Photos provided by Ravinia Festival

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt is certainly no stranger to Ravinia, though now that a series of once-in-a-generation renovations are complete, it technically marked her inaugural appearance inside the newly dedicated Hunter Pavilion.

Given rankings on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” lists, the 13-time Grammy Award-winner with more than 55 years of material was another ideal litmus test for the freshly installed sound system, lights and seating area, coming across impeccably and definitely defying 76 years of age.

Throughout 100 minutes on the “Live 2026” Tour, which comes on the heels of the latest long-player “Just Like That…,” Raitt seemed remarkably similar to the recordings present or past, while a longstanding five-piece band operated like clockwork.

After navigating the bluesy web of “Tangled And Dark,” the headliner assertively tore into John Hiatt’s “No Business,” rotating between personally penned tunes and those composed by others, yet could’ve easily passed originals.

They included the soulful strut of The Bros. Landreth’s “Made Up Mind,” Bob Dylan’s folksy “Standing In The Doorway,” the acoustic title track and Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down The Line” recast as a snarling six-string shuffle.

The emotion especially oozed out of Raitt’s twangy delivery during “No Gettin’ Over You,” featuring extra Cajun flavoring from opener Jon Cleary, plus the unexpected pre-fame snarl of Don Covay’s “Three Time Loser” was also worth rediscovering, although she regularly gave everyone “Something To Talk About.”

“Nick Of Time,” off the trailblazer’s belated mainstream breakthrough of the same name, was an easygoing keyboard groove of particular poignancy and her signature take on Maywood, Illinois native John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” adapted extra significance in the wake of his somewhat premature passing.

Raitt threw in a curveball cover of Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird” and made it much heartier, returning for an encore of the iconic “I Can’t Make You Love Me” in the unmatched manner that even Prince, George Michael, Boyz II Men, Adele and Teddy Swims couldn’t top.

Mose Allison’s “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” and The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “I Believe I’m In Love With You” followed, rekindling the veteran artist’s affect on not only Ravinia, but reinforcing her status as an all-around American institution.

For additional information on Bonnie Raitt, visit BonnieRaitt.com.

Upcoming shows at Ravinia’s Hunter Pavilion include Bonnie Raitt (Aug. 22); “Grease” Sing-Along (Aug. 23); Deep Purple (Aug. 25); Brandi Carlile (Aug. 26); Kool & The Gang (Aug. 27); Alabama (Aug. 28); Ray LaMontagne (Aug. 29); Miranda Lambert (Aug. 30); Snoop Dogg (Sept. 4); Squeeze (Sept. 6); Erykah Badu (Sept. 10); Alison Krauss & Union Station (Sept. 12); Los Tigres del Norte (Sept. 13); Ziggy Marley and Thievery Corporation (Sept. 17); Tom Jones (Sept. 18) and Martina McBride (Sept. 19). For additional details, visit Ravinia.org.

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