Stevie Ravinia Sat 9/9/17
 

Anyone going tonight? Or tomorrow? I'm looking forward to these shows big time! Ravinia is a cool place and fall is my favorite time of year so I'm excited. Plus I'm trying not to worry about my parents hunkered down in Fort Myers, Florida. I sold an extra ticket for tomorrow's show pretty quickly after posting about it here so Thank You to whoever bought it and enjoy the show!

Here is my 1st picture

more pictures

Last Picture

My pictures were taken from row FF in the center section. Wish they had turned out better but I was pretty far back.

No change in the set list. Some of the lighting/stage set up wasn't included but still similar to the other shows. She talked a lot-sometimes for long stretches. She talked about the Buick Skylark(fine skylark) and about her little Toyota car that her grandmother bought her. She flubbed the lyrics on New Orleans but recovered quickly--I think it was during the first chorus. She discussed Hurricane Irma and said "figure out which part of Florida to send money to" basically encouraging people to think about which organization and what type of help you want to focus on.

Before Starshine she waved Waddy off and said "no story". Not sure why but we didn't hear about her at Tom Petty's place with Hershey's powder. Super long detailed recounting of Stand Back/Prince. Before IYWML she gushed about how much she loves singing the song and the harmonizing on it. GDW crackhead dance was shorter and less animated than I've seen. During the band intro she explained they didn't have a drummer to start the tour so when they got Scott Crago Waddy had to teach him the set list in 1 week. Before they left the stage towards the end of the show she thanked the audience and said "I know this is probably the craziest show you've ever seen" and general comments about how enjoyable it's been for her to share her songs and she enjoys it so much.

Her voice was strong. She was so adorable talking about helping hurricane victims. Her affection and concern for people is legit and this is one of the things I love about her. Waddy really let it rip at the beginning of Edge.

Now let me tell you about the audience: The entire pavilion sat thru the show. The front row sitting. Most standing for Edge, Stand Back, GDW. Everyone standing for Rhiannon and Landslide. I truly believe this sucked some of the energy out of Stevie and the band. Even sitting at the start! Ravinia sometimes has a hoity toity crowd, the vibe is more laid back since the venue hosts classical music in addition to other genres. It's kind of hard to explain if you're not familiar with this place. I've been here many times over the years and not all audiences are this placid but this was extreme. It was like a tranquilizer mist had been sprayed over the pavilion. Fairly quiet between songs, polite clapping. The people in front of me glared when I cheered and the people behind me were yelling sit down as soon as Gold and Braid started. The one bright spot in all this were the 4 fans to my left. They were standing and just as perplexed with everyone sitting down. The girl next to me was singing all the words to Gold and Braid and all I thought was Thank You Jesus!! I don't think Stevie expected this atmosphere--she seemed unsure at first then I think she just accepted it after awhile. This is only my opinion. I was so excited for this show and really needed it with my parents hunkered down in Fort Myers. I enjoyed the show, esp my sister of the moon next to me but I needed more LIFE out of the audience.

Thanks for the review and sharing your pictures! I'm not sure this was the best festival for her. It sounds like these people were more part of the wine/foodie scene. So I'll bet most of them didn't recognize more than half the set and Stevie's long stories must have been agonizing. This one person was complaining on Twitter about the show saying it was the worst concert ever, which is fine and her opinion. But she started tweeting over and over again about the same thing, so I finally responded, GET OVER IT! :laugh:

Wine and foodie scene--you got it! On the way to my car a girl was complaining about stories. I butted in and said if you have a flat tire on the way to work it's a story, Stevie's stories are music history! Done!

that's interesting about the wine/foodie thing because for most of the BuckVie tour they played wineries (where I went they had plenty of wine-appropriate foods) and the crowds were fantastic-- up and dancing and hooting and hollering.

Maybe they just didn't SERVE wine to these wine snobs where you were? :distress:

Now that you mention it they don't let you bring any food or drink into the pavillion but it's available. The lawn was jam packed with people, food and alcohol. Wish they gave everyone a complimentary amphetamine when they entered the pavilion :)

love this photo!! thanks for sharing!

