Cheap Trick
7 PM
Sunday, September 3rd
Ravinia Pavilion
200 Ravinia Park Road
$45, $15 (lawn)

Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick was formed in Rockford, IL in 1975. Their career spans 19 albums you may remember their hits “I Want You to Want Me,” and “Dream Police.” Those were early hits, but Cheap Trick is still going and continues to rock arenas all over the country. Check out 1979’s “Live at the Budokan.”

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Amazon.com essential recording:
Originally released as a 10-track live album in the late 1970s when live albums were all the rage, At Budokan neatly summed up this oddball power-pop/hard rock band with the added ferocity a live show brings. Tracks such as “Hello There,” “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me,” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” were infused with a power their studio versions only hint at. Twenty years after the original concert in April 1978, the classic live album has been expanded to include nine additional tracks that make this a must-have for fans of the original. –Rob O’Connor

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Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
8 PM
Friday, September 8th
Ravinia Pavilion
200 Ravinia Park Road
$60, $15 (lawn)

Four-time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett skillfully writes country pop tunes with a refreshing flair. Although typically labeled as a country musician, he’s been compared to the likes of Randy Newman and Townes Van Zandt. His songs include rich lyrical detail and multi-layered melodies, separating him from the formulaic Nashville country music of the late 80’s. Amazon.com says about his most recent album:
” the big man’s most ambitious album in many ways. A smart split is effected, and not only between styles–the horn-driven swing of the first half backs the record’s wittiest, slyest songs, while the country-folk numbers are among Lovett’s most pensive.”

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Amazon.com:
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band remains the big man’s most ambitious album in many ways. A smart split is effected, and not only between styles–the horn-driven swing of the first half backs the record’s wittiest, slyest songs, while the country-folk numbers are among Lovett’s most pensive. He’s not so mournful that he can’t raise an eyebrow at heartache, though: try “I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You.” –Rickey Wright

Average Rating:

Cheap Trick
7 PM
Sunday, September 3rd
Ravinia Pavilion
200 Ravinia Park Road
$45, $15 (lawn)

Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick was formed in Rockford, IL in 1975. Their career spans 19 albums you may remember their hits “I Want You to Want Me,” and “Dream Police.” Those were early hits, but Cheap Trick is still going and continues to rock arenas all over the country. Check out 1979’s “Live at the Budokan.”

Technorati Tags: Ravinia Festival, Cheap Trick