Oh yeah, what another absolutely amazing show last night from Skillet!! Two years ago, at Summerfest 2010, this band surprised us by putting on one of the very best concerts I have seen at Summerfest. I remember rating them as my biggest surprise and best performance that year. Two years later, I was expecting at least the same, but it was better. One of the main reasons it was better was the fact we were a lot closer to the stage than in 2010. I've written in the past about how there is a definite correlation between how close you are to the stage and how much you get out of a show...how much you enjoy it. Summerfest 2012 is proving my theory to be correct.
Before Skillet took the stage, we had to sit through a couple other bands, the Ken Saydak Band, which was merely bluesy background music, and Fools For Rowan, who I described in my Summerfest 2011 review as being 'utterly forgettable'...they were. Not impressed again.
In the seven years or so that I've been going to Summerfest, never have I seen a band put on such a stage performance as Skillet does. What makes it even better is that their songs and their lyrics are awesome. They had two elevators, one on each side of the stage, where members of the band would be elevated up and down during portions of the show. The drum set elevated as well and also spun around during Jen Ledger's solo (Jen Ledger is an amazing drummer and she's gorgeous too!). Add smoke machines, fire, explosions, sparkler wheels, and spark fountains and you get one hell of a show.
So far this has been an amazing Summerfest, which is somewhat of a surprise since initially the music lineups weren't that great. Then they announced bands like Skillet, Scorpions, and the Foo Fighters. They could have stopped there and I would have been happy, but it only gets better. Tonight I see a band that I grew up a huge fan of but, for one reason or another, have not had the chance to see live yet...Iron Maiden! Making a rare U.S. tour, I will finally get to see this amazing metal band live! Alice Cooper is the opening act. Rock on!!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Summerfest will continue after a brief intermission
Last year Summerfest closed on the one Monday in the middle of the 11 day festival. They did it again this year. Marketing analysis showed that this was the least attended day for the last several years, so they decided to close and use it as an opportunity to restock. I'm glad I did the 11 days straight back in 2010 when it really was 11 days straight with no break in between.
My brother and I did end up going to Summerfest on Sunday. It turned out to be a walkabout day. No bands that we really wanted to see, so we walked around and stopped at different stages and checked out the booths and vendors there. People watching is always a premium!
We did spend some time at the Rock Stage. Listened to a young Chicago band called Kessler and met them afterwards. Then we watched another young metal band from Kenosha, WI...Lazarus AD. Really good metal band with a little bit of growling vocals. I wouldn't be surprised if they began to take off.
Today is the beginning of the second half of Summerfest. Tonight we see Skillet. Saw them at Summerfest 2010...amazing show! Expect another amazing performance tonight. Time to go. Stay tuned! ROCK ON!!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Loving You Sunday Morning
What's better than one Barylski in Milwaukee? How about two? Hahaha. My brother arrived in "Brew City" yesterday. He got lucky in that he missed his connecting flight to Milwaukee, so was delayed about an hour and a half. He's been wanting to experience Summerfest for quite a while now and finally got his chance.
After helping my friend Mark make some progress building a tree house, we headed down to the Summerfest grounds. On the docket this night was none other than the Scorpions. Based on the massive crowd they drew the last time we saw them at Summerfest 2010 (I also saw them back in 1988), we knew to arrive a little earlier to the stage if we wanted to get decent seats. This was my first show at the brand new BMO Harris Pavilion and I have to say I really like the new venue. Not a bad seat in the house. The seats were all on an incline toward the stage, kind of like in the Marcus Amphitheater, but not exactly. It was more of a gentle slope. The sound was amazing too. I will definitely look to see more concerts at this stage. Hopefully they will replace the rock stage with something like this. Great job Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.!
Upon first arriving at the stage, Animation, a Rush tribute band, was playing. I'm not a huge Rush fan, but my brother is. They were decent though. The next band was Moxy Roxx. Never heard of them before and maybe for good reason. They really weren't that good at all. Nearly put me to sleep albeit for a few songs that had good beats. We weren't there to see them anyways.
Right about 9:50pm, the Scorpions took the stage and proceeded to rock the house. This is their farewell tour as the band is retiring. Sure we've heard that before. Hasn't Kiss done like three farewell tours? The Scorpions have been around since 1965 though and at age 64, lead singer Klaus Meine can still hit all the notes. What an amazing performance! They played all of my favorites including "Holiday", "Blackout", and "Big City Nights."
With this being my brothers first time at Summerfest, I think it was successful. I'm trying to give him a good taste of Milwaukee. Summerfest, food from Saz' so far. Brunch today. Lakefront Brewery tour tomorrow. Should be a great week.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The name of the band is...
