Ravinia Releases 2008 Schedule, Takes Highway to the Danger Zone
By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 14, 2008 4:40PM
The mercury has cracked 50 degrees on consecutive days this week and that's had us thinking about Spring around here. We know, it's supposed to get cold again next week, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's time to start planning our summer excursions. Sure, Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Fest made big headlines recently, but Ravinia's 2008 schedule was also released this week, meaning we can start incorporating trips to Highland Park into our plans.
Just like last year, there are the old-timers, there are some acts we're actually intrigued to see, and there are some that just make us ask, "What the hell?" There are plenty of shows for our parents, including James Taylor's two night stand (June 6th and 7th), The Beach Boys (July 14th), Hootie & The Blowfish (July 25th), and Sheryl Crow (August 10th). Then there are the shows we might actually make an effort to attend. Funk/soul legends Isaac Hayes and Roberta Flack will play a show together (June 13th), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss continue their successful partnership (June 18th), Willie Nelson is always a good time (June 20th), and 2007 "it" girl Feist makes another Chicago-area appearance (July 11th).
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra continues their summer residency at Ravinia, playing a whopping 17 shows this year. Fans of NPR's "Prairie Home Companion" will want to come out to see Garrison Keillor and the gang perform a national broadcast live (July 5th). And of course, what's a summer concert series without a few wildcards? Take the aforementioned highway to the danger zone with Kenny Loggins (June 15th) or if you're really dying to relive the nadir of late 90's pop music, travel back to 1999 in style with The Backstreet Boys (August 24th).
Tickets for the 2008 season go on sale via the Ravinia website, mail, and fax on April 17th, at the Ravinia Box Office on May 17th, and via phone on May 18th (847-266-5100).
Image of Feist from her official website