Me too! Glad you enjoyed it :)

Thanks for the detailed review, Lola. I agree that sometimes the crowd can really throw off a performer, and this sounds like a perfect example. I went to a Scott Hamilton ice skating fundraiser for brain cancer a few years back, where Cyndi Lauper was the featured entertainer. The crowd was full of doctors and administrators and other folks dressed in suits and evening gowns who, perhaps, don't usually go to rock or pop concerts, and Cyndi really had a hard time getting the audience to participate or engage. And she and the band were so full of energy, too.

Hopefully the audience tonight will be more engaged.

wow. then the lack of audience response is really bizarre. What a bunch of twits. :sorry:

It was most likely the never ending stories that put them all to sleep. :laugh:

http://www.chicagonow.com/show-me-ch...inia-festival/
Review of the show with background info on Waddy

Stevie Nicks wows the crowd at Ravinia Festival


Perhaps the hottest ticket of the summer at Ravinia Festival, Stevie Nicks was on fire last Saturday night. She eased into the evening creating smoke right from the start with her voice strengthening and the energy building as the night progressed.


The SOLD OUT show had people clamoring for their piece of lawn sitting so close together that you could barely see any green while the pavilion filled to capacity.

At $200 face for a pavilion ticket ($70 lawn), this says a lot for how much the lady is loved.

Nicks, known as one of the best selling music acts of all time with Fleetwood Mac, and also for her pairings with many of R & R greats from Dylan and Petty to Prince as well as her chart-topping solo career didn't disappoint.


At 69, Nicks still possesses one of most powerful voices in the music industry. Her distinctive sound, mystical visual style, and symbolic lyrics showcase why she's known as Queen of Rock and Roll.

Not only can the lady sing but her song writing, starting with her first chart topping Bella Donna, in 1981 pits her as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

Her stories behind her songs at Saturday's concert took the audience on a journey through the years. Here's just a few:

The story behind "Bella Donna" and "Wild Heart"

Nicks' first and second albums released, respectively in 1981 and 1983 launched her career as a solo artist. "Bella Donna" was a huge hit topping the Billboard charts for weeks (and remaining there for 3+ years). But, she explains, that "I might not be standing here tonight if my second album, "Wild Heart" wasn't successful," continuing "The thing about the follow-up album 'Wild Heart,' was that whenever you come away from a big group and make a record, people say it's a fluke. The only way you can mess with that argument is to make another record that does really well, too and they can't say 'Bella Donna' was a fluke. We owe a lot to 'Wild Heart' for being the crazier and darker record, but that did really well and gave me the ability to have two careers the rest of my life."

A Prince of a story

Although she didn't see a lot of Prince, she always considered him a friend. She was so blown away by Prince's "Little Red Corvette song" that she wrote the song "Stand Back" start to finish in 1 day. She shared her memories of being compelled to call him about it. As luck would have it, he was in L.A. and was able to come over to Sunset Sound. The result: "Stand Back" with uncredited synth work by the man himself.

One more story...

The story behind "New Orleans" from Nicks' 2011 album "In Your Dreams." Nicks says it was her way of writing about what she was seeing as Hurricane Katrina was hitting New Orleans. "I was horrified. So I immediately started writing my poem. I had to be very careful as a songwriter. I was conflicted on how much I could say. Yes, you have to say, ‘We may never forgive you, government of the United States, for not coming to our aid. But we are a flamboyant city, and we are a city of music, so we will come back."


The rest of the crew

Stevie's band and backup singers, most of whom have been with her for years, are all pro. Head guitarist and musical director Waddy Wachtel has spent decades as a guitarist, producer and composer. Jump-starting his career in the 1970's L.A. music scene with artists the likes of the Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Don Henley and Jackson Browne - to playing and writing with Keith Richards in the X-Pensive Winos--Wachtel wowed the crowd both as backup and soloist on his 12-string acoustic and electric guitars.

The evening wrapped after 2 plus hours with the audience begging for more. Nicks complied with an encore singing as shouts of “We love you Stevie" rang out throughout the festivals grounds.

No one ready to call it a night.

Click here or here if you want to see a snippet from Saturday's show.



http://www.chicagonow.com/show-me-ch...inia-festival/