Diana Ross Dazzles During First U.S. Tour Since 2020

“I love you!” said singer Diana Ross, taking the stage Sunday just outside Chicago at Ravinia Festival. “I really do!”

Sunday marked just night four of this leg of Ross’ first North American tour since being called off the road amidst pandemic in March 2020.

While the Supremes remain the second best selling girl group ever, behind only the Spice Girls, Ross has also sold over 100 million records as a solo artist, combined sales which make her one of the best selling of all time.

Fronting a 12 piece group which featured live piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, bass, guitar, saxophone and a quartet of backing singers, Ross wasted no time getting to the hits, “I’m Coming Out” kicking things off.

“We’re going back to the good old days!” said Ross, beginning a four song Supremes suite with “Baby Love.”

The singer put her hand to her eyes, playfully gazing out across the crowd, assuming a sway as the crowd chipped in on the vocal during “Stop! In the Name of Love.”

Ross fanned herself on stage on a warm summer night, wrapping up “You Can’t Hurry Love” before moving straight into “Love Child,” drums and extra percussion sparkling as the band hit an early groove. Sax and guitar solos rang out as Ross exited the stage for the first of five wardrobe changes, a siren in red as she sashayed back on stage for “The Boss.”

“Put your hands in the air, move the energy around,” requested Ross of the audience as the house lights came up. “I’m so grateful for all of the blessings in my life. And there are many,” she said, setting up “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).”

On stage, Ross was energetic and engaging, quick with a joke in her banter with the Chicagoland audience.

“Can you feel the music?” asked Ross rhetorically, playfully moving her hair to get a better look. “I’ve got to see you out there moving your bodies!” she exclaimed, the band meandering into the trademark bassline of the Nile Rodgers-penned disco hit “Upside Down.” “If I can move mine at 47… are you listening?” she joked, radiant smile on display at 78. “You gotta move those hips. But I’ve gotta be careful, right? Because I’ll feel this later!”

Ross sauntered right, stopping in front of the piano, bending over at the foot of the stage to assist a pair of fans in the front row desperately trying to line up a selfie. “Did you get it?” she asked, pausing in pose.

Returning to the stage in a black dress, Ross and company slowed things down, the singer channeling Billie Holiday as she looked back on her starring 1972 role as the jazz chanteuse.

“We’re gonna do this from Lady Sings the Blues,” said Ross, introducing one of the evening’s unquestionable highlights in “Don’t Explain.”

In her finest lead vocal of the evening, Ross took over as all four backing singers left the stage, turning Ravinia’s 3,350 seat pavilion into an intimate jazz club, playing with the crowd during a breathy closing vocal on the Billie Holiday classic.

Shifting gears, the group picked the pace back up, heading into “If the World Just Danced” from Ross’ latest studio album, her 25th and first since 2006, moving from a docile jazz hall vibe to full on dance club banger.

“It’s so lovely to be back with you,” said Ross. “These last couple years of lock down – it was harsh,” she observed, explaining the roots of the new album Thank You, one which she recorded virtually in her garage during quarantine for release via Decca Records this past November. “I wrote some songs – and I hardly ever write songs. This album is about gratitude,” she explained. “You have to look for these. Because I really put my heart and soul into these songs.”

Heading to encore with her take on Frankie Lymon’s “Why do Fools Fall in Love” and “Theme from Mahogany,” Ross was joined on stage by her daughter Rhonda Ross, the evening’s opening act, for Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

Ultimately, Ross utilized the show’s closing moments to test a few more new tracks, eschewing the usual setlist in an inspiring moment, rolling out an encore of all new, original tracks at 78 years of age.

“If I mess up, forgive me. I just wanna do something new for you. Let’s see if we can do it,” said Ross, taking a shot at “I Still Believe.”

Seemingly reinvigorated following over two years spent off the road, Diana Ross was a positive force during an extended performance in Highland Park, Illinois.

“This is the title of the album and it’s dedicated to each and every one of you,” said the singer, piano sparking in the show’s final moments. “Thank you.”