Chillin' With the Blue Men

November 9 proved to be a busy night in Chicago with one of my favorite events of the year.

For the 12th year in a row, LuxeHome CHILL continued to pack in the crowds to the first floor of the Merchandise Mart. The wine and culinary fans were coming out in droves for a good cause with three charities benefiting from the evening: The Lynn Sage Foundation, the Respitory Health Association and Saturday Place.

The trick is to arrive early before the lines grow long in certain showrooms. The window of time can also run out quickly so from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. it is best to use a map provided and explore the tastings as quickly as possible.

So many wineries are offered in each room and along the way but some standouts were La Crema, Ironstone and Zonin.

The food can be overwhelming as well, but I loved the lobster rolls from Fleming's and Revolucion's Mexican Steakhouse flautas. Right outside of that was a mariachi band playing live that entertained everyone around them.

Top Chef Katsuji from Barrio hand out appetizers directly to guests and The Hampton Social almost gave out a full dinner with the size of their offerings.

Trying to eat at each station might be impossible even for the hungriest of person, but one can try.

Visit LuxeHome.com/CHILL for details on next year when available.

Across town the same night, The Blue Man Group debuted some new content that added to their staple of successful routines. The performance art show formed back in 1987 and has evolved over the years. The Briar Street Theater has homed the Chicago show since 1997. There's a reason it's a long running and popular show.

Audiences of all ages are fascinated by the silent treatment and tricks of this trio from out of this world. Visitors don't even need to speak any certain language to enjoy the antics of these three banging on a drum.

To celebrate the night a nearby tent was offered to VIP guests with photo opps, cocktails, apps, and spin art that created bag paint designs with a bicycle.

Once inside the show began with a creepier new intro that cut down on the waste of paint from the usually beginning.

A new instrument was featured called the Mag Bells and a new opportunity is now had for a visit onstage for a lucky audience member.

There were some usual corny moments and the cereal gag makes me to choke everytime but the improvements worked overall creating a fun night for everyone.

Tickets to this award winning show continue to go fast, so visit BlueMan.com or call 1-800-BLUE-MAN to snap up a seat today!