Ravinia 2019, Issue 6, Week 11

NICKELBACK Since forming in Alberta, Canada, in 1995, the globally celebrated multiplatinum rock band Nickelback has cemented itself as one of the most commercially successful and important acts of the past two decades. With worldwide sales topping 50 million units, the group none- theless finds its greatest fandom close to home, having become the 11th-best selling music act in the US during the 21st century and the sec- ond-best selling foreign act—behind only The Beatles. Nickelback released its first album, Curb , in 1996, shortly after cutting a self-released EP, which caught the ear of hard-rock label Road- runner, and by 1999 the group had a record deal. The first product, The State , emerged in 2000, with “Leader of Men” leading the way as a top- 10 hit on mainstream rock radio. That early suc- cess, however would soon be greatly eclipsed by the worldwide number-one smash “How You Remind Me” off 2001’s Silver Side Up , which in- augurated a decade-long run of number-one al- bums at home in Canada. The single was named the number-one single of 2002 by Billboard , which later also named it the top rock song (and the fourth best song overall) of the decade. An- other three mainstream rock hits emerged from the 2003 follow-up The Long Road —“Feelin’ Way Too Damn Good,” “Someday,” and “Figured You Out”—but again Nickelback was quick to outdo itself. With 2005’s All the Right Reasons came the group’s second multiplatinum single, “Photo- graph,” among other songs that become popular worldwide: “Far Away,” “Rockstar,” “Savin’ Me,” and “If Everyone Cared.” The enduring populari- ty of the album has propelled it to diamond sales status in the nearly decade and a half since its release. These successes alone would have made a solid case for Billboard eventually naming Nickelback the top rock group of the decade, but then in 2008 the band returned with Dark Horse , which featured two more international favorites in “Gotta Be Somebody” and “If Today Was Your Last Day.” Over that decade, the band racked up nine Grammy nominations, 12 Juno Awards, and three American Music Awards among numerous other honors. The group has since released Here and Now (2011), No Fixed Address (2014), and Feed the Machine (2017). Nickelback is making its Ravinia debut. BUCKCHERRY Buckcherry began to take shape in the mid- 1990s after singer Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson were introduced through their tattoo artist. With a couple demos under their belt, the duo expanded to a quartet and signed with DreamWorks Records, issuing an eponymous album in 1999. Their already strong local fol- lowing in Southern California quickly grew as the lead single, “Lit Up,” climbed to the top of the mainstream rock chart and the tracks “For the Movies” and “Check Your Head” also proved popular. Buckcherry added a second guitarist as it went on tour, including dates withAC/DC, and returned to the studio to work on a follow-up, 2001’s Time Bomb . Though its single “Ridin’ ” became another mainstream rock hit, Buckcher- ry went on hiatus until 2005, when a new trio behind Todd and Nelson convened to record 15 on a new label, Eleven Seven. The disc went platinum on the strength of its cross-format hits “Sorry,” which made the top 10 of Billboard ’s Hot 100, and the popular rock track “Crazy Bitch.” Black Butterfly followed in 2008, debuting inside Billboard ’s top 10, with “Too Drunk” adding to the band’s canon of major rock hits. After hitting the road to open for Kiss in 2009, Buckcherry released its first live album, Live & Loud 2009 , recorded during a Canadian tour. Another stint in the studio wasn’t far behind, however, and All Night Long emerged in 2010, with its title track hitting the rock chart at number 10. For its next album, 2013’s Confessions , Buckcherry assembled a series of short films; “Gluttony” and “Wrath” became the best-received tracks. The compilation The Best Of was released later that year, and a concept EP came out in 2014 to bridge the gap to 2015’s Rock ’n’ Roll . The tracks “Bring It On Back” and “The Madness” were released as singles. Co-founder Nelson left the band in 2017, and Todd debuted a side project, Josh Todd & the Conflict, later that year before returning to the studio with Buckcherry. The band released the resulting Warpaint earlier this year. Buckcherry is making its Ravinia debut. 6:00 PM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2019 BENNETT GORDON HALL RAVINIA’S STEANS MUSIC INSTITUTE PROGRAM FOR SINGERS This evening’s program will feature classics from the repertory of German Lieder. Throughout the concert, world-renowned Lieder collaborator Graham Johnson — author of the definitive three-volume encyclopedia on Franz Schubert’s music for voice and piano—will provide insight and commentary on the evening’s unique and moving music. The participants’ biographies can be found in the RSMI program book distributed at this concert, and the evening’s complete repertoire in the included program insert. RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 12 – AUGUST 18, 2019 92