Review: Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe Headline an Iconic Night at Ravinia

I think iconic is the only word that even comes close to describing this past Saturday night at Ravinia. Everything about the evening built upon itself beautifully from the gorgeous venue, the diverse and wholeheartedly open crowd, an amazing pre-show party at the Carousel led by DJs of smartbar mainstay QUEEN!, and let's not forget the incredible performances from legends Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe. If that doesn't scream iconic to you, then I sincerely don't know what will.

First I have to highlight the dance party happening outside the Carousal stage. While many were attending to their lavish picnic setups, the more outgoing crowd members were dancing their butts off to some fantastic house music DJ sets form the QUEEN! crew.

Janelle Monáe was the first to hit the stage with her amazing blend of of genres. There's honestly so much that goes into Monae's sound from the jazzy psychedelic soul of her early android days to the more funky and R&B allure of The Age of Pleasure. She even made sure to tribute the greats early on, shouting out Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and more.

Hearing all the eras of Monáe's oeuvre was a blessing as she juggled every switch up so well. The swag heavy "Champagne Shit", featuring a few glasses of the bubbly being tossed around, was an early party starter. "Electric Lady" was a nice throwback that certainly popped the crowds attention but The Age of Pleasure tracks got the most love. The extended jams on "Lipstick Lover" really hit the spot.

Since this was a double headlining set, Monáe stepped away for a moment and returned for an explosive encore. “Make Me Feel” which sounds like a lost Prince track started things off and honestly never let up. Monae has all the energy ion the world and the choreography to match as the whole encore was coupled with dance moves which evoked the likes of Michael Jackson and James Brown. Before she left the stage, Monae reiterated the love and support she has for the LGBTQIA+ community,

Between sets the stage was being prepped for Queen of the Gay Discos and the audience couldn't have been more excited. As the curtain closed to put on the final touches, you could feel the energy of the crowd rising. It was only match by the moment those enormous drapes oped up again and revealed a foggy industrial landscape with the iconic Grace Jones standing on an elevated platform, watch over us. She donned a red helmet that cover her face (very OG Red Hood for my fellow comic nerds) ans stood over us stoically before the dense instrumentation of her version of Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" engulfed the Ravinia Pavilion. She followed it up with her cover of The Pretenders "Private Life" where the lighting didn't play as well as she hoped with her shadows, but I don't think there was anything that would hamper Jones' stage presence.

"Demolition Man" saw Jones smashing cymbals left and right with fury while new song "The Key" was preceded by a brief ode to friends she lost in recent years. Hats, outfit changes, hilariously between song patter were peppered throughout Jones impressive set. She advised the women in the crowd to love themselves in order to be loved, following up with a little roleplay: "So you mean I have to love her more than she loves herself? Bombaclot!" Cheers and a few "you damn right!" erupted from the crowd.

The latter half of the set didn't disappoint as Monáe joined Jones on stage for "Pull up to the Bumper". Set closer "Slave to the Rhythm" was also a highlight as Jones donned more unique headwear, a big skirt, and hula hoop to close everything out. But it was the Roxy Music cover "Love Is a Drug" where we were all transported to another world. Donning a disco ball hat that reflected multicolored lights throughout the Ravinia Pavillion's ceiling, Jones was firing on all cylinders and reminding everyone that no matter how hot it was on stage, no matter her age, she will also be an icon. Undoubtedly, a hell of away to kick off Pride month.