Opening Weekend of the 55th Summerfest was a Blast

It is pretty significant to note 2023 marks the 55th Anniversary of the largest music festival. Milwaukee’s Summerfest remains my favorite of all music festivals and I am excited to share with you how the first weekend unfolded for me. I sprang out of my day job to head to Henry Maier Festival Grounds, which is located right off Lake Michigan.

Opening night was all about the blues for me, and it really doesn’t get better than to have Chicago blues legend himself, Buddy Guy, headline on the Uline Warehouse stage, especially as his worldwide retirement tour is underway. Before we get to his show, I need to tell you about Chicago Blues Supersession, which is a fantastic assortment of Chicago blues musicians, who set the Uline Warehouse stage at 5:30 pm.

Chicago Blues Supersession performers included Grammy award winner and WI Area Music Awards Association Hall of Fame inductee, Billy Flynn (guitar), Grammy award winner and second generation blues musician Kenny “Beady Eyes” Smith (drums), multi-music award winner and 92 years old Bob Stroger (bass and singer), late Koko Taylor band member Melvin Smith (bass), all around ringleader of Chicago Blues Supersession Dave Katzman (guitar), heavily recorded session musician and wildly sought after to perform in a variety of blues and gospel bands “Mad Hatter” Roosevelt Purifoy Jr. (keys), soulful singer and harmonica player Omar Coleman, singer and songwriter Amy Lowe, and beloved Alligator Records recording artist known as Mr. 43rd Street aka Oscar Wilson (singer). This band performed classic Chicago blues including “Mannish Boy” and “My Turn, My Time.” The audience grew and grew as the Supersession really gave Summerfest a mini Chicago Blues Festival.

Next was saxophonist/vocalist and multi-Grammy award nominee, Mindi Abair and her band. There really isn’t a genre of music she has not excelled in, including jazz, pop, rock’n’roll, and of course blues. Mindi, along with her band, performed several songs including her “Haute Sauce” to a crowd that continued to expand in size. I also noticed there were people dancing in couples and singles just outside of the seating area.

Buddy Guy and his band took to the stage at 10:00 pm, performing to a huge audience. It was absolutely no surprise to me to see how attentive the audience was as they had “all eyes” on Buddy throughout the show. He opened with his classic “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues,” which is really the perfect opener for what may very well be his final Summerfest performance due to his upcoming retirement. Additional songs included classics “She’s Nineteen Years Old,” “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” and when he sang “Skin Deep,” he made sure the audience sang along. Buddy also gave mention of other blues legends including B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Bobby Rush. Of course, Buddy showed some of his unique techniques, which included his playing his guitar with a drumstick and a towel. I really cannot count the number of times I have seen Buddy Guy on tour and during his homestand at Legends in Chicago while I can tell you I don’t recall seeing him smile as many times as he did this Summerfest night. He also passed words of advice to the audience, including letting your children decide what they want to pursue for a career, which was the segway into his sharing the story about his son Greg, who had no idea Buddy was an incredible guitarist until he saw him perform inside his club.

Suddenly it’s a Buddy Guy Blues Jam
Greg Guy took to the stage as did Mindi Abair and Wisconsin bluesman Stephen Hull.
This was an incredible opportunity for everyone, including the audience. I could not help but notice how excited the audience was, as they witnessed Greg, Ric Hall (Buddy’s guitarist), and Mindi perform to and with Stephen. Those of us who follow Stephen’s growing career were able to see the looks of both amazement and bliss, while we cheered him on.

Day 2
 
We had another day of beautiful weather as I started with singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Caroline Jones, who performed with her band on the Generac Stage. Caroline is definitely pop country and she has an infectious grin as she performed on both guitar and electric banjo. I also noticed her performance was going so well that her audience seemed to grow with every song she performed. I encourage you to check her out because she is also the first and only female to join the Zac Brown Band, which is really remarkable.

Next on my list was Autograph, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since this is no longer the lineup from the days of “Turn Up the Radio.” I was immediately impressed with Jimi Bell’s tapping style of guitar playing, in fact, he was so good that I almost forgot there were other members of this band. I really found the theatrics of the band to be fun to photograph and I noticed the crowd was starting to gather to watch Autograph perform on the US Cellular Stage.

