The Blues Brothers band, headed by Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, are set to headline the Blues’d and Infused cannabis music festival Saturday, August 20 at Riverfront Park in Niles, Michigan, Moody on the Market reports. What was once a humble Saturday Night Live sketch, one of the first to become widely known, is now an experience that is probably better with cannabis involved.
The event is presented by Highway Horticulture Productions, a cannabis processing facility, and Float Nation Live at Riverfront Park in Niles on August 20 with cannabis-related festivities including local bands, vendors, food trucks, consumption tents, a dab tent, game area, misting tents, and more.
The two will provide a full 90-minute set with an 11-piece band, from a Hammond B3 organ player to a horn section and The Blues Brothers themselves. The duo is typically known for singing and dancing hits from the official Blues Brothers canon like “Soul Man” and “Sweet Home Chicago” plus classic tunes from the vast catalog of great American roots music.
“It is a show band,” Belushi told Ryan Yuenger for Moody on the Market. “We’re going to have fun. The Blues Brothers are going to rock the whole southern Michigan, I got to tell ya.”
Their Working Man’s Brand will be available on site with local retailers, including Sunset Coast Provisions, Green Stem, Higher Breed, NOBO, Fleurish, and Sun Provision.
“Jim is bringing credibility to cannabis,” Highway Horticulture co-founder Nick Sayers told Moody on the Market. “It’s not just a celebrity brand here. It’s very substantive. He approaches it as medicine first, which is how we view it. So, we’re trying to expand it safely to new interests, not just trying to get everyone high.”
“Nick is one of the smartest men in cannabis that I’ve met,” Belushi said. “We talked to a lot of different growers. … Nick, to me, was the most honorable with the message that’s most common to my message on my farm, and that is the pathway to healing through cannabis.”
A limited-edition concert tee designed by Tree Street Packing will be available for attendees. VIP packages are available including a photo opportunity with Belushi and Akroyd, a dedicated bathroom and swag bags. Attendees must be 21 years of age to attend this event.
Belushi, who now often takes over for his late brother John Belushi, and Aykroyd, are actively involved in the cannabis community through various ongoing pursuits, including reprising the roles of The Blues Brothers. Belushi performs as Zee Blues while Akroyd plays Elwood Blues. It was one of the first Saturday Night Live sketches to come to life on the big screen in 1980, ranking second at the box office, after only The Empire Strikes Back.
In 2015, Belushi invested into Oregon’s cannabis industry, involving himself in the process of creating his extensive cannabis cultivation operation Belushi’s Farm. Later, The Discovery Channel got involved and launched the series Growing Belushi. Since then, Belushi has more or less made a tour of sharing an inside look of his farming endeavors to the world. His name is now synonymous with cannabis in a commercial sense.
Belushi now has a stable cannabis brand that features strains from his farm, and is a board member for The Last Prisoner Project.
Bhang collaborated with The Blues Brothers for the first time last November to deliver nostalgia-inducing Bhang x The Blues Brothers Cannabis-infused Chocolates, with unique textures and unusual flavors. The collaboration features marketing and promotional support to the Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit cannabis reform initiative.
At the event, Belushi’s Farm and other related cannabis projects will likely be part of the agenda.
Tickets for the event are available here.
