Monday, January 20, is Inauguration Day because that’s the date set by the 20th Amendment of the Constitution. This year, Joe Biden leaves his career and his Presidency at 12:00 noon as required by law. The next guy, who was also the former guy before Biden, takes the same oath he did in 2016.
By coincidence, Monday is also a federal holiday. The third Monday of January is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. KIng’s real birthday is January 15, but somewhere Congress decided to make most federal holidays always happen on a Monday. It gives people a reason for a three day weekend. He would have been 95 this year.
The King Center’s theme this year is “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.” I can’t help but suspect that the theme is a response to the next guy coming in. The next guy has a long history of not placing value on freedom or justice. He’s also the guy who wanted to shoot protesters in the legs. I don’t think he wants anything to do with nonviolence, let alone promote it year round.
A good way to honor Dr. King is to commit to doing something for your community. Spend some time volunteering for something. Help out at a public school or library. Get to a food bank. Shovel the driveway of your senior neighbor. Almost anything that shows you belong in your community, that you care for it and the people around you. It’s a lot better than listening to the next guy spout his usual nonsense.
January 20 is also important, at least to me, because it would be my Dad’s 112th birthday. My commitment for January 20 is to be more like him. This was my Dad before he married Mom.
He was a good guy. So is Joe Biden. So was Dr. King. The next guy, not so much.
At Ravinia I’ve seen the Chicago Symphony playing Beethoven and the Chicago Opera performing Mozart’s “Magic Flute.” I’ve heard Ella Fitzgerald skat and Tony Bennett croon.
Over the years I’ve seen and heard jazz, blues, country, folk, Latin big bands, classical, opera, and dance. It’s safe to say that since it opened in 1904 Ravinia Festival has presented the most diverse collection of music and performance of any venue in the country.
I’ve sat in the Pavilion and lounged with wine and beer and snacks in the park. I’ve sat in the front row for Bonnie Raitt and just watched Aretha Franklin on one of the rare times the park puts up a viewing screen. I sat in the dark and listened to my eventual step son ask his mom if we could go home and she said sternly, “No! It’s Tony Fucking Bennett!” I knew then I was going to get married to the woman of my dreams. (That’s a whole other long story that I’ll tell sometime.) Ravinia, perhaps more than other venues, is about the music and the company of family and friends.
But …
The music business is different from when the park opened.
Taylor Swift and Beyonce fill entire stadiums and arenas. So do the legacy rock acts like the Stones. People are ready and apparently able to afford a ticket at a cost that could feed a family of four for a week. And that’s if they can get a ticket when they actually go on sale.
I am not berating them or the high cost of those tickets. I’ve done short tours with my wife. Just the two of us lugging our own stuff in our own vehicle. The costs add up. I can only imagine what major artists have to pay to cover their expenses on tour.
I’m not berating the high fees that Ticketmaster and others charge, although that is something that can and should be looked into by state and federal legislatures.
That initial ticket price that could feed a family for a week, could feed that family for a month or longer.
That two grand spent for one concert means two grand that won’t go to other artists, lesser know artists, lower profile artists, the artists coming up, the artists playing in coffeeshops and bars, artists playing background noise at farmer markets.
The artists playing at places like Ravinia.
The Pavilion at Ravinia seats a little over 3000 people. Prices range about 90-125 bucks, depending on the seats and the artist. Lawn seats go from 50-85 bucks. As I wrote above, I’ve seen concerts in all sections of the park.
I saw Lyle Lovett and his full band in the Pavilion a couple of months ago. I’d say the seats were about 75% full. but true professional that he is, he gave a great performance.
I’ve talked to people who have also seen shows at Ravinia this year, and they’ve noticed lower attendance, too.
I got an email from Ravinia offering 50% off of Pavilion seats for some upcoming shows through September. Artists like The Roots and Jason Isbell are not sold out. As I am writing this, over 1000 seats are still available for both those artists.
Ravinia is not alone. I’ve noticed empty seats in other venues. And some of those places are closing. I don't know if it's a post Covid malaise and slow recovery or something else.
I don’t know if venues are pricing themselves out of business, if artists are asking too much, or if the market is just saturated. Or if people just aren’t going because streaming and Sirius offer so much music for considerably less than a ticket. I mean there’s only so much money that people have before they have to feed that family of four.
Taylor Swift, Beyonce, The Stones, and others are making money, but I fear it isn’t trickling down.
