Summerfest 2010 - That's a Wrap!

That's a wrap people! Summerfest 2010 is officially over! As I mentioned in my previous post, it definitely is bittersweet. Summerfest is such a great time! Live music. Cold beer. Good food. Great friends...and Memorable times!!!

11 Days and 34 bands later, I have completed what I set out to do. To those who said I couldn't do it, or wouldn't do it..."How You Like Me Now?"

These last 11 days have been so amazingly fun! Always a great time! I have such a passion for music and a love for live music that Summerfest has been like my mecca ~ an annual pilgrimage to a place that feeds my heart and soul and allows me to escape reality and recharge my mind.

I have to give a hearty Thank You to the crew of awesome friends, and friends of friends, I had the opportunity to share in this experience with...THANK YOU to Mark and Pam, Hillary, Dusty, Heather, Chad, Joe and Jaime, Nicki, Rick, Kevin and Amy, Angie, and Mark. Also a Thank You to some new friends I made...Pam, Melissa, Joe, and Carla.

Some notes from the last 11 days that may or may not have made it to any blog entries:

• Good to see the bands and stages using more banners, lights, and effects than in years past
• U.S. Cellular Stage - Based on the sound of Silversun Pickups last night, Chevelle might have just sucked...though I do think they need to upgrade that sound system
• Did not hear Todd Rungren's Bang The Drum All Day ("I don't want to work, I want to bang on the drum all day")...It was always a fun way to end the night.
• It was a year for HOT female rockers, but maybe I just paid more attention this year. Skillet's drummer, Jen Ledger, is smokin' hot!  
• Being up close is so much better
• Guitar picks are cool, but only if they have the band's name/logo on them
• Only one round of golf this year for me
• The "streak" is over, Barry - I kept it going as long as I could. It was a valiant effort though and fun
• High Fives are FREE

I believe I mentioned in the beginning that my friends and I do post-Summerfest ranking of the bands that we saw. I highly doubt that I will do a traditional ranking based on the number of bands I saw, but I may do a Top 5/Bottom 5. I may also do something a little different. My friends know that I've added something new just about every year. It started when I did my first Summerfest Review w/Pictures. It's grown since then and now I have this blog. Stay tuned for the rankings. Pictures are coming. Today is my day to relax.

Once again, Thank You to those who shared in the Summerfest experience with me and Thank You to those who followed along by reading this blog.

354 days until Summerfest 2011!!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 11, Sunday, July 4

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to spend it at Summerfest listening to great music? Day 11 was bittersweet. Bitter because it was the last day of Summerfest 2010. Sweet because I had accomplished what I set out to do, "run the gauntlet"...attend all 11 days of Summerfest.

As you might imagine, the last day, for me anyways, was more relaxed than previous. Arrived about 6:00pm. Headed over to Major Goolsby's for a great cheeseburger, stopping at the Summerfest Store along the way. No purchases this year. I already got my Summerfest tshirt and bought a sweatshirt on one of the cooler nights.

Made my way over to the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage and claimed a seat on the bleachers. 6:45/7:00pm The Henry Clay People took the stage. They are part of the Emerging Artists Series. Played a couple of original songs then took requests from the audience. They refused to play Freebird though...HAHAHA! They played Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World instead. I think it's a sign of a pretty good band that can play pretty much any song on demand like that.  They were good.

After toiling whether or not I would go to THECOOLTV Rock Stage to see Sick Puppies, who I saw at the Big Snow Show back in December 2009, I decided to stay where I was and check out Against Me! for the first time. I think I made a good decision. I wasn't very familiar with Against Me!, only knew a few of their songs. Thought they were really good. Kind of a punk band the likes of Rancid or Dropkick Murphys. Well, that's the best comparison I can make at this time. Really good show. Good decision on my part. Another band checked off the list.

The 10:00pm band was Silversun Pickups. Saw them at Summerfest back in 2007 as an 8:00pm opener. I really like both of their albums, with the edge going to their newest one Swoon. Awesome show. I highly recommend seeing them live if you like their music. Solid show. The female bass player looked like she had been plucked off the streets as she was wearing some kind of flowery sun dress. Looked odd. The drummer is fun to watch. Seems to make the same head banging motions the entire time. The singer could definitely jam on the guitar. After playing Lazy Eye, I left to check out the end of Halestorm at THECOOLTV Rock Stage.  My friend dumped it trying to cross the bleachers. Saw them play I Get Off then we headed for the exits.

