The second weekend of Summerfest 2022 delivers the energy
I started the first day of the second Summerfest weekend with Tommy DeCarlo, singer of Boston, and what an incredible performance it was! Before he appeared his band played several Styx songs, which totally surprised those of us who expected only Boston songs. Then Tommy DeCarlo took to the stage and all of us who memory-holed the lyrics suddenly realized we had an instant recall and sang along, while the fun continued! I never saw Boston back in the day, which made Tommy DeCarlo and his band my instant connection to my vintage Boston vinyl, and it made me even happier to see so many younger people dig this music because it is more evidence rock’n’roll is more than a feeling.
https://www.facebook.com/DECARLOROCKS
Only a few minutes of The Fixx
There certainly were many unique bands in the 1980s who took rock into a variety of unknown “new wave” directions, and I really hardly remember them unless I hear a particular song. Then there’s The Fixx – a favorite, full of new wave innovation and passion, and holy heck here they are at Summerfest! I really need more time with The Fixx as I was only able to stay for their first song, “Touch” before I had to head over to the other end of Summerfest grounds to be on time for my next assignment. I was blown away by watching The Fixx perform live, even though I had no idea what exactly to expect from the days I would watch them on MTV. The audience turnout was fantastic and that has everything to do with the sheer brilliance of this band. The FIXX also just released their latest album, Every Five Seconds, which is getting excellent reviews as they continue leaving their audiences floating on the top shelf of melodic “new wave” for 2022!
It was hotter than heck and the temperature was going to get much hotter
It was one of those ‘heat exhaustion in the making’ kind of days, which are thankfully few and far between in Milwaukee. I had to walk about a mile to get to the American Family Insurance Amphitheater for Chevelle, Lamb of God, and Disturbed, a perfect combination to challenge any photojournalist.
Chevelle, a band somewhat local to Milwaukee because they are from just over the IL/WI border in Grayslake, opened with “An Island” and the pit area of fans expressed their instant appreciation, while other fans were finding their way to their seats. This was my first time to see Kemble Walters on bass, and it has been several years since Pete and Sam Loeffler, as Chevelle, last played Summerfest, all of which was why I was looking forward to this show (at least the first three songs we are allowed to photograph). They certainly were fantastic and don’t take my opinion, take the opinions from the pit who cheered with each song!
Challenge accepted when it came time to photograph Randy Blythe, lead singer for Lamb of God, who is known to jump and be extraordinarily busy on stage, as in not easy to photograph. I’ll begin by saying I blew his jump off the drum riser, which also means I need to do this again. As for the band and their music, I’m still a newbie trying to figure out what exactly each song means, while also digging their sound. All started rather calmly with “Memento Mori” until the intense ‘WAKE UP’ and suddenly everyone on stage was a ball of intense energy. I knew the fire was coming, but like his jump, I just did not know when, and what an intense feeling of heat as the flames shot up, which the audience went completely bonkers about! Lamb of God’s energy is unmatched as they showed no signs of slowing down during “Ruin” and “Walk With Me In Hell.”
The headliner was Disturbed, another fine heavy metal band from Chicago. While waiting for their show to begin I could not help but overhear people in the pit trying to guess if David Draiman would be wearing his long leather coat in the extreme heat, or not. He did wear a much lighter than leather overcoat, which he removed early during his performance. Bassist John Moyer and guitarist Dan Donegan really stood out to me with their fervent stage presence. It was clear they were giving the audience exactly what the audience was giving them, especially during “Stupify,” which really took their show to the next level.
The night ended with The Revivalists
Summerfest’s Miller Lite Oasis Stage featured headliner The Revivalists. As I looked into the audience, I noticed many familiar faces that I usually see whenever this band plays in Milwaukee, and the understood etiquette means we take a few moments to stop and visit and show what new Revivalists gear was picked up before the show. There was also a lot of excitement about the Made in Muscle Shoals Vol. 2 EP, just released days prior to this show, and frontman David Shaw’s recent wedding.
This band always brings such positive energy during their performance and this night was no exception as they opened with “You Said It All” followed by “Criminal” and “It was a Sin,” all three of which are well-recognized fan favorites. By this time everything was in full intensity, and Ed Williams had played his pedal steel in tilt mode.
Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll
While this song is what I use as the theme song for every Summerfest, it is more meaningful for Summerfest 2022 because we were able to start this day with Blue Oyster Cult on the Uline Warehouse stage. It somehow seems near impossible to believe this band is celebrating their 50th Anniversary with this tour until I remember my age and reflect on the number of decades I have been listening to this band.
It was also great to see several people much younger than me enjoying the show, especially the interactions between Buck Dharma, Eric Bloom, and Danny Miranda.
http://www.blueoystercult.com/
Scarypoolparty
This was my second time enjoying Scarypoolparty, aka Alejandro Aranda, and what an incredible performance of acoustic Spanish guitar work. If you ever get a chance to see him please do not pass it up because Scarypoolparty is both unpredictable and incredibly talented. His double album, The Act of Forgiveness, is as beautiