Ravinia 2026 Issue 1

BILLY IDOL For almost years, Billy Idol has been one of the de nitive faces and voices of rock and roll. Born in in Stanmore, North London, Idol spent several formative childhood years on Long Island, NY. before returning to the UK and emerging as a central gure of the British punk movement. He began his music career as a guitarist in the band Chelsea before forming Generation X as the lead singer and becoming one of the rst punk artists to appear on the BBC’s Top of the Pops . Between and , Idol released three albums with Generation X on the legendary Chrysalis label—their self-ti- tled debut, ’s Valley of the Dolls , and Kiss Me Deadly , which featured the rst version of “Dancing with Myself.” Embarking on a trans- atlantic/trans-genre solo career in with gui- tarist Steve Stevens at his side, Idol established his trademark integration of the bold and simple lines of punk with the decadence of rock and roll in his remixed version of the track. at singular spirit for blending pop hooks and dance beats with punk attitude became the throughline of a quick succession of further iconic tracks, in- cluding “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without a Face,” “Flesh for Fantasy,” “Hot In the City,” “Cradle of Love,” and more, many of which became staples of the then-new and burgeoning television channel MTV. Entering the s, Idol began popping up across Holly- wood: appearing as Jim Morrison’s friend Cat in Oliver Stone’s biopic e Doors , recording the title song for Speed , and playing a cameo role in e Wedding Singer alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. He charted his rst studio album in more than a decade with ’s Devil’s Playground and the single “Scream,” then went nearly another decade before cutting Kings & Queens of the Underground in , the same year he published his New York Times bestselling autobiography Dancing with Myself . A er the EPs e Roadside ( ) and e Cage ( ), Idol returned to the limelight in with the premiere of the documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead at the Tribeca Festival and the release of Dream Into It with the single “Still Dancing.” Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Billy Idol is making his Ravinia debut. CAROUSEL STAGE 7:30 PM TUESDAY, JULY 14 , 2026 In the Afterlife Tour: 30th Anniversary of Hot SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS Sparked by s jazz, klezmer, and vaudeville, the Squirrel Nut Zippers blazed onto the music scene during the mid- s’ resurgence of big band music, when the doors were wide open for curious leader Jimbo Mathus and his caustic crew of rollicking, ragtime musicians. ormed in by Mathus (vocals, guitar, trombone) with former vocalist and banjo player Kather- ine Whalen, the eclectic group of diverse artists drawn from the Chapel Hill area of North Caro- lina quickly wove a tapestry of early jazz, blues, and Southern roots that’s still at the core of their sound today. With their truly unique and orig- inal music and energetic, almost carnival-like stage performances, the Zippers developed a large fan base throughout the South within just a few months. e momentum continued to build, and between and , the group sold more than three million albums. eir watershed collec- tion, ’s Platinum-selling Hot , was recorded in the heat of New Orleans, fueled by a smoldering mix of booze and a youthful hunger to unlock the secrets of old-world jazz. Perennial Favorites ( ) followed Hot ’s success, peaking at number on Billboard ’s top albums list and earning Gold cer- ti cation the month a er its release, and later that year their iconic Christmas Caravan record debuted at number on Billboard’ s Holiday Albums Chart. e band’s next chart-topping album would arrive a decade later, a er the group’s hiatus and lineup shi le Mathus as the lone original member. Beasts of Burgundy ( ) debuted at number on Billboard ’s Jazz Albums Chart, proving that the Zippers were back with Mathus navigating the band through its evolving musical universe. Today, the Zippers continue to tour with more than three decades of music—career-retrospective shows, holiday sets featuring songs from their Christmas Caravan and Mardi Gras for Christmas albums, and “Jazz from the Back o’ Town” highlighting the songs that inspired the band—sharing their synthesis of eclectic in uences in a uniquely seamless, authentic manner. e Squirrel Nut Zippers are making their rst return to Ravinia following their debut. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 75 DAVIDRACCUGLIA(IDOL);RUTHIEHAUGE(ZIPPERS)