A great ending!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 10, Saturday, July 3

After attending the first nine days of Summerfest and making it to the last weekend, it's really all downhill from here. Day 10 was much more relaxing than previous days. The crew I was hanging with dwindled to three. Summerfest still rocked on though.

Headed down to the grounds after dropping a couple friends off at the airport. For the first time I actually walked past the Harley-Davidson stage to the south side of the park. Saw the new Saz restaurant and the new layout for the M&I Classic Rock stage.  Lot more space with the new setup. Only about 5:00pm and people are already lining up for the fireworks.

First stop was JoJo's Martini Lounge for a couple of martinis. Always a great place to relax and enjoy a drink or two.

Continued walking around, past the Briggs & Stratton stage, a stage I have NEVER been to. Then a new, small, very small stage...Cascio Interstate Music Groove Stage. Enough bleachers for about 100 people maybe. Seemed like it was a stage for bands that are just starting out...garage bands. Moving on...

Over to the Miller Lite Oasis to check out Here Come the Mummies. SO glad we stopped by! These guys were dressed as mummies and their songs were HILARIOUS!!  Lots of sexual innuendos and funny costumes and props. With song titles like Libido Knievel, Horizontal Mambo, Boom Boom Room, and Attack of the Weiner Man. Definitely haven't seen anything like that before.  I'm going to try to get their songs. I got my picture taken with one of the mummies.  Pictures coming soon, promise.  Though I did make a huge mistake by forgetting my camera at the house this day. Had to rely on my cell phone and other people's pictures.

Somewhere around 7:30pm, settled in at THECOOLTV Rock Stage waiting for Framing Hanley. Newer band and wasn't sure what to expect. Album I listened to was decent. Live performance not so much. Their look didn't match their sound. They have more of a rock sound, but an emo look, like Fall Out Boy. Listened to about four songs and left.

Fireworks started after 9:00pm...not sure of the exact time.  Fireworks are fireworks and they are always cool. These were no different. Before the fireworks, an Army veteran who had just returned from Iraq had sung the National Anthem at the M&I Classic Rock Stage.

Made it through the massive crowds back to THECOOLTV Rock Stage in time for the band that I was there to see, Flyleaf. Saw Flyleaf at Summerfest back in 2007 when they were an 8:00pm act. Headliners this year. They were a great show then and I thought they were better this year. Guess you should expect bands to get better after time. I normally don't care for rock bands with female lead singers, but Flyleaf is an exception. Love the energy! Singer belts out the lyrics and twirled. Lead guitarist kept zipping back and forth across the stage. The bass player was climbing and jumping off of speakers and amps all night long.  Then the other guitarist just stood there on the right side of the stage.  Great energy!  Great show!

Today is Day 11, the last day of Summerfest.  Not going today would be like running a marathon and stopping at mile 20. Two bands on tap for tonight, Sick Puppies at 8:00pm and Silversun Pickups at 10:00pm.  Different stages so not sure how it will work. If the crowd is as insane as it has been, just may skip the Sick Puppies and catch Against Me, who are on the same stage as Silversun Pickups.

One more day! One more day!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 9, Friday, July 2

The ninth day of Summerfest is brought to you by Lakefront's Monkey Wheat Ale and Wong's Wok. Well, that's what I had for dinner last night anyways. Beautiful weather and another fantastic day at Summerfest. Lazy day before going down to the grounds. A few rounds of frolf (backyard frisbee golf) and a few beers. Arrived about 7:00pm I believe and the stage was once again insanely packed with people. I had anticipated the Scorpions to be a huge draw for fans based on their popularity, longevity, and this is their farewell tour. Found some seats in the back just in front of the sound tower. 

The warm up band was a cover band called Johnny Wad. They were okay but not as good as The Barbeez from Thursday. Definitely an older crowd tonight. We took turns going to eat. This is where things took a little different of a turn. When I left to eat, I went to Wong's Wok as mentioned. Then I walked around a little bit. It was about 8:00pm so I walked over to the U.S. Cellular Stage to try to see/listen to The Heavy.  They sing the song called How You Like Me Now which is featured in a Kia commercial.  That stage was insanely packed too.  Didn't stay very long there. I walked around some more and then made my way back to the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse.  Guess I shouldn't have left because I could barely move. Closest I actually got to where my friends were sitting was about 50 yards to the left. No worries.

The Scorpions put on a great show! They played all of their classic hits - Holiday, The Zoo, Bad Boys Running Wild, and my personal favorite Big City Nights. Their encore songs were No One Like You, Winds of Change, and Rock You Like a Hurricane. They didn't move around stage like they did when I saw them back in 1988, but they were good. Fulfilled my retro requirement for Summerfest.  Usually see at least one older band.