Milwaukee’s eclectic VIVO was next and they performed at the Johnsonville Summerville stage. This band has quite an impressive blend of contemporary jazz, pop, bossa, and samba. In fact, for whatever unknown reason, Summerfest doesn’t feature much jazz at all, which is why I wanted to be sure to check out VIVO. The picnic tables were full of people enjoying this band along with Johnsonville brats and other sausage items.

Back to the 80’s Glam Metal Bands
I returned to the US Cellular stage for my favorite all-chick rock band, Vixen, who most definitely “Rev’d it Up” to the large crowd. This was the first time many of us saw their newest member, Julia Lage (bass), and it was unanimous, everyone I spoke to agreed she fits in quite nicely. I suppose there will always be fans who enjoy Vixen for eye candy, while the majority of fans really appreciate the musicianship of Roxy Petrucci (drums), Britt Lightning (guitar), and Lorraine Lewis (vocals). They put on such an amazing show that people were talking about it for the remainder of the day.

I think it would be a pretty good challenge for any band to follow Vixen’s energetic performance yet the Steven Adler Band did not disappoint anyone. This was my first time seeing them and I have been a fan of Steven Adler ever since “Welcome to the Jungle” hit the radio in 1987, which prompted me to buy Appetite for Destruction. I also cheered for Steven’s sobriety when he was on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab. I am not alone in being his fan as he was welcomed with great applause and cheer from hundreds of people in the audience. It was easy to tell how much Steven appreciated the warm welcome as he greeted the audience as he stood behind his drum kit, with his giant grin.

This band literally blew me away! I ended up totally geeking out in the photo pit as I bopped around while taking pictures, and it seemed infectious as I noticed members smiled back and even posed a bit for me. Really, this was my favorite “new to me band” of Summerfest, so far, and I even had to buy a shirt to celebrate how much fun I had. I will see them again and again, whenever they return to Milwaukee because they are just that good and a whole lot of fun!

Switching Genres
It was time for indie pop/neo-soul from Fitz and the Tantrums who headlined the Uline Warehouse stage, performing to a packed crowd. One thing is certain about attending a Fitz and the Tantrums show and that is you won’t be bored because both lead singers, Noelle Scaggs and Michael Fitzpatrick, command audience participation. Before anyone has time to think, they automatically follow instructions and start singing along. It is hard to believe seven years have passed since their first major hit, “HandClap” was all over the radio and in our heads for days on end! I saw happy faces in every direction as I panned the audience to see how they thought this show was going, and that of course made me smile right back.

Progressive Metal Powerhouse 
Headlining the US Cellular stage was Queensrÿche, who performed to the largest crowd I saw on day two of Summerfest 2023! The longtime fans of Queensrÿche were packed on the rails and as deep as I could see. I cannot think of a more uniquely mesmerizing voice than that of lead singer Todd La Torre. Add the intensely brilliant guitar work by original Queensrÿche co-founders Michael Wilton and Mike Stone for a sound that is not duplicated by any other metal band of the 1980s. This band has at least sixteen albums, and their longtime fans are able to easily name them in order and who the band members were for each album, which amazes me. There is just something so very regal about this band’s sound, and that easily accounts for why they had such a great Summerfest turnout. This was really a great finale for the 80’s metal band day.

Day 3 began with great bands from the 1960s and 1970s

I started my third-day adventure by finally getting to see Vanilla Fudge perform on the BMO Pavilion stage, and what I anticipated most was getting to photograph Carmine Appice in action. I have been spinning a vintage copy of their 1967 self-titled album on a regular rotation for the past several years. I went into this with incredibly high expectations and let me assure you, Vanilla Fudge exceeded them. Watching the incredible drumming of Carmine was everything I had hoped it would be, and I noticed the audience was as blown away as I was by the grins they had on their faces. It was also incredible listening to them tell their story of how crazy times were during the late 1960s as they performed live shows during significant civil unrest, which is part of the reason they cover Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” If I ever have the chance to interview them I would ask about their process of deciding how to turn such great songs into magnificent rock arrangements. Every fan in attendance that I spoke with after this show said this was by far one of the best performances they have seen at Summerfest so far this year. For those following the ongoing Carmine v. Nikki Sixx feud, well, Nikki could not possibly be more wrong with his fact-free opinion about Carmine being “a washed-up drummer.” Even Carmine’s drum solo gave us an opportunity to witness greatness.

