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Billy Joe Shaver: While country’s most self-congratulatory star whooped it up before thousands Friday and Saturday night at the Rosemont Horizon, one of country’s humblest talents played to a few dozen faithful at a little-known divish honky-tonk in Ukrainian Village. And while it was hard to miss the G-man’s arrival in town, Billy Joe Shaver has been coming in to play the funky little Pops on Chicago (not related to the champagne bar) every few months for almost a year now with little fanfare from anyone but the biggest admirers of the veteran Texas outlaw singer. And although he has drawn full houses in the past, Friday’s Shaver show at Pops (the first in a two-night stand) sometimes felt more like a secret listening party for an undiscovered gem than an open show. But when he sat down on those wobbly kitchen chairs with his son/ax virtuoso Eddie and local multi-instrumentalist Mick Scott, they could have been playing to a whole grateful auditorium. From the opening of his second set with the rough but touching a cappella love song “The First and Last Time” to the spiritualized encore and closer “Jesus Christ,” Shaver exuded a folksiness and good nature that was never compromised by the small crowd. Shaver has said he enjoys playing Pops because it reminds him of the honky-tonks where he started out. Indeed, the venue suits his lonesome twangy voice and raw bluesy country songs, which deal as much with his hard fast living as his love for Jesus Christ, better than just about any in the city. And when you can see a singer-songwriter of this caliber in such intimate surroundings, it’s tempting to keep it a secret. But it’s time that the word got out.