New Fiddle, Same Fire: Alabama Lights Up Ravinia Festival
By Christopher David
The legendary Alabama brought their tried-and-true blend of Southern rock and country ballads to Ravinia on Friday night for the first time in thirteen years.
One of the most successful country music acts in music history, Alabama’s eight-piece lineup was a well-oiled machine, but not at the expense of a good time; lead vocalist and guitarist Randy Owen and bassist Teddy Gentry may be the only original members left standing, but the group’s chemistry is top-notch, with guitarist Jason Burns even taking lead vocals on their 1981 hit “Love in the First Degree.” Opening with a fitting “Tennessee River” (the band’s first single to hit #1) and showcasing the band’s rich harmonies and interplay—including the outstanding Megan Mullens Owen, Randy Owens’ daughter-in-law, who has joined the band on fiddle following the death of founding member Jeff Cook in 2022. Mullens Owen shined from the get-go, taking front-and-center for fiddle solos on the fitting “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas” and “Song of the South,” which had the whole place singing along. The emotionally charged “Angels Among Us” and “When We Make Love” slowed things down before the second half of the show really took flight with a string of hits, including the classics “Dixieland Delight” and “Mountain Music.”
Setlist:
Tennessee River
If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)
The Closer You Get
Sad Lookin’ Moon
Forever’s As Far As I’ll Go
When We Make Love
Song of the South
Love in the First Degree
Angels Among Us
Can’t Keep a Good Man Down
Orange Blossom Special
High Cotton
Born Country
Five O’Clock 500
Forty Hour Week
Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)
Dixieland Delight
Mountain Music