Ravinia recently released its 2015 summer performance schedule, featuring a noticeable lack of well-known bands in comparison to other years. So what happened?
While Ravinia is better known for its classical music, in recent years it has been attracting some big name performances from the world of pop.
However, the 2015 schedule only features one immensely popular star: Lady Gaga. She will be performing with Tony Bennett, an 88 year old singer who hit his artistic peak in the late 1950s but has never stopped performing. He has actually performed at Ravinia multiple times already, once in 2012 and again last summer.
Other than their two evening shows, there does not appear to be any other big headlining groups performing at Ravinia this year.
In contrast, 2014 had a star-studded line up, which featured John Legend, One Republic, The Script, American Authors, Darius Rucker, Gavin DeGraw, Train, Carry Underwood, and John Mayer. However, 2013 appeared to be a slow year again, featuring only Darius Rucker and Journey. In recent years, there appears to be a natural fluctuation in the amount of popular performances, 2012 had Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammar, Gavin DeGraw, Idina Menzel, Demi Lovato, and Train. 2011 had Maroon Five, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood.
With past years featuring so many big names, Ravinia has attempted to build up a reputation as more than just an outdoor classical music venue.
New Trier students often go for the popular performances, so Ravinia has been gaining popularity in the list of local music venues. While it still can’t compare to the United Center, House of Blues, or Aragon Ball Room, it is at least on the radar when checking for upcoming concerts.
This year’s schedule shows Ravinia’s roots with 65% of the performances devoted to classical music. These classical preformances range from Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony to Tchaikovsky’s “1812” Overture and the pianist Frank Fernández’s first debut in America. Yo-Yo Ma has performed at Ravinia every summer out of the last 5 years, but he is not included in this year’s lineup. Most of the remaining 35% of performances are older or lesser known groups, more-so appealing to a slightly older generation, like Sheryl Crow, who peaked in the 1990’s, or Steely Dan, who peaked in the 1970s.
When Lollapalooza’s schedule was released, some people were surprised to see that Paul McCartney was one of the headliners for the event. He is 72, but his age certainly isn’t stopping him from continued success. He recently recorded “FourFive Seconds” with Rihanna and Kanye West, which they then performed at the Grammys.
Perhaps McCartney would have been a better fit at Ravinia, where he would appeal to an older generation that probably has a greater connection to him.
Lollapalooza is attended by a much younger crowd, and McCartney doesn’t seem to fit in with the likes of Metallica or Tyler the Creator.
Junior Ally Bloomer also said, “I’ve been to Ravinia to see One Republic, Train, and Journey. Usually there are a bunch of famous people each summer, but I would go to see Lady Gaga.” However, she is “absolutely not” interested in going there for the classical music.
So while Ravinia’s summer schedule isn’t as appealing to high school students as it has been in the past, it is always an option if you’re interested in Lady Gaga or an evening of classical music.