It's the end of the Summer

 Summers don't last long here in Wisconsin, so you have to squeeze as much as you can out of the warmer weather as you can before the cold freeze sets in. That's exactly what I've been doing since I last wrote. I hadn't even realized that it's been nearly two months since my last post. I need to be better at this. Let's catch up...

I've continued staying active, working out and running. Played on a volleyball team with coworkers. We were the best last-place team in the league. We had a lot of fun though. Another coworker coerced me into playing ultimate frisbee. I hadn't played that since high school gym class. I really wasn't sure what I was getting into, but I was up for it. Pretty much all sprinting, which took a toll on my old legs. Great time though! One thing you can count on during the Summer months is drinks on patios throughout the city. Gorgeous views of the river or the lake with tasty, cool beverages.

Once again, I went to the Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival for my third straight year. It's such a great festival with over 100 beers to sample from some of the finest craft breweries in the Midwest and elsewhere.

I took my friends on Beer Snob Tour 3.0, the third installment of a creation of mine that takes us on a road trip to visit some of Wisconsin's fine craft breweries. Normally we visit three, but this time we hit five - Grumpy Troll Brew Pub, Vintage Brewing Company, Karben4 Brewery, Ale Asylum, and Delafield Brewhaus. Who knows where 4.0 will take us?

On my way out of the Rave after Gigantour, I was given a couple of free tickets to see Godsmack on August 4th. FREE tickets to see Godsmack? Of course I went! Always an awesome show!

For my birthday weekend, I bought VIP tickets to WIIL Rock Fest, an all day rock festival featuring Volbeat, All That Remains, Nonpoint, Trapt, Smile Empty Soul, Hurt, Red Line Chemistry, Art of Dying, SOiL, Wayland, and several local bands. Amazing day, though I probably should have used sunscreen. When we got to the car to leave, there were free tickets to see Nonpoint at the Rave.  Why not?!

Well, before that show, I broke up the string of hard rock shows to see Mumford & Sons. What an outstanding show they put on too. Such fantastic musicianship.

The last weekend of August was Harley-Davidson's 110th Anniversary party here in WI. I went to a couple of the street parties and had the pleasure of seeing two great free shows...Sick Puppies and P.O.D.

This past weekend was Doors Open Milwaukee, where dozens of historical buildings open their doors to the public and provide free tours to parts of the buildings that normally aren't accessible. I visited a couple of places, including one of six Frank Lloyd Wright American System-Built homes. Designed in 1915 with the intent of making architect-designed homes available to all Americans, these homes never really took off due to World War I. The architecture, and the concept, were certainly ahead of the times. It was quite interesting.

So while it is the end of the Summer, that certainly doesn't mean it's the end of good times and fun things to do. It just means the weather is getting colder and I may have to find things to do indoors. One thing is for sure, there is always something fun and interesting happening here in Milwaukee. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Music fuels the soul...Metal music sets it on fire

This post is way long overdue. I haven't written much since Summerfest 2013 finished, but that certainly doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying Summer here in Milwaukee. Let me catch you up on what I've been up to...

The weekend after Summerfest, July 14th, I saw Trapt at The Rave. I love this band. Hailing from California, they are a really great rock band who are probably most well known for their 2003 hit Headstrong. That's only one of many great songs they have. Before I continue, let me tell you a little about this great venue I see many of my concerts at, The Rave. It's not only a fantastic concert venue, but it is a Milwaukee landmark. The multi-story building is divided into six different rooms, making it possible to have six different shows going on at the same time. I have certainly been there when there have been shows going on in at least four of the venues. The largest of the venues is the Eagles Ballroom, a 25,000 square foot, oval, wooden dance floor with a balcony area as well. The fact that the floor does not have seats, makes it quite conducive to mosh pits and body surfing. Metal bands love to play there. On the night that Trapt played, they weren't in the Eagles Ballroom. They actually played in one of the smallest rooms in the building, with a crowd of about 200. A band called ERA9 opened and were followed by Candlelight Red. Both were pretty good, with Candelight Red obviously a more polished band. I was there to see Trapt though and I wasn't disappointed. They only played about a twelve song set, but included many of their greats like Contagious, Echo, Still Frame, Who's Going Home With You Tonight?, and one of my favorites, Black Rose. Great show!  Check out the pictures.