Cowboy Mouth! Last night was my second day at Summerfest. Already started out this year by missing the first day. No worries, there are still 8 more to go. Since there wasn't any big name band that I was dying to see, last night turned into somewhat of a walkabout night. Arrived on the grounds just before 6:00pm to see Your Villain My Hero. They are a cover band that covers mostly pop music. We've seen them pretty much every year for the last three or four years. Very entertaining band. Once they finished, was time to walk around. A stop at JoJo's Martini Lounge is always on the agenda. Checked out the brand new BMO Harris Pavillion. Very nice new stage addition to the grounds.
The beer...shame on me for not mentioning the beer. Last year, Leinenkugel's and 10th & Blake each brewed a special Summerfest beer, Summerfest Amber Ale and Big Gig IPA, respectively. This year, for the festival's 45th anniversary, Leinenkugel's brewed a special Summer FesteWeizen. It's a Bavarian Style Hefeweizen brewed with malted wheat with a creamy finish. Very flavorful with notes of bread and banana. It's a must try for SF goers.
Headlining at the Miller Lite Oasis stage last night was Fun. I've listened to their album and wasn't that impressed, but they did have a good song or two, including the one everyone knows, "We Are Young." My friends camped out at one of the picnic tables in the back, not needing to be up close for this band. Though, judging from the massive crown of people (mostly teenagers), there was no way they were getting any closer than they did. The intense crown reminded me of the crowd for the Scorpions a couple years ago. Crazy packed! Fun came on at 10:00pm. I heard the first couple of songs and decided to take a walk with some other friends I met up with. I figured, with only one album, they would play "We Are Young" at 10:55pm. I was dead on correct too!! In between, I checked out Cowboy Mouth. I had never heard of this band and had no idea what to expect. Turns out they were a lot of fun. The drummer/singer had so much energy. I bet he'd be a blast to hang out with.
A calmer, quieter night at Summerfest compared to other nights. Today, my brother flies into Milwaukee. He got tired of hearing me talk about Summerfest and wanted to experience it for himself. Going to be a great week. Tonight I'll let my brother choose what band we see. I have a feeling it may be a retro night with the Scorpions and ZZ Top both headlining stages.
The beer...shame on me for not mentioning the beer. Last year, Leinenkugel's and 10th & Blake each brewed a special Summerfest beer, Summerfest Amber Ale and Big Gig IPA, respectively. This year, for the festival's 45th anniversary, Leinenkugel's brewed a special Summer FesteWeizen. It's a Bavarian Style Hefeweizen brewed with malted wheat with a creamy finish. Very flavorful with notes of bread and banana. It's a must try for SF goers.
Headlining at the Miller Lite Oasis stage last night was Fun. I've listened to their album and wasn't that impressed, but they did have a good song or two, including the one everyone knows, "We Are Young." My friends camped out at one of the picnic tables in the back, not needing to be up close for this band. Though, judging from the massive crown of people (mostly teenagers), there was no way they were getting any closer than they did. The intense crown reminded me of the crowd for the Scorpions a couple years ago. Crazy packed! Fun came on at 10:00pm. I heard the first couple of songs and decided to take a walk with some other friends I met up with. I figured, with only one album, they would play "We Are Young" at 10:55pm. I was dead on correct too!! In between, I checked out Cowboy Mouth. I had never heard of this band and had no idea what to expect. Turns out they were a lot of fun. The drummer/singer had so much energy. I bet he'd be a blast to hang out with.
A calmer, quieter night at Summerfest compared to other nights. Today, my brother flies into Milwaukee. He got tired of hearing me talk about Summerfest and wanted to experience it for himself. Going to be a great week. Tonight I'll let my brother choose what band we see. I have a feeling it may be a retro night with the Scorpions and ZZ Top both headlining stages.
Friday, June 29, 2012
All my life I've been searching for something
Something never comes never leads to nothing. FOO FIGHTERS!!! Oh hell yeah!!! Last night I saw, quite possibly, one of the best concerts I have seen in a very long time and from one of the greatest bands to grace the music scene in the last 15 years or more. AMAZING with a capital A! If the triple digit temperatures weren't enough to make my face melt, the blistering, energy-filled set from the Foo Fighters got the job done.
