Guitarist extraordinaires, Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang, made their way to Ravinia in Highland Park on Sunday night to rock the crowd with amazing blues tunes. That night was incredibly special. I have been waiting a long time to get to witness these two brilliant musicians. I finally got to cross off seeing both of them on my bucket list, and it felt so good.
Lang stepped out on stage, took immediate control of his craft and started jamming. He played his well-known songs “Living For The City,” “Red Light” and my favorite, “Lie To Me.” His backing band was cool, calm, collected and mighty talented.
During his set, Lang flowed from stage left to stage right, stopping in the center and playing everything just right. His utmost passion and professionalism was apparent and I loved the faces he made while playing his guitar. Once Lang exited the stage, there was a brief turn around and it was then time for my guitar god, Buddy Guy to play.
It’s a Buddy Guy kind of a year. A couple months ago, I went to Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago for my first time to photograph Paul Nelson, another great guitarist. Visiting his venue got me even more excited and I knew I had to see him live at Ravinia.
Guy stepped out wearing a fancy black and white polka dotted shirt with a matching polka dotted guitar. At 81-years-old, he’s got incredible stamina and spunk. He played a sassy set for nearly an hour-and-a-half singing “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues,” among other great songs.
Guy’s touring band was impeccable. His keyboardist was killer and the drummer was on point. I would have liked to see his talented guitarist and bassist step out more as they were plastered to the back of the stage.
He continued to do his thing by telling jokes, saying hi to the crowd, picking up his guitar almost above his head, playing passionately and loving his life. At the end of the show, Lang came out to play, along with three of his grown children which got the crowd roaring with excitement.
It was an excellent show, an enjoyable time and if you didn’t get a chance to catch Lang or Guy, they’ll be touring quite a bit throughout the rest of the year. Plus, if you haven’t been to Ravinia yet, do yourself a favor and experience the fun!
Photos by Janelle Rominski.
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