Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

HUNTERPAVILION 6:45 PM TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 , 2026 DEEPPURPLE with special guest KANSAS Kansas – – Deep Purple DEEPPURPLE ere simply aren’t enough superlatives for the contributions Deep Purple has made to rock music. Having sold more than million al- bums and lled arenas and amphitheaters for decades, the band was presented the Legend Award at the World Music Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in . With an oeuvre spanning seven decades, Deep Purple helped pioneer and de- ne “hard rock” while progressively moving into new areas. e celebrated MKII lineup of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, and Ritchie Blackmore were responsible for creating many of the de ning rock albums of the early s, including Made In Japan , regarded as one of the most in uential live albums of all time. With little rest, Deep Purple has been releasing chart-topping albums and touring globally since forming in . e past decade and a half has seen the band achieve consecutive top- s across Europe with their last ve studio albums, including this summer’s Splat! . eir present MKIX lineup—featuring guitarist Simon Mc- Bride stepping in for Steve Morse since — went from strength to strength with ’s = , hitting number one in three countries and con- tinuing the streak dating back through Whoosh! ( ), inFinite ( ), and Now What?! ( ). Each of these albums, along with the pandem- ic-driven covers album Turning to Crime , has seen Deep Purple collaborating with legendary producer Bob Ezrin on evoking the pioneering band’s classic sound without relying on nostal- gia. With = , the enigmatic title symbolizes the idea that, in a world growing ever more com- plex, everything eventually simpli es down to a single, uni ed essence—everything equals one. Whereas on Splat! , Deep Purple deals with “the end of humanity” not as destruction but as transformation; a metamorphosis beyond phys- ical existence. Deep Purple has stayed true to its musical roots, taking from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that de nes the band today and maintains their legacy of having written and produced so many “classic,” well-known and loved songs, that its audience range widely in age and background—some- thing the band readily celebrates. Deep Purple rst played Ravinia in and is making its rst return to the festival. KANSAS With a legendary career spanning ve decades, Kansas has rmly established itself as one of America’s iconic classic rock bands. is “garage band” from Topeka released their eponymous debut album in a er being discovered by Wally Gold and “Man with the Golden Ear” Don Kirshner (of Monkees and Archies fame), and have gone on to sell more than million al- bums worldwide. With a catalogue that current- ly spans studio albums and ve live albums, Kansas has produced eight Gold albums, back- to-back quadruple-Platinum albums ( ’s Le overture , ’s Point of Know Return ), one Platinum live album ( ’s Two for the Show ), one quadruple-Platinum single ( ’s “Carry On Wayward Son”), and another triple-Platinum single ( ’s “Dust in the Wind”). Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over weeks throughout the s–’ s and has played to sold-out arenas and amphitheaters throughout North America, Eu- rope, and Japan. “Carry On Wayward Son” continues to be one of the top ve most played songs on classic rock radio, and “Dust In the Wind” has been played on the radio more than three million times. e summer of marked the release of e Absence of Presence , Kansas’s th studio album, which debuted at number on Billboard ’s Top Album Sales chart. e wide-ranging progressive rock album, released by InsideOut Music, follows-up ’s e Prelude Implicit , which debuted at number on the Billboard chart. Across – , the band celebrated their legendary multi-Platinum albums with anniversary tours, both commemorated with live recordings: Le overture Live & Beyond ( ) and Point of Know Return Live & Beyond ( ). e band currently comprises vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist/vocalist Tom Brislin, guitarist Zak Rizvi, guitarist Scott Bernard, violinist/ guitarist Joe Deninzon, bassist/vocalist Dan McGowan, original guitarist Richard Williams, and original drummer Phil Ehart, with longtime drum tech Eric Holmquist lling in while Ehart recovers from a major heart attack. Along with constant touring, Kansas continues to reach new ears through their unmistakable presence in commercials; live sports; video games like Rock Band , Guitar Hero , and Grand e Auto ; TV shows like Supernatural , Reacher , South Park , e O ce , and e Simpsons ; and blockbuster lms like Old School , e Suicide Squad , Anchorman , Pitch Perfect , and Happy Gilmore . Kansas rst played Ravinia in and is making its rst return to the festival. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 6 , 2026 68 JIM RAKETE (DEEP PURPLE); EMILY BUTLER (KANSAS)