Let me tell you about something interesting. Let me tell you about the shirt I was wearing. I was wearing a shirt with the word "GIVE" on it. The GIVE shirt was created by a friend of a friend to try to spread the word about giving to others without asking for anything in return...the emphasis is on others and not yourself. I encourage you to check out the website at www.thegiveshirt.com. All proceeds from the sale of this shirt are given to charity. So, as I was saying, I was wearing my GIVE shirt last night and it garnered attention that I hadn't expected. Several people asked me about the shirt and I got into some interesting conversations about giving. This one woman came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked me "What if I asked you to give me your shirt?." Hahahaha. I wasn't expecting that. Kind of caught me at a loss for words. Then she asked me about switching shirts, but I told her that I wouldn't look good in ruffly shirts. 

Today is Day 10. My Summerfest crew is dwindling. Just me and one other guy heading down tonight. Though I'm sure that thousands of my other friends will be there. Tonight I see Framing Hanley and Flyleaf at THECOOLTV Rock Stage.

Thanks for reading!!

Summerfest 2010 - Day 8, Thursday, July 1

Eight days into my quest to 'run the gauntlet' and the end is just around the corner. Last night brought me and my friends to a different stage, the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. I hadn't been at this stage yet this year. This is probably the newest stage and second largest (as far as crowd capacity). The Miller Lite Oasis is by far the largest in terms of number of people. The sound quality at this stage is far superior to the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage, which is probably the oldest stage and in the most need of an upgrade.

Got to the stage at about 6:00pm. The Barbeez were playing. They are a cover band and played songs from Journey, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Metallica.  Cover bands always make for good background music and the occasional sing-a-long to an oldie. The group of guys to my left were obvious fans of the wacky weed and had a joint that rivaled Cheech & Chong. Hilarious! Funny to watch the 'scouts' too. Scouts are the lone people who walk up and down the rows to try to find open spots to sit.  Keep moving. Another group of five guys were seen playing some weird game that was quite disturbing. All five were grabbing each other in the junk...some odd nut-grabbing game. Why?!  See what I mean? You see ALL kinds of things at Summerfest!

On the paper schedule, the 8:00pm band was TBA.  Not really sure I like TBA, but they didn't show up anyways. In their place was a brand new band called Terrible Things.  Foreshadowing of what was to come? Perhaps. The drummer was from the band Coheed and Cambria. The singer was from the band Taking Back Sunday...I had been wondering why I hadn't heard anything from them in a while. Now I know. Turns out it was a foreshadowing. They were terrible. How many bands do you know that write a song about their own band name? Their first song was called Terrible Things.  Good luck guys!

Terrible Things didn't play long at all and finished about 8:30. A sad half-hour set.  That left us an hour and a half wait for the main event...The Offspring!  The Offspring made their second consecutive Summerfest appearance, having played the Miller Lite Oasis last year. Crowd was insane then and it was once again insane last night. One of the guys was taking bets on what song they would open with. I didn't join in, but my suggestion was spot on. They opened with You're Gonna Go Far, Kid. Minus the on-stage theatrics they had last year, another solid show!! A lot of their favorites were played and even a couple I wasn't familiar with. The Offspring is awesome!!

Guess I didn't mention that the last couple of days we got our very own Rock Band back together. The name changed to Burnt Jelly, but we definitely rocked the house. Last night was no exception. Returned from SF and rocked to some classics of our own. Played guitar on Wednesday. On vocals for a bit last night. Rock on!!

A quick message to my friend Barry in Phoenix - The streak is in jeopardy! Only 3 days left.

Today is Day 9 and tonight I see a band that I last saw on September 13, 1988 (nearly 22 years ago. Crazy that I remember that?). Tonight it is time to enjoy some Big City Nights as we Rock You Like a Hurricane...SCORPIONS! This is their farewell tour.

Summerfest - More than just music

For the last seven or eight days, I've been writing about Summerfest and the many bands I've seen. But there is more to Summerfest than just music. There are shops. There are vendors selling all kinds of things from artwork to clothing and jewelry to home improvement products. Each of the branches of the military are represented. And the food...did I mention the food?  I know I previously mentioned that I hadn't sampled much of the food, but I have now.  The food is plentiful and delicious!  Of course, being in the Brew City, the beer is plentiful as well. Miller is obviously a huge sponsor, but other Wisconsin breweries are also on the grounds - Leinenkugel, Lakefront to name a couple.  All good. I actually prefer the microbrews to Miller.

