Ravinia 2025 Issue 1

“RAVINIA SEASON” IS ABOUT TO TAKE FLIGHT, and two of the most hotly anticipated rock acts, who just so happen to share similar namesakes, are appearing less than a week apart. Up first on Friday, June 13, are favorite frequenters Counting Crows, followed by the highly heralded brother band The Black Crowes on Wednesday, June 18, making their first return to the Highland Park hangout since their 2022 debut. Of course, each monumental act has their own groundbreaking sound, style of songwriting, and steady stream of singles, but considering the proximity of these performances, plus the fact that both exploded at the start of 1990s, dominated the entire period, and are experiencing a massive resurgence at this very moment, there could be some confusion for folks who aren’t close devotees of one band or another. Though not nearly as easily mistaken as, say, The Verve Pipe and The Verve, who respectively had “The Freshman” and “Bitter Sweet Symphony” concurrently compete on the charts, one can’t help but find a few parallels between these two A-listers and, in doing so, also several definite distinctions. The Black Crowes were actually the earliest to get revved up in Atlanta circa 1984, drawing influence from the aggres- sive American likes of Aerosmith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers Band, and fellow Georgia natives R.E.M., alongside adrenalized English imports The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and Faces. After earning their armor on the road, 1990 finally saw the group—co-led by then frequently feuding brothers Chris Robinson (vocals/acoustic guitar/har- monica) and Rich Robinson (lead gui- tar)—break into the big time with their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker . The riveting amalgamation of southern, bluesy, heavy, and roots rock sold a whopping five million copies in Amer- ica alone, bolstered by the increasingly iconic singles “Jealous Again,” “Twice RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 15