It's been a while

Its been quite a while since my last post. Sorry about that. I never proclaimed that I was good at this. I write when I have something to write about. Looks like today is one of those day. Catching up... A pretty uneventful end to my Summer. I did attend the 2014 Milwaukee Firkin Craft Beer Festival, which is always an amazing time. Other than that, just a lot of chilling at home and hanging with friends.

Participated in Open Doors Milwaukee. It's a great event, sponsored by the Milwaukee Historical Society, in which many buildings and facilities in and around the city open their doors for tours. Many of them open areas that are not normally open for viewing, such as the observation deck of the U.S. Bank Building (the tallest building in Milwaukee). What a view of the city! We also checked out Historic Turner Hall (still have concerts here), Milwaukee Blacksmith, Newsroom and Safe House, Riverside Theater (another concert venue), the National Ace Hardware building, and finishing, appropriately at Brenner Brewing Company.  Doors Open Milwaukee is a great time to explore this great city.

At the end of September, I had a trip scheduled to Baltimore for a professional conference. My brother had also invited me back to Connecticut to go to a concert, which so happened to be the day before I had to be in Maryland. Well, seeing as it was so close to my mother's birthday (Oct. 3), I decided to fly in a little early, unannounced, and surprise her. The surprise worked quite well as she and my dad were not expecting to see me walk in the house. My brother and I took them to dinner for her birthday. The next day, my brother and I went to a car show, where he entered his rebuilt 1998 Mustang GT. Lots of cool cars there.  An hour or so later and we headed off to the Mohegan Sun Casino, where the concert was. What concert? Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Hellyeah, and Nothing More. Fantastic show!  Nothing More was really great! Lots of energy and sounded fantastic! Check them out. I've seen Hellyeah a few times before, as I have FFDP, and both lived up to expectations. Volbeat is a band that I've been really listening to a lot lately. Such a different sound. Kind of hillbilly rock with an Elvis twist. Lead singer, Michael Poulsen, body surfed right over top of me as he delivered a t-shirt to a young fan. Great show! No pictures because I forgot to charge my camera's battery.

The following weekend after the concert, I went to Heat It Up!, Milwaukee's Bloody Mary and Chili festival. I love Bloody Mary's and on a chilly day, thought this would be a great event. Well, after just over an hour and numerous samples, I actually felt like I was going to get sick.  Didn't need to see another tomato for a while. Glad I gave it a shot though. There is always some cool festival happening somewhere in the city.

This brings me to the past weekend. A few friends and I took in a fantastic concert in a newer concert venue down in Sturtevant, WI, called Route 20 Outhouse. A very small restaurant/bar type of place with a stage on one side. Not quite as big as The Brat Stop, but similar in design. We ate dinner up stairs along the balcony and stayed there for the show. Oh, who did we see?  We were there to see Thousand Foot Krutch, a Christian rock band from Canada. I've been wanted to see this band for a few years now. Well worth the wait! The other bands were Mind Merchant, The Lately, and We As Human, From beginning to end, a great show, but I was there to see TFK. They played several songs off their latest album, Oxygen: Inhale (Born This Way, War of Change, and Give It To Me), and a collection of favorites from earlier albums (Light Up the Sky, The End Is Where We Begin, Move, and Fire It Up). Fantastic concert! I hope they come back around soon. Summerfest 2015?  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Summerfest 2014 Superlatives

Another year, another Summerfest, another week of good times! Summerfest 2013 brought, in my opinion, a slightly down year as far as the lineup of bands. There was hope...Hell, there is always hope...that Summerfest 2014 would step it up a bit over the previous year. It did and it didn't. The reason I'm slightly disappointed is still because of the lack of acts from the hard rock and heavy metal genres, and that's only because that is my preferred music. Fortunately, I enjoy all kinds of music and Summerfest does a tremendous job at delivering music from all genres and all walks of life. One day I listen to blues. Another day I'm listening to alternative punk. Other days I'm bouncing between DJs and house music. Yes, I'm spoiled. There, I said it...I'm spoiled. I am so very lucky to have such an amazing music festival right in my back yard. Each year for the last several years, I go at least eight out of the eleven days. I have seen lots of bands. And that's not counting all of the concerts I go to at other music venues in and around Milwaukee. Believe me when I say I'm not complaining. I'm just trying to describe how different Summerfest can be year in and year out. So let's talk about Summerfest 2014...

