Grace Jones Reigns Supreme at Ravinia: A Glamorous Return Full of Pride and Power

Jun 09, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

It took 36 years for Grace Jones to return to the Chicago stage—but on a breezy, cool June night at Ravinia Festival, the 77-year-old icon proved that time hasn’t dulled her edge, her energy, or her absolute command of the spotlight. What unfolded on Saturday night in Highland Park was more than just a concert; it was a bold, unapologetic celebration of self-expression, queer resilience, and the glorious strangeness of one of pop culture’s most unclassifiable legends.

Opening for Jones was the ever powerful and equally relevant Janelle Monáe. Monáe, a strong figure in the LGBTQ community, absolutely brought her “A” game. Fan’s sang along and danced in the isles to the Kansas City queen of Indie Soul that spans over 15 years as she sang, danced and primmed to favorites like “Make Me Feel”, “Lipstick Lover” and other songs from her latest release, ‘The Age of Pleasure’ which includes a collaboration with her touring partner, Grace Jones on the song, “Ooh La La”. Ending her set thanking her fans and reminding them how much she loves them and regaling them to stay strong through these strange times, she makes way for the Queen of the Gay Discos.

Draped in sculptural couture and wrapped in lasers, fog, and theatrical mystery, Jones emerged from a cloud of light like a deity stepping off a spaceship. Wearing a DEVO-esque red over the head mask with glowing LED eyes and a black corseted suit with angular shoulder pads that could slice through time, she opened with a haunting rendition of “Nightclubbing.” Her voice—rich, husky, and defiantly human—immediately commanded silence from the crowd before erupting into a standing ovation.

“Chicago, it’s been too damn long,” she growled between songs, grinning beneath that sharp crimson plastic mask. The last time she performed here? December 19, 1989, at the now-defunct Paris Dance club. For many longtime fans, Saturday night felt like the closing of a decades-long loop—and for others, the beginning of a new kind of devotion.

Jones powered through a tight, theatrical set that included highlights like the reggae-tinged “My Jamaican Guy,” the sinister pulse of my personal favorite, “Demolition Man,” and a thunderous take on “Private Life.” During “Williams’ Blood,” she talked about being a good wife, and turning it around saying she turned them out, grabbed a purple velvet hat and glass of “communion wine” and sang with a preacher’s conviction.

We also learned she had a new song for us, one not yet in the books as she put it. Titled, “The Key To Funky”, and as song title eludes, a funky track ensued. Originally written back in 2008 for her last album “Hurricane”, it was created with the help of fellow Jamaican brethren dub and bass kings, Sly & Robbie but never made it to release and now lives as a live tribute only.

Her voice, like weathered velvet, showed no sign of age-induced fragility. If anything, it’s more expressive now—gravelly, urgent, capable of both menace and maternal warmth. And her physical form? Still a marvel of movement. She slinked, pounced, and posed with the same intensity that made her an avant-garde force in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

But the night was about more than spectacle.

For many in the audience—especially members of the LGBTQ community—Jones is not just a musician or actress. She’s a symbol. A warrior. A survivor. Her androgyny, her refusal to conform, and her fearless aesthetic have long made her a beacon of queer freedom and expression. Ravinia’s concert, timed perfectly with the opening days of Pride Month, felt less like a gig and more like a sermon from a high priestess of liberation.

Across the lawn, you could see couples dancing barefoot under string lights, fans in sculptural headpieces emulating Jones’s style, and more than a few tears during quieter moments. When she thanked “the beautiful weirdos, the queers, the lovers, the rebels,” the crowd roared in recognition.

As final treat for the night, Jones decides to take a walk through the house during, “Pull Up To The Bumper”. That’s right, she asked the crowd in front of the stage to “be nice”, gets lifted down and walked through the entire room from one side of the stage to back of house and back down again giving hi-fives along the way connecting to tearful fans as only Grace Jones can. As she nears the end, Janelle Monáe was there to greet her and joined Jones on the stage. The two, engage in an intimate moment as Jones’ pants had a wardrobe malfunction and Monáe helps to correct it. They continue to sing, share a glass of wine and show a true love and affection for each other ending with a kiss. Monáe grabs the mic and shouts, “Happy Pride Baby!” and with that, exits.

Jones follows and reappears in a 1950’s hoop skirt and hula-hoop. Which got the crowd screaming for more again. Jones addressed the crowd saying, “Ok, there’s a curfew so, we have to do this one like, speedy speedy” before rolling into, “Slave to the Rhythm” which turned into a kinetic, almost ritualistic moment, with Jones hula-hooping through the entire song, barely missing a note.

In an era obsessed with nostalgia and reunion tours, Grace Jones offered something far rarer: a present-tense vision of what a fearless artist looks like when she refuses to become her own tribute act. She didn’t just perform for the crowd at Ravinia—she challenged them, seduced them and invited them to rise to her level.

And they did.

As the final notes faded into the cool summer air, Jones vanished behind a wall of smoke and blue & gold light, one thing was clear: she hadn’t just returned to Chicago—she had reconquered it.

For more on Grace Jones, click here

For photos from the show at Ravinia, click here

Setlist: Grace Jones – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL (Chicago) June 7th, 2025