Grace Jones & Janelle Monáe at Ravinia Festival

There are few things better than a warm summer night at Ravinia. You get off the Metra and boom—you’re there. You walk a few feet and you're inside one of the most beautiful outdoor music venues in the country.

The sound is always great, the trees sway gently overhead, and the picnic game is legendary. Wine bottles popping, gourmet spreads laid out on blankets, lawn chairs planted just right—it’s magical.

My girlfriend Julie and I packed our own picnic, jumped in the car, brought the good vibes, and joined the crowd for what turned out to be a truly extraordinary, electric night of music under the stars.

The Crowd & The Vibe

Before we even talk about the music, let me just say: this crowd was dressed to kill. The LGBTQ+ community showed up in full glorious force, bringing the energy, the sequins, the sass, and the soul.

Drag queens strutted, sweatshirts and tees had slogans that made me laugh out loud, and everyone—from teenagers to septuagenarians—was just ready to dance and celebrate two of the most unique, powerful, and utterly badass women in music. It was a love-fest in every sense of the word.

Janelle Monáe: The Future Is Here

Let’s start with the opener, Janelle Monáe—though honestly, it felt like a co-headliner, and in terms of stage time and crowd impact, she stole the show.

From the moment the show opened with the playing “Let’s Go Crazy” (yes, THAT Prince anthem—what a choice!) over the P.A., there was excitement in the air. Janelle came out like a rocket and didn’t let up for a second. She owned the stage. She was fierce, fluid, sexy, funny, political, powerful, and cool as hell. Her voice is insane. Her moves are sharp. And her presence? Off the charts.

Her set pulled heavily from The Age of Pleasure and Dirty Computer—two albums I love—and every song was a killer. “Float,” “Pynk,” “Make Me Feel,” “Tightrope,” “Cold War”…all delivered with impeccable showmanship. Funky, fearless, and with a deep nod to Prince, Michael, Motown, and the golden age of hip hop and R&B.

She brought people onstage. She danced like a maniac. She flirted, vamped, shouted out the crowd, and somehow made a giant open-air amphitheater feel intimate and alive. Her costume changes were wild—black-and-white themes, bodysuits, hats, fringes—and the stage lighting was pulsating perfection. Her band? Tight and fantastic. Her backup dancers and vocalists? Equally electric.

Janelle Monáe is a once-in-a-generation performer. She’s got the talent, the vision, the charisma, and the political fire. She lit Ravinia up like a disco ball. Julie and I—and everyone around us—were on our feet, dancing, clapping, grinning like fools. Absolute magic.

Grace Jones: The Icon, The Force, The Legend

And then—Grace. The woman, the myth, the glamazon. Grace Jones emerged like an alien goddess wrapped in armor, spinning and kicking in a helmet that looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi runway show. She opened with “Nightclubbing,” that smoky, brooding Iggy Pop cover, and immediately had the crowd eating out of her hand.

Grace Jones is 76. I repeat: SEVENTY. SIX. But you’d never know it. She bent her leg up over the railing like a damn ballerina, prowled the stage like a jaguar, and cracked off vulgar, hilarious commentary in between songs. She’s crazy, unfiltered, inappropriate, dazzling, otherworldly—and utterly perfect.

Her set was part art piece, part musical séance, part nightclub flashback. She worked through the hits: “Private Life,” “My Jamaican Guy,” “Pull Up to the Bumper,” “Slave to the Rhythm.” She brought new material. She riffed. She joked. She told stories. She forgot lyrics. She nailed notes. She was vulnerable, cocky, and totally alive.

The visuals were stunning—bold colors, abstract projections, shadows dancing on her towering silhouette. The band, tight and locked in. The audience, rapt. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better...

The Encore: Generational Royalty

Janelle Monáe came back out, and the two of them—Grace and Janelle—shared the stage. “Pull Up to the Bumper.” Together. And it was everything.

It felt like a passing of the torch, but not in a sad, “handing over the reigns” kind of way. This was more like a joyful high-five across generations. A salute. A celebration. Mutual respect, deep love, shared joy. It was transcendent. It was sweaty. It was weird. It was unforgettable.

Final Thoughts

We packed up our blankets and chairs, said goodbye to our new picnic friends, and walked back to the car with huge smiles on our faces. Another epic night at Ravinia—one of the best music venues in the country—with two of the most dynamic, fearless, genre-busting, culture-shifting artists alive.

Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe. If they’re touring near you, go. Seriously—go. You’ll dance. You’ll laugh. You’ll be inspired. You’ll feel something. And in a world that too often feels numb and cynical, that kind of artistic soul punch is exactly what we need.

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