I made my way over to the Generac Power Stage and saw what was by far the largest crowd I had seen up to this point, as I had to work my way to photograph Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. As I panned the crowd I noticed a variety of ages, including younger people, given this band formed in 1966, who made me wonder how they even knew about Nitty Gritty Dirt Band considering what little radio play they seem to have these days. The band’s harmony, combined with Jimmie Fadden’s harmonica playing, made such a soothing experience in the bright sunshine afternoon weather.

Wishbone Ash with their twin lead guitarists played a powerful show on the Uline Warehouse stage, and it was obvious they enjoyed what they were doing as I noticed them smiling often in response to the love their audience gave them. Founding member Andy Powell (guitar and vocals) is amazingly timeless and there is no indication he is tired of performing based upon his performance and he looks younger than his age. As I watched both Andy and Mark Abrahams play their twin guitar leads it quickly became impossible to determine who was better than the other, and that is a great ingredient for a successful band. Of course, I am a bit partial toward Andy’s V-style guitar.

I made the mile trek back to the BMO Pavilion for Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets. Here is another real-life singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who continues to put on a masterclass with his performance as he did not have any signs of slowing down even though he has been performing since the late 1960s. Fans were really happy he had crafted a setlist that pulled select songs from his entire career, opening with “So It Goes” followed by “Ragin Eyes” and “Without Love.” It was super obvious fans were having a great time singing along with Nick Lowe while also enjoying Los Straitjackets, and this was the perfect combination to open for the headliner on a cool Saturday night.

Something totally different   
I really was curious to see what second-generation rapper Destroy Lonely was all about as his first album, If Looks Could Kill was released about a month before. I instantly noticed his fans were quite rowdy as they continued to climb on top of each other and push hard on the rails in response to the first song “how u feel?” followed by “all the time.”  Several cell phones were tossed onto the stage for Destroy Lonely to take a selfie and then try to return them to the owners by tossing them back in the general direction they came. His song lyrics are definitely a sign of the times for rap as they focused on designer name materialism, drugs, and sexual encounters. His fans were happy and he seemed happy about that.

Indie Pop singer-songwriter Adam Melchor was next as I headed to the US Cellular Connection stage and I noticed what seemed to be an endless sea of screaming younger girls who just could not get enough of him. I had to work hard to turn my attention to him as I was trying to figure out if he had depth while there was no question he fed off the energetic screams from his fans. At my age, I cannot help but look at new singer-songwriters with the curiosity of wondering if they would possibly become a modern day version of Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, or Cat Stevens. While I have to say there were small hints of possibilities for Adam, his fans seemed to have him as their current crush, and I left thinking he has a solid performance style as he played guitar and sang.

Headliners
Elvis Costello & The Imposters headlined the BMO Pavilion stage, performing for enthusiastic fans. It was hard to find any empty seats as I looked around, and I noticed the hill that leads to the seating area was jam-packed with fans. This was definitely a solid headliner for Summerfest to book as everyone got up from their seats to give Elvis a very warm welcome. The first three songs to this setlist were “Lipstick Vogue,” “Mystery Dance,” and “Hetty O’Hara Confidential.” I must say he sounded great, and of course, I was just as enthused to see him as everyone else. I also understand he practically sold out of merchandise before his show started, and I cannot recall that ever happening before to any other headliner, at least on this stage.

Last but not least was Brett Eldredge, country music singer-songwriter and producer, on the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage. There were no empty spots in the stadium-style seats, the picnic tables, or in all of the places one can stand to see the stage. Brett came out with never ending energy and his fans were certainly loud as they greeted him. His first three songs were “Good Day,” his first really big hit “Don’t Ya,” and the title track from his latest album “Songs About You.”  It was really a great final show of the first weekend of Summerfest because Brett moved all about the stage, sometimes spinning and sometimes doing a little dance, which pretty much sums up how so many of us felt.

See you on 06/29 for the second weekend of Milwaukee’s 55th Summerfest!

See the Full Gallery of the Weekend Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.