From beginning to end, these modern rock legends powered through a lineup of hits from all of there albums as well as a few snippets of covers such as the Police's "Message in a Bottle", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh?" (sung by drummer Taylor Hawkins), and Cheap Trick's "Surrender" to which Dave was playing a checkered guitar loaned to him by Cheap Trick guitarist, Rick Neilsen. Opening with "All My Life" and rolling right into "Times Like These", the Foo Fighters transitioned between older songs and newer ones to give us a performance we will soon not forget. At one point during the set, Dave Grohl apologized for not stopping in Milwaukee during their last tour and proceeded to make up for that with an extra long, no frills setlist.
I do need to mention that the opening act was Silversun Pickups. Third time I've seen this band. They are a really good band, though something was up with their sound and microphones. Still a very entertaining opener as they got the crowd warmed up for the headliners.
Back to Summerfest tonight. Not sure who is on the schedule tonight. Could be Fun.
From beginning to end, these modern rock legends powered through a lineup of hits from all of there albums as well as a few snippets of covers such as the Police's "Message in a Bottle", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh?" (sung by drummer Taylor Hawkins), and Cheap Trick's "Surrender" to which Dave was playing a checkered guitar loaned to him by Cheap Trick guitarist, Rick Neilsen. Opening with "All My Life" and rolling right into "Times Like These", the Foo Fighters transitioned between older songs and newer ones to give us a performance we will soon not forget. At one point during the set, Dave Grohl apologized for not stopping in Milwaukee during their last tour and proceeded to make up for that with an extra long, no frills setlist.
I do need to mention that the opening act was Silversun Pickups. Third time I've seen this band. They are a really good band, though something was up with their sound and microphones. Still a very entertaining opener as they got the crowd warmed up for the headliners.
Back to Summerfest tonight. Not sure who is on the schedule tonight. Could be Fun.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
It's here!!!!
351 days ago, I was walking out of Henry Maier Festival Park after watching Hollywood Undead. The completion of another fantastically entertaining Summerfest. Well, it's here again folks! Such an exciting time of year here in Milwaukee, WI as the city comes alive with hoards of music fans and festival goers. As per usual, I'm taking time off from work for the entire 11 days. Initially, the 2012 lineup was a bit lacking of bands that I've been really wanting to see, but there are still a number of great bands to see. I could give up the names of some of the bands that I will see, but, just as in years past, which bands I see could change daily. I will say that this is the first year that I have actually purchased tickets to see bands at the Marcus Amphitheater...Foo Fighters (with Silversun Pickups) and Iron Maiden (with Alice Cooper). I'm very excited to see those two bands! I'll fill you in on the other bands as the week unfolds.
Oh yeah...one more exciting thing...after years of hearing me talk about Summerfest, my brother has decided he wants to check it out for himself. He's flying in Saturday, June 30th and staying through Sunday, July 8th. This week has the potential to be epic.
Oh yeah...one more exciting thing...after years of hearing me talk about Summerfest, my brother has decided he wants to check it out for himself. He's flying in Saturday, June 30th and staying through Sunday, July 8th. This week has the potential to be epic.
ROCK ON!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Are you ready?
I said Are You READY?? Oh yeah, just over two weeks until the World's Largest Music Festival...Summerfest 2012! It's the 45th anniversary for this 11 day highlight of Milwaukee's lakefront. 11 days, 11 stages, and over 700 bands from all genres of music. Always a great time!
In years past, I've attended what I like to call a 'Summerfest warmup' show just prior to the 'Big Gig'. This year was no different, other than I haven't written about it until now, sort of. On Friday May 25th, some friends and I went to see Nickelback at the Bradley Center (my first ever concert at this indoor arena). Wait...don't scoff...don't laugh. Nickelback happened to be touring with Bush, Seether, and My Darkest Days. Now that's a lineup you can't pass up. Nickelback is the only band of these four that I had not seen live yet. I have read a lot of the articles and heard all the criticism, but needed to see for myself. Here's one good article worth reading, A Night With the World's Most Hated Bands. It's actually a pretty good read. Nickelback came out at a the time after grunge music ended and before the nu metal movement began. So you could say they were lost. They obviously found a formula for success and have become a very successful band. It's funny to hear people hate Nickelback for no apparent reason other than to just hate them. Are they bandwagon haters? Who knows? Nickelback doesn't really care because even with all the haters out there, they sell out every single concert. To each their own. Back to the concert...
Friends and I head downtown early, find a good parking spot, and head to the bar across the street, Center Court I believe it's called. We had a few beers and some food...
Oh here's a funny story... While sitting there (the windows were open) a lady comes to the window looking for help. Let's call her a 'lady of the afternoon'. She had a hotel room key and needed to be there by a certain time apparently. She was asking how to get there because the "road was broken". Honey...the road was closed to cars, not pedestrians. It was funny!
...As we are sitting there, we look across the street and see a guy with a mohawk riding a skateboard. It was My Darkest Days' lead guitarist Sal Coz Costa. So of course we went out and met him. Cool guy!
Some time later, we are in the arena and we are right up against the barricade on the right side of the stage. We quickly make friends with the security guards and the people around us. Going to be a good night. First band up, My Darkest Days. Saw these guys in 2011 with Bush and Chevelle. Had never heard of them then. Now I am a fan. Really good band. Their most popular song is probably "Porn Star Dancing".
Next up was Seether, a band that, although I really enjoy their music, I had thought they were pretty boring live. Maybe it's maturity...on my part. Maybe they have stepped it up a bit. They played just 8 songs and most of my favorites.
Third band to hit the stage was none other than Bush. Second time I see these guys in the last year. Great band. Very glad they got back together. Their new album is really good. If you haven't seen Bush, go see them.
Finally, the headliner of the night, Nickelback. For all of the crap that people give to this band, they certainly put on a great show. Sure they have all of the sterotypical 80's stage gimics like fireworks, pyro, levels, props, glitter, etc., but they know how to work the stage and perform to the audience. While they may not be the first band I think of when I want to listen to music, they do have a lot of really good songs.
Check out the rest of the pics. After the concert, we did take in a really good cover band back at the Center Court bar. It was a good night and a good warm up to Summerfest. What's on tap for Summerfest? What bands will I see? I'm sure the list of bands I see may be different at the end of the 11 days, but I will tell give you a few of them I plan on seeing, including two biggies...Halestorm, Art of Dying, Adelita's Way, Skillet, Iron Maiden, and...are you ready for this? I said..ARE YOU READY??? The Foo Fighters!!! Look for more in a couple weeks. Rock on!
In years past, I've attended what I like to call a 'Summerfest warmup' show just prior to the 'Big Gig'. This year was no different, other than I haven't written about it until now, sort of. On Friday May 25th, some friends and I went to see Nickelback at the Bradley Center (my first ever concert at this indoor arena). Wait...don't scoff...don't laugh. Nickelback happened to be touring with Bush, Seether, and My Darkest Days. Now that's a lineup you can't pass up. Nickelback is the only band of these four that I had not seen live yet. I have read a lot of the articles and heard all the criticism, but needed to see for myself. Here's one good article worth reading, A Night With the World's Most Hated Bands. It's actually a pretty good read. Nickelback came out at a the time after grunge music ended and before the nu metal movement began. So you could say they were lost. They obviously found a formula for success and have become a very successful band. It's funny to hear people hate Nickelback for no apparent reason other than to just hate them. Are they bandwagon haters? Who knows? Nickelback doesn't really care because even with all the haters out there, they sell out every single concert. To each their own. Back to the concert...
Friends and I head downtown early, find a good parking spot, and head to the bar across the street, Center Court I believe it's called. We had a few beers and some food...
Oh here's a funny story... While sitting there (the windows were open) a lady comes to the window looking for help. Let's call her a 'lady of the afternoon'. She had a hotel room key and needed to be there by a certain time apparently. She was asking how to get there because the "road was broken". Honey...the road was closed to cars, not pedestrians. It was funny!
...As we are sitting there, we look across the street and see a guy with a mohawk riding a skateboard. It was My Darkest Days' lead guitarist Sal Coz Costa. So of course we went out and met him. Cool guy!
Some time later, we are in the arena and we are right up against the barricade on the right side of the stage. We quickly make friends with the security guards and the people around us. Going to be a good night. First band up, My Darkest Days. Saw these guys in 2011 with Bush and Chevelle. Had never heard of them then. Now I am a fan. Really good band. Their most popular song is probably "Porn Star Dancing".
Next up was Seether, a band that, although I really enjoy their music, I had thought they were pretty boring live. Maybe it's maturity...on my part. Maybe they have stepped it up a bit. They played just 8 songs and most of my favorites.
Check out the rest of the pics. After the concert, we did take in a really good cover band back at the Center Court bar. It was a good night and a good warm up to Summerfest. What's on tap for Summerfest? What bands will I see? I'm sure the list of bands I see may be different at the end of the 11 days, but I will tell give you a few of them I plan on seeing, including two biggies...Halestorm, Art of Dying, Adelita's Way, Skillet, Iron Maiden, and...are you ready for this? I said..ARE YOU READY??? The Foo Fighters!!! Look for more in a couple weeks. Rock on!
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