That following Friday, July 19th, I saw what may have been the most epic gathering of metal bands that I've seen in a long time. I'm not going to say this was the best show I've seen this year yet, but it was pretty, freakin' awesome. This day, my friends, Gigantour came to The Rave with Megadeth, Black Label Society, Device, Hellyeah, Newsted, and Death Division. I remember it being so freakin' hot in The Rave that I was dripping with sweat no sooner than the first song started. They split the six bands up with the first four playing downstairs and the last two playing in the Eagles Ballroom upstairs. It was my first time seeing Death Division. They were decent. Apparently Dave Mustaine's son manages the band. Newsted killed it though. Jason's new band only played five songs, but he absolutely got that crowd primed for a night of heavy metal music. The second song was Soldierhead and they finished with a fitting cover of Metallica's Whiplash. Outstanding!

Newsted Setlist

Third up was Hellyeah. They are a great Texas, metal band whose members include former Damageplan and Pantera drummer, Vinnie Paul, and Mudvayne's volcalist Chad Gray. You can definitely hear the influences of Pantera and Mudvayne in Hellyeah's music.

Hellyeah Setlist

The last of the four bands to play downstairs was Device, the new side project of Disturbed singer, David Draiman. He's an amazing metal singer with a powerful voice. All of these songs are new to me, but they did a great cover of Close My Eyes Forever from Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford.

Device Setlist

After Device finished, I headed upstairs for the main two bands. This was to be my first time seeing Black Label Society and I was looking forward to it. Huge wall of Marshall amps lined the stage. BLS took the stage and Zakk Wylde proceeded to rip our faces off with his signature guitar playing. Throw in a ten minute Zakk Wylde guitar solo and you had a recipe for one hot, metal show.

Black Label Society Setlist

That alone would have been a satisfying end to a great metal show, but there was more. Headlining Gigantour 2013 was none other than Megadeth. Eff yeah!! A member of the Big 4 of thrash metal, Megadeth came out and crushed a metal-laden performance of some of their greatest hits. Dave's blistering guitar work and signature vocals powered through a setlist that consisted of Hangar 18, Sweating Bullets, Symphony of Destruction, A Tout Le Monde, and Peace Sells. After more 30 years and countless lineup changes, Megadeth still kills it.

Megadeth Setlist

Good Lord! I'm surprised I remembered all of that. Guess one never forgets amazing shows. This brings me to last night, August 4th. On my way out the door from Gigantour, they were handing out a limited number of free tickets to see Godsmack. FREE tickets to see Godsmack?!?! Hell yeah!! I've always enjoyed Godsmack and this night they absolutely crushed it. From beginning to end, it was nonstop heavy, rock music. Shannon's thunderous drums and Sully's amazing rock vocals make up just part of the unmistakable sound of Godsmack. The setlist reads like Godsmack's greatest hits album. Every song they played got the crowd, including me, singing along. But when they broke into a brief cover of Pantera's Walk, the crowd got just a little more insane. During the first song of their encore, Whatever, Sully was telling us how much he loved The Rave for the open floor plan with no seats. He said it reminded him of going to see bands like Pantera back in the late 80's and early 90's where crowds would just go completely crazy. That's exactly what he set out to do this night. He said he saw little pits here and there, but wanted the crowd to completely lose their minds and make the entire floor move when the band came back in full swing. That's exactly what happened! People moving from one end to the other and jumping and going nuts. It was pretty cool! Another amazing show! Here are a few pics.

Godsmack Setlist

What a hell of a year it has been so far. Still a few months to go though. Stay tuned to see what show I see next.  Keep rockin'!

Summerfest 2013 Superlatives

Here we are again with another edition of my Summerfest Superlatives. I've been saying all year long that this year's Summerfest was different. Sure each Summerfest is different, but this year it was different because I was less than thrilled with the lineup. Since I started going to Summerfest, the lineups have always been stacked with bands from all genres of music. There have always been some great rock and heavy metal acts. There has always been at least one band that I was extremely excited to see. I won't count 2005 because I only went one night, my very first ever, to see Crossfade. Let's take a trip down memory lane...some of the better bands I saw in 2006 were P.O.D., Seether, and 30 Seconds to Mars. In 2007 there was Rise Against, Papa Roach, and Chevelle. 2008 brought Drowning Pool, Red, Theory of a Deadman, and Egypt Central.  In 2009 there was Rise Against, The Offspring, Judas Priest, and Our Lady Peace (among others). In 2010 I saw Skillet, Red, and the Scorpions. 2011 there was Rise Against, Sick Puppies, and Better Than Ezra. 2012 was amazing with Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Adelitas Way, Scorpions, Halestorm, and Art of Dying. This year?  2013? I was hard pressed to find any one band that I was just dying to see. That certainly doesn't mean I didn't have a great time, nor does it mean that I didn't see some good bands. There just wasn't that one band that got me really excited to go. There's always next year, right?  But as I mentioned, I've seen plenty of great rock and heavy metal concerts this year to make up for the lack of rock and heavy metal at Summerfest and the year is still not over.

With the lack of a stellar lineup, at least in the eyes of this die-hard Summerfest-goer, I was actually able to enjoy Summerfest a little differently. So let's get right to it...

General comments and observations

• My brother, Dennis, made it back again this year. I know he had a great time and he got to see one of his very favorite bands, Rush.
• 9 days attended this year for me, which was a surprise considering the lineup. 7 for Dennis.
• The 'walk about' trend continued...again
• Record low 14 bands watched this year (read comments about the lineup)
• Five of the 14 bands were hip-hop, rap acts
• The BMO Harris Pavillion is still the best stage at Summerfest
• People watching from the Captain's Deck was new this year, thanks to a good friend for the passes
• It was noticeable how many couples actually dress alike (observed from the Captain's Deck)
• Also noticeable how many people have no clue what to wear, how to wear it, or are just completely color blind, like the guy dressed head to toe in chartreuse.  
• Didn't build a second deck on Mark's tree house, but my brother and I did some landscaping at my new house
• Last year we may have melted, this year it was definitely cooler by the lake. Certainly for the first half of Summerfest
• No Rock Band this year
• No extended stays at Mark's house. No stays at all.
• Leinenkugel's Summer Festeweizen was back again, but Lakefront Brewery had the beers of choice, mainly Fixed Gear. Water Street Brewery's Black IPA was a close second.
• Great seats are still important! Thanks again to my good friend for the 11th row, center seats at the BMO Harris Pavillion for the Go Gos and Jimmy Eat World
• Speaking of the Go Gos, the crush I had on Belinda Carlisle at 15 came roaring back. Do those teenage crushes ever really go away?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT(S)

To be honest, there really wasn't a big disappointment this year. I really only saw 14 bands that I wanted to see. I never subjected myself to any band that I didn't enjoy. The biggest disappointment is the entire Summerfest lineup. Even the Marcus Amphitheater acts weren't that intriguing. I'm very thankful The Rave has filled in my music need!

Wait..wait...wait... I do have one...

Rick Springfield. Only because he had such an enormous ego that it was pretty annoying. Making the crowd sing him "Happy Birthday", listing out every movie and TV show he has ever been on, and telling everyone about a dozen times that he has a new album out.  Dude, get over yourself.

UTTERLY FORGETTABLE

This is tough with only 14 to choose from, but I'd have to go with... 

Citizen Zero. They were on before the Lovehammers. A Detroit band with some good sound and tunes, but nothing that special.

BUCKETLIST BANDS (SAW AND NEVER NEED TO SEE AGAIN...OR WON'T)

The Go Gos...though I would probably see them again to ogle Belinda

Styx. Damn it! Styx got this superlative twice!  

Foreigner. Same songs, but not the same band I grew up to. Where's Lou Gramm?

BIGGEST SURPRISE
LL Cool J. Quite possibly the most fun show I have seen at Summerfest. Really great!

