You should be going to Ravinia this summer!
Summer is almost here—almost!
One of the best parts of summer is being with friends and family and enjoying the great weather. For a lot of us, that means being outside, grabbing our lawn chairs and picnic baskets and listening to some great music.
In the Chicago area, that means another summer of concerts at the Ravinia Festival.
Yes, I know there’s a love/hate thing with Ravinia. The lawn seats are too expensive. The seats in the pavilion are way too expensive. The food is lame for the price. The folks on the lawn won’t stop talking so we can concentrate on and enjoy the music. And so on and so on and so on.
But….
I lived a lot of my youth listening to shows at Ravinia. I even saw Janis Joplin perform there a few months before she died. So, every time I enter the grounds, it brings me back, at least for a few minutes, to those younger days.
Now on to the 2024 schedule. I’ve seen a lot of complaints but the opening week has The Flock, featuring Highland Park native Jerry Goodman, two nights of James Taylor, plus Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. How can anyone whine about that?
By the end of the first month, you have Hauser, Ben Platt, Trombone Shorty, The Violent Femmes, Little Feat, Roger Daltrey and Clint Black with Lyle Lovett. With a list like that, you have to be able to find at least one or two shows you’d think about attending.
Later in the summer, there’s the show I want to see the most—Daryl Hall with Elvis Costello. Plus I’m ending the season with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on September 6. Don’t forget to bring a jacket to that one.
By the way, if you like classical music, dozens of performances will entertain you. There’s even a night when the orchestra will be playing the music of Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.
I may be one of the few, but I think it’s going to be a great summer in Highland Park. See you at Ravina for JT (the original JT).