In spite of stop-and-start rain that tried to interrupt the show, Chicagoans came out en masse to watch.

The morning was cloudy but dry, and people were gathered along Lakeshore Dr. for miles, watching in awe. But when the rain came down, I was surprised to see that very few people gave up.

Most people, apparently accustomed to being in the city, had umbrellas in their backpacks, and they weren’t about to let a little rain stop them from seeing the show. What a feeling, standing tall with my fellow Chicagoans in defiance of Mother Nature.

For me, the bi-planes and single-props make for nice filler, the bombers are okay, and I didn’t even manage to see the water show, but the real meat and potatoes is the combat jets streaking through the city. The sound of an afterburner crashing down over your head at Mach 2 is incredible.

The best part of the whole show, however, isn’t the planes. When you watch a jet flying at hundreds of miles per hour suddenly pull up and climb out of the atmosphere, yeah that’s cool. But ten seconds later, a giant ripping noise hits you in the wake of the jet tearing open the sky.

When that sound goes through you your jaw drops in awe. As you turn and look around, you find you are surrounded by hundreds of similarly dropped jaws, all smiling in awe. THAT is the best part of the show.