With all the people at Summerfest, the people watching is fantastic. You can see people from all walks of life. Some wearing things that would make a priest blush. Others wearing clothes they definitely should not be wearing in public. White guys with afros. Eight in multi-colored mohawks. Emo haricuts.  And MULLETS everywhere. Could fill up an entire photo album with pictures of outstanding mullets. The bands aren't excluded. The lead singer from Paper Tongues had a 'jheri curl' mullet. The singer for Neon Trees had a mohawk mullet. Sweet!

This year we have been noticing a large contingent of 'douchebags'.  Well, of course d-bags are everywhere. There was a big d-bag in front of us at 311 last Friday, dancing like a tool and raising his fist and elbow to his girlfriend's face. They really are everywhere, we just really started to pay more attention to this breed of Summerfest goer. So much so, that we've thought about putting together a photo collection of 'Douchebags and Mullets'. Might not do that until next year, but we got a good start this year. Some real classics.

The women wear some of the craziest clothes, from short-short-shorts to 6 inch stilletos. Mini sun dresses are very common. Lots of examples of what not to wear. There are those who can pull of the short dresses and small boobilicious tank tops and there are those who should just cover up. One wrong move and they are coming out! There was one girl in a short sun dress the other night. She sat in the row in front of me. She was fairly well endowed and proceeded to pull not 1...not 2...but 5 little nip bottles of vodka from her cleavage. That's talent.  Wonder what else she had in there? Then she stuck two of them in her bra...one on each side. Yes, I got a picture of that.

Some people even showcased other hidden talents too. Such as the group of guys who built about a 6-foot tower of beer cups on the bench. Very nice! Got a picture of that too.

So there are hot girls and not-so hot girls, douchebags and tools, young people and old people, bikers and college students, good looking people and those missing teeth.  All kinds of people from all walks of life. Great for people watching.

Pictures? You are probably wondering where all the pictures are, aren't you? I have been taking pictures every day. I just haven't had the chance to post any of them yet. I will upload them to Facebook. Patience please.

Summerfest 2010 - Day 7, Wednesday, June 30

Greetings everyone. My quest to "run the gauntlet" is becoming more clear as each day passes. Last night was Day 7 of 11 days of the World's Largest Music Festival. I had free tickets, but needed to be at the grounds by 4:00pm. Got there at 4:07 and got in just fine. Cutting it close though. Head over to the U.S. Cellular Stage to claim 3rd row seats. A bit early but camping out at a stage and listening to band after band after band is always a good time...except when the bands aren't that good.

Now the U.S. Cellular Stage sponsors the Emerging Artists Series between 3 and 7pm. This series focuses on new bands trying to make a name for themselves. Some are really good, while others are not. Arriving at 4pm, we saw three bands from the Emerging Artists Series.

As we arrived at 4:15pm, we saw The Blakes. Now, to be honest with you, I don't remember much from this three-piece act, except that the drummer looked like a spaz. Looked like he was trying way too hard. Possibly due to lack of upper body strength or talent...or both.

Next up at 5:30pm was Shorelines End. Again, not a whole lot to remember. Weren't that good and only played a 30 minute set.

Right around 7:00pm, the last of the Emerging Artists for this day took the stage, Cinder Road. This band had promise. I heard a song or two from them. Had a decent rock sound. Lead singer reminded me of Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes. The band, as a whole, reminded me of the surfers from the movie Point Break, except these guys were a band and not bank robbers. The bassist actually looked like Turtle from the movie North Shore.  With all these comparisons and no talk about their music, you get the hint that they weren't high on my list...but better than the previous 2 bands.

The 8:00pm band was The Nikki Barr band.  Can you say TERRIBLE.  Female lead singer who couldn't really sing. She spent some time talking about how "rock music has gotten too much pussified" and other sexual references. Next!

10:00pm brought on one of my favorite bands...Chevelle! These guys have never failed to put on a great show! Saw them and met them at Summerfest in 2007. Saw them again within the last year with Buckcherry at The Rave.  Great show!!  Sound quality was lackluster as the vocals were again drowned out by the rest of the band...BUT I don't put that against Chevelle...the sound at the U.S. Cellular Stage has been weak all weak long. They should definitely invest in some upgrades. Music was killer. Performance was awesome! Bass rocked it hard!!!!

Today is Day 8. Started with golf at Silver Spring Country Club.  Tonight...The Offspring.

Rock on!!!!