I was highly impressed with the main headliner lineup at the Marcus Amphitheater. I thought it was loaded with top quality, highly popular bands like Lady Gaga, Fall Out Boy, Bruno Mars, One Republic, Motley Crue, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Outkast, Luke Bryan, and Usher, which this was his only performance this summer as he prepared for his next world tour. I didn't buy any tickets to these shows, though did get free tickets to see Fall Out Boy. That's a solid lineup of headliners, don't you think? The beauty and brilliance of Summerfest is that they cater to all types of music lovers. Even if there isn't a band that you absolutely want to see, you'd be hard pressed to not discover a new band that might become a new favorite. You just never know.

Like in 2013, I didn't see as many bands as I have in the past. In between live performances, there was a lot of people watching and checking out all of the other activities on the grounds. Always a great time! My brother can attest. He came back again this year, his third in a row. Three years ago, he grew tired of me talking about Summerfest and needed to experience it for himself. It seems to have become an annual thing now, which is great. With him living in CT, we don't see each other that often. It's great to spend time with him. Enough babbling, let's get on with it...

General comments and observances

• The "B's" were back again. My brother came back to enjoy Milwaukee and Summerfest once again.
• Despite the great Marcus lineup, no impulse purchases of tickets happened.
• Number of days attended was nearly a repeat of last year. 9 for me. 6 for my brother.
• The 'walk about' continued.
• 17 bands seen this year. I only count those that where I sit and watch the whole set.
• People watching reach epic levels, especially on the night Lady Gaga was performing. The crowd did too.
• From the above night, first time I've seen a six foot "guy" rock six inch high heels better than most women do...meaning he walked like he's done that before. 
• No Captain's deck tickets this year. Maybe next year?
• First time we've ever left Summerfest to get a beer. To be fair, we went to watch the World Cup.
• No gatherings at Mark's. I think that tradition may be dead or dormant.
• Grilling in my garage was new this year.
• Our Rock Band "Burnt" has been officially retired. Joe sold his Rock Band system. I think he might finally be trying to grow up. It was a good run!
• Weather fluctuated like crazy throughout the week. From needing jeans and jackets the first three nights to shorts most of the week. Fog postponed the opening night fireworks until the following Tuesday. No melting this year.
• Might have had our biggest crowd of friends at one stage. I think there were 16 of us at Rise Against.
• No landscaping or building this year. 
• New phrase uttered..."Have you ever been looked at like you are a snack?"
• Free blue seat tickets at the BMO Harris Pavillion will be something to keep our eyes on in the future. Still the best stage on the grounds. Just need better beer vendors in that area.
• Oh...I am still adamant that the closer you are to a stage, the more you will enjoy the show!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT(S)

Like in 2013, I didn't see that many bands, so I didn't succumb myself to watching anyone that was terrible. Maybe that's a good thing. My biggest disappointment is in the lack of bands that I REALLY wanted to see and the overall lack of rock 'n' roll bands. Again, this is not a problem, as I get my hard rock and metal fill from the other venues throughout the year.

BUT...if I had to put one of the bands that I saw in this category, it just might have to be Five Finger Death Punch. They are not in this category because they played like crap. They killed all of the songs they played, even an awesome cover of LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out. I'd put them here because lead singer, Ivan Moody, in my opinion, spent way too much time talking. He continued to comment about Lady Gaga, who was there the night before and also about the band on the next stage over, Atmosphere, who was nearly drowning out FFDP. I wish he would have shut his trap and played a couple more songs. 

UTTERLY FORGETTABLE

Believe it or not, there was one. June Divided. They opened for Rise Against. I'd comment more on them, but I don't remember them.

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

.38 Special...awesome show! I grew up listening to this band. Definitely rocked and brought back memories.

Blackberry Smoke...I had no idea they had such a huge following. More of a country, blues, rock band that was one of the earlier openers for Rise Against. I still didn't like them much though.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Kenny Wayne Shepherd...I knew he was an amazing guitar player, but to see him live was outstanding!

BEST 3:00PM SHOW EVER (A SUBSET OF THE "BIGGEST SURPRISE" CATEGORY)

Ed Kowalczyk formerly of the band Live...a friend of mine tried to tell us that Ed might be a snoozer. That he had a couple of solo albums out and might not play a lot of Live songs. Bullshit! From the opening song to the end, the setlist was littered with Live songs. Great show and absolutely deserving of this superlative!

BEST PERFORMANCE

Without a doubt, Rise Against put on the absolute best show this year...of the bands that I saw. Rise Against joins Skillet as the only bands to have won this award multiple times. If that doesn't scream "See this band!", I don't know what does. Totally in your face, non stop, kick your face in, rock music!

