its final push toward the song at the center of this chapter. “Baby Blues” felt like the culmination of everything the night had been building toward. By that point, the meaning behind the tour was clear. Cooke had built a show around memories, childhood, relationships, heartbreak, old music, growing up, and the experiences that eventually become stories worth telling. Then came “Your Place.” The song has become one of Cooke’s defining tracks, and hearing a packed Joe’s Live sing it back to her provided one final reminder of how much has changed since those earlier Chicago appearances. Outside, Rosemont was still dealing with an October rain. Inside, Ashley Cooke was celebrating another step forward. There is something special about discovering an artist early, but there is something even better about getting the opportunity to watch what happens next. From Joe’s on Weed Street to Joe’s Live in Rosemont, Cooke has continued to evolve as a songwriter, performer, and headliner without losing the personal connection that helped people fall in love with her music in the first place.
The stages are bigger now. The production is bigger. The crowds are louder, but on the Baby Blues Tour, Ashley Cooke proved that she can make all of it still feel incredibly personal, and judging by the crowd singing along on a rainy night in Rosemont, her relationship with Chicago is only getting stronger.