The Go Gos. My crush for Belinda aside (How many times have I mentioned that?), they really put on a fantastic show! Loved the cover of the Ramones!

BEST PERFORMANCE
Skillet. SERIOUSLY! This year was even better than last year!  Here's what I wrote last year..."Never before, since I have been going to Summerfest, have I seen a band put on such an amazing show on a free stage with fireworks, sparklers, fire, explosions, lights, elevators, and a drum set that elevated and spins! Skillet won this award back in 2010 and they win it again in 2012, only it was better because we were closer!"  YES, it was better. I was closer. Not sure how they did it, but they added more to the stage show. Their new songs rock too!!

THE 5 HIP-HOP/RAP ACTS I SAW (In case you were curious)
Brother Ali
Far East Movement
Atmosphere
Pitbull
LL Cool J

TOP 5
5. Pitbull
4. LL Cool J
3. The Go Gos
2. Jimmy Eat World
1. Skillet

BEST OF THE REST
Lovehammers (Great band. I don't care what you think)
Foreigner

PARTING SHOTS
I am blessed, spoiled, and extremely thankful to be living in a city that hosts an 11-day event that is called the World's Largest Music Festival. Additionally, I get to see some of the world's greatest bands at local venues in and around Milwaukee. Summerfest is my Mecca. It's the one event that I have lived for each and every year since I've started going. Sure I get disappointed when the lineups don't meet my desires, but Summerfest competes with many other Summer festivals in the U.S. and in Europe. It cannot be easy to book these bands. But year in and year out, the folks at Summerfest do their best to bring some of the hottest and most successful bands to this great city for us to enjoy. My hat is off to them. Even a die-hard rock and heavy metal fan like me had another great time at Summerfest 2013!  I will wait semi-impatiently until next year's lineup is announced,  Until then...

ROCK ON!!

Summerfest's final weekend

After a fantastic 4th of July, it was cruising time right into the final weekend of Summerfest 2013. Friday, July 5, saw my brother and I take a tour of Milwaukee Brewing Company. Those that know me know that touring breweries is a favorite past-time of mine. I had been to Milwaukee Brewing Company several times, but this was a first for my brother. Couldn't think of a better way to get this Friday started. Our tour guide certainly looked, and sounded, like he had done his fair share of sampling, but I guess that is to be expected.

After the tour, we headed down to the Summerfest grounds. Met up with some friends who were going to see Rick Springfield. I wasn't sure, but tagged along anyways. Did you know Rick Springfield will be turning 64 soon? He let us know. He had the crowd sing him "Happy Birthday" too. He also felt the need to mention just about every movie and tv show he's made an appearance. Talk about an ego. The first song I didn't know. Then he played "I've Done Everything For You", after which we left for the Captain's Deck and watched Hollywood Undead for a while.

Rick Springfield

Hollywood Undead

Hollywood Undead jammed their way through some of my favorites like "City", "California", "Here Me Now", "Comin' In Hot", and "Everywhere I Go". After finishing their set with "We Are", we went back to catch Rick Springfield play the song he's most famous for, "Jessie's Girl". Good timing!

On Saturday, we spent some time at Jo Jo's Martini Lounge on the Summerfest grounds. Usually good for at least one martini every year. The band was playing some good covers. We walked around for what seemed like forever. Some friends went to see 311. We were once again up in the Captain's Desk people watching. Getting ready to settle in and watch Buddy Guy when some other friends said they had open seats next to them for Foreigner. Off we went.

Foreigner

Foreigner was pretty solid. Their setlist was like a greatest hits album, playing songs like "Feels Like the First Time", "Double Vision", "Waiting For a Girl Like You", "I Don't Want To Live Without You", and finishing with "Hot Blooded". A really great show, but it was different. Their current singer, Kelly Hansen, joined the band in 2005. I grew up listening to Lou Gramm's vocals. No diss to Kelly. His voice was just different for me.

Sunday. Day 11. The final day. Dropped my brother off at the airport at 5:30am (Yikes!) to catch his flight home to CT. After a little rest, I'd be ready to go back down for the last day. For a Summerfest lineup that I have been saying was lackluster, to say the least, I ended up going nine days anyways. What can I say? I'm a die-hard. The people watching is worth the price of admission alone...trust me. Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. Little walking around. More people watching. Some old guy thought it would be cool to dress head to toe in chartreuse, even a hat. He looked like a fishing lure. Sorry no pictures. He was kind of blinding.

As the evening rolled along, I settled in to 11th row center seats for Jimmy Eat World. I've never seen them before. Not well versed in their portfolio either, but I knew quite a few, including their biggest hits. They didn't mess around either. Not a whole lot of talking. Not a lot of stage props, just a large banner behind them. They just came out and rocked through song after song. They opened with a song from their newest album, Damage, "I Will Steal You Back" and kicked right into "My Best Theory". After "Futures" and a couple more from their new album, Jimmy Eat World did a pretty awesome cover of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", which was pretty sweet. Twenty-three songs in the setlist, including "Sweetness", "Heart Is Hard To Find", "Pain", "Bleed American", and their encore of "The Middle".

Jimmy Eat World

After nine days in attendance, countless beers, and immense good times, that's a wrap on Summerfest 2013. All of the pictures are posted now. Check them out.

At the end of the week, I ended up having a fantastic time at Summerfest once again. I may not have been thrilled with the lineup, but I definitely saw some great bands. Check back later to see which bands get awarded or not in my Summerfest 2013 Superlatives. I'm not quite ready to reveal which were my favorites and which were not.  I need to let this digest a little bit. Stay tuned.

I'm Awake I'm Alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

Of all the bands at Summerfest 2013, last night was the one show I knew was going to be awesome...Skillet. Skillet puts on, in my opinion, the absolute best show that I have ever seen at one of the side stages at Summerfest. Absolutely amazing!

Arrived on the grounds and walked around some. Got some food and a beer or two or three and then my brother went off to see Rush. I headed over to the Miller Lite Oasis stage. As I got closer to the stage, I heard a sound that I hadn't heard much of at all this year...hard rock! The speedy, finger-fretting guitars, the double bass, the growling lyrics. Oh hard rock, how I missed thee. The band was We As Humans. I've never heard of them before. They were pretty good. Near the end of their set, the singer was introducing a song that John Cooper, singer of Skillet, sang on with him. No sooner did the song start that John Cooper came out and sang it with them live. Pretty cool.

Just as the clock turned 10:00pm, I was able to squeeze in the middle of the sea of people. Skillet took the stage and commenced ripping our faces off. They kicked the show off with "Hero" followed by "Whispers in the Dark" and "Comatose". Then they played a song, "Sick of It", off their new album, Rise, which was just released a week ago. The new songs rock! Hell, Skillet rocks! Fireworks, sparklers, lights, smoke, fire, elevators, and a huge video screen were all part of this amazing performance that, as I mentioned, you just don't see at a Summerfest side stage. Of course, all of that is just icing on a cake of amazing rock music!  Their setlist included "Those Nights", "Awake and Alive", "The Last Night", "Savior", "Monster", and a couple more from their new album, "Rise" and "Circus For a Psycho". Skillet left the stage briefly. The cellist and violinist came out and performed a duet of "The Star Spangled Banner", to which everyone in the crowd provided the vocals. For their encore, Skillet killed us with "Rebirthing".

Check out more pics

Today we are doing a tour of Milwaukee Brewing Company before heading down to Summerfest again. Possible bands we might see...Hollywood Undead or Rick Springfield.  Who knows?

Have a great night!  Keep rockin'!

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

Even though, as I've mentioned, the music lineup at Summerfest 2013 isn't as good as I had hoped,  and the weather has been cooler this year, this has been a pretty awesome vacation so far. Let me catch you up on the last few days. Monday, Summerfest was closed. The weather was gorgeous, so we did some landscaping. Certainly not the typical type of fun I normally have, but it was good to hang with my brother all day. Tuesday we went back down to the Summerfest grounds. Met up with a few friends who were going to see NKOTB and the Package Tour. Not us though. Hah! No band that we really wanted to see, so we just walked around. Caught the first few songs from Styx and then we did something that I've never done before...went home early. Yikes! The combination of yard work, sun, and lack of good bands, we were beat.

Wednesday saw a return to the action. I scored some blue seat tickets, 11th row center, from a good friend of mine. Also got tickets to the Captain's Deck for the rest of the weekend. It's a balcony area above the concessions. Great place for people watching. Comes with three beers each. Very nice! Very appreciative of my friend who gave them to me!

Yes...that reads "THE GO GO'S" on those tickets. Free tickets to see Pitbull last Sunday...Why not?!  Free tickets to see The Go Go's?  Absolutely! I'll be honest, my inner 15-year-old self was drooling a little. I had a crush on Belinda Carlisle as a young teen. That crush all came back last night. Even at 55 years young, she is still beautiful! I may have screamed "I Love You Belinda" a few times.  Hahaha

But what I wasn't expecting was to see a really great show. I know many of their songs, but never saw them perform live. Rocking songs. Amazing vocals. Powerful music. Really great show. Opened with "Get Up and Go" and rolled right into "Vacation". In the middle, Belinda sung "Mad About You" from her solo stuff. They did an awesome cover of The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated". Just like 4th of July fireworks, they finished with a great grand finale of "Head Over Heals", "Our Lips Are Sealed", and a medley of KISS' "Rock N Roll ALL Night" that flowed into "We Got the Beat". Absolutely glad that we went...and THANK YOU again to my friend for the sweet tickets!!   I've added pictures here.

Today is July 4th, Independence Day. I'll take a moment here to give a hearty Thank You to all of my brothers and sisters in uniform. Thank You to all who have served in the armed forces, past, present, and future. To all those serving overseas, away from their families, and those deployed to hazardous locations, be strong, be safe, and come home soon. Semper Fi!

Tonight, my brother has a ticket to see Rush. I told my brother that I wasn't a fan, so if he bought tickets, he should buy one. He'll have a great time.  I'm going to see Skillet most likely.  There's a good chance he may make the end of the Skillet show. We'll see.

Don't Stop the Party!

After hanging at a friend's house on Saturday, my brother and I went to Summerfest last night, his first night on the grounds. As we pulled into the parking lot, I noticed we pulled in right behind my friends, the Hansons. So we ended up hanging with them all afternoon. Another night that I wasn't sure who to see, my intention was to check out Social Distortion. Although, we could have saw Alice Cooper (saw him last year) or Silversun Pickups (again). We walked from the North end to the South end to discover that we could get in to see Pitbull with Far East Movement...FREE! FREE tickets to Pitbull?? Why not?!?!

Now, anyone that knows me, knows that, while I have a very wide range of musical likes, I have a tendency to lean towards the rock/hard rock/heavy metal genre. I do surprise people sometimes though.  But if I told you that five of the first six bands I saw at Summerfest 2013 were going to be DJ/rap/hip-hop/dance music, you would have laughed at me, right?  It's true folks!  Brother Ali, Atmosphere, LL Cool J, Far East Movement, and Pitbull. Who would have that that possible?!

Some DJ entertained us for about 20 minutes before Far East Movement too the stage somewhere around 8:30pm. I'll be honest and tell you that I really only know one song..."Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard. When we drink we do it right gettin slizzard." They may have played for about 45 minutes or so, but it was energetic and entertaining. These types of concerts are new for me, so I'm not sure how to judge them. Much different than watching a rock band, because most everything is electronic and/or pre-recorded and mixed. Lot of fun though.

Right at 10:00pm, Mr. Worldwide takes the stage. Talk about a nonstop, insanely-awesome dance party!! We were that close due to the location of the FREE tickets, but it was still a pretty awesome show. The crowd went crazy!  Just like any other concert, I think I would have enjoyed it much more had I been closer. I've added more pics...check them out.

Summerfest is closed today. Not sure what tomorrow will bring. Again, not many bands I want to see.  Styx? AWOLNATION?  Damn, I sure get spoiled having this awesome 11-day festival in my backyard. Guess we'll have to see.  Until then, keep on party rockin'!!