TOP 5

5. .38 Special

4. Kenny Wayne Shepherd

3. Five Finger Death Punch

2. Ed Kowalczyk (The "surprise" factor moves him to #2)

1. Rise Against

BEST OF THE REST

Fall Out Boy

Evan Christian

Arctic Monkeys

PARTING SHOTS

I suppose I could copy and past last year's PARTING SHOTS here, because I still feel the same way. I'm not going to do that though. I'm blessed and lucky to have such an amazing music festival right in my back yard. That on any given night, I can see major, national acts like George Thorogood, Joan Jett, Ludacris, Five Finger Death Punch, or Rise Against for less than $20.  I haven't purchased a concert ticket for less than $20 since high school. I said it before and I'll say it again...I'm spoiled. If any of my friends want to come out and experience the World's Largest Music Festival with me, give me a call. I've got room. Summerfest 2014 was a blast and I'm already looking forward to next year. In the meantime, more rock concerts await. Rock on!!

We Give It All

Continuing the great times at, in, and around Summerfest! On Thursday, July 3rd, a large group of my music-loving friends gathered to see Rise Against. Arrived early enough to save enough seats for everyone. I think there were sixteen of us in all. We certainly look like we are having a good time, don't we?

Once again, Rise Against hit the Harley Davidson Roadhouse stage at Summerfest and absolutely killed it! I've seen this band several times now and they never cease to amaze me. An absolute must-see show for any lover of in-your-face, alternative, punk rock. Kicking things off with Ready to Fall and then putting the accelerator to the floor and jumping into Give It All. A total of 18 songs on their setlist, including I Don't Want to Be Here Anymore from their forthcoming album. Check out the setlist...

Summerfest Day #7

The first six days have been a lot of fun, as expected. What's there not to love about live music, tasty beer, and thousands of friends. I may need a food detox after Summerfest is over. Did I mention the crazy weather we've been having. Unseasonably cold, very erratic temperatures, and high winds that are taking out trees all over the place. I had one, fairly large branch that came off a tree in my back yard and was leaning on wires. Fortunately it was the cable wire and not power lines. Otherwise just a bunch of loose branches to clean up. I was lucky as others in the neighborhood were hit worse.

Summerfest was closed on Monday, but we were back on Tuesday. Arrived about 2:30, just in time to see Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer of the band Live. He's been gonig solo since about 2010 and has a couple of solo albums out. I have one friend who was telling us that it might be a snoozer. As soon as Ed kicked into the first notes of Live's All Over You, I turned to my friend and declared, "F**k Chad!". Ed's setlist was littered with Live songs, including Selling the Drama, The Dolphin's Cry, I Alone, and Lightning Crashes. Quite possibly the best 3PM show I've ever seen at Summerfest!

After a bit of walking around, people watching, and beer, we stopped in to check out Rusted Root for a couple songs. Meh. Then we headed over to catch Switchfoot for a few. Heard my favorite song from them, Dark Horses. I was happy about that.

Today is the seventh day of Summerfest 2014 and one of my more highly anticipated days this year. Tonight we get our faces kicked in by Rise Against!  Rock on!

Summerfest's first weekend in the books

One thing that will always be a great past-time, and certainly one of my favorite things to do, at Summerfest (or any festival for that matter) is people watching. It usually starts with observing fashion, or lack there of. Some of the outfits and things people decide to wear are often quite questionable. Some examples... Scantily clad women.  Head to toe in a monotone color (often a neon). Wearing American flag pants when it's not July 4th, though why would you anyways. Then there are the couples who, for whatever reason, don't look right together. So you start to wonder how they met and then maybe make up a story for them. Always a good time. Fashion trends noticed of the teenagers this year are high-wasted pants/shorts and headbands for the gals and long sleeve button down shirts and loafers for the guys. The 80's have come back. The girls are looking like Pat Benatar and the guys remind me of the douchy, rich characters from the classic 80's movies like Some Kind of Wonderful. So far this year, the most epic of people watching was last Tuesday when Lady Gaga was playing. Oh my word! So many people dressed for the show and put on a show for us at the same time. We are talking about older ladies (grandma age) wearing long silver wigs and dresses. People dressed up as characters from Lady Gaga videos, like with Diet Coke cans in their hair. A couple of the best dressed came from guys though. One guy had makeup, wig, short shorts, and these high heels that had no heals. He was pretty much walking on his toes all night.  The other guy was a very tall, skinny guy with makeup, short shorts, fishnet stockings, and rocking six-inch stiletto heels. He's obviously worn them before. Here's a picture from Lady Gaga night...

Cheeky Fest Goers

Wednesday I saw Arctic Monkeys. Thursday was Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Friday I went to see Five Finger Death Punch. Three nights, three different genres of music. One of the many things I love about Summerfest. I've seen FFDP several times already and pretty much knew what to expect, an in your face heavy metal show. Judging by the expansive crowd, which reached back all the way to the concessions, everyone else was expecting the same thing. Well, to be completely honest, I was disappointed. Sure they played a solid setlist of their songs, including Under and Over It, Burn It Down, Never Enough, and The Bleeding, but singer Ivan Moody spent way too much time talking about what was happening at the next stage over (Atmosphere was killing it) and making comments about Lady Gaga. They could have played another song or two. As it was, they only played for just over an hour. Good show, but not long enough. Finished well before any of the other stages. My highlight was their cover of LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out...pretty freakin' cool! Again, while I was slightly disappointed, you can't beat seeing a band like Five Finger Death Punch for the $18 daily admission fee. Maybe I'm just spoiled from seeing so many concerts. First World problems.

I picked up my brother at the airport on Saturday. He's been coming out the last couple of years to experience Summerfest with me. It's great to have him here. We always have a blast. We didn't go to Summerfest Saturday, choosing instead to relax at home. Though I did take him to Sugar Maple for a couple of tasty beverages. He's still learning about craft beer, but already knows that fresh, flavorful, local beer is by far and way better than any of that stuff brewed by the big guys.

We did go to Summerfest on Sunday. Boy, it was a hot one too. The weather has been so erratic. On Wednesday and Thursday it was nearly teeth-chattering cold. I wore jeans and a sweatshirt both nights. Friday was a little bit warmer. Sunday was melty. Once we arrived at the grounds, we headed over to the box office and picked up free, reserved, blue seat tickets for 38 Special. 38 Special is a band I enjoyed growing up and figured, why not. Turned out to be a fantastic show too! At 62 years young, these guys can still bring it. Hammering away on hits like Rockin' Into the Night, Caught Up In You, Back Where You Belong, and Hold On Loosely, the show was full of energy and great music. A great time!

Summerfest is closed today, but we'll be back at it on Tuesday to see Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer of the band Live. Probably stick around for Switchfoot? Who knows?  Good times lie ahead!

Blue on Black

Tears on a river. 

Push on a shove. 

It don't mean much.

Day 2 of Summerfest took me to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who, at this point in my music fan career, is quite possibly the best guitarist I have seen live since Eddie Van Halen. So amazing! The night started with Evan Christian, hailing from Milwaukee, who serenaded the crowd with bluesy rhythm and classy vocals. No backing band, just himself, his guitar, and his voice. Great bluesy cover of Stone Temple Pilots' Plush too. Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band of all starts - Noah Hunt on vocals, Chris Layton (drums) and Reese Wynans (keyboards) from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble band, and Tony Franklin (bass) who played in The Firm with legendary guitar player Jimmy Page and vocalist Paul Rogers. A show that surprised me, as I'm not very familiar with Kenny, but it far exceeded any of my expectations. Blue on Black was the one song I really knew. Everything else was great downhome blues with amazing guitar playing. Absolutely loved the finishing song of Jimi Hendrix' Voo Doo Child. 

Two nights of Summerfest. Two different genres of music. First with indie rock from the Arctic Monkeys. Then straight up blues rock with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. We'll have to see what's up next!

Summerfest 2014: Opening Day in the books!

Opening Day of Summerfest 2014 is in the books. It was a fairly uneventful opener though. Fireworks were postponed until tonight. Judging by the crowds, it was well attended. Of course, opening day usually is. Hell, we've been waiting 365 days for Summerfest to come back. Definitely one of the colder nights that I've experienced, but, unlike previous years where I didn't dress appropriately and was forced to buy a sweatshirt, I was prepared last night. People watching was, and is, always epic. Took notice of teenage fashion, or lack there of. I mean, seriously, some of the things these young kids choose to wear. Head bands and high waisted pants on the girls reminded me of Pat Benatar in the early 80s. The guys were like the douchy rich kids from Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful...long sleeve, button down shirts with shorts and loafers. I guess fashion is cyclical. I'm not buying it though.

Anyways, I saw Arctic Monkeys last night. Not necessarily a huge fan, but it was one of the better options. Heck, if Metallica invites them to their Orion festival, they are worth checking out, right? Not a bad show. I've certainly seen worse. Bit of a snoozer midway through. You can hear influences of The Beatles and early 70s Aerosmith in their sound. Ahh any night at Summerfest is a better night than at home. Tonight I think it may be Kenny Wayne Shepherd.  Stay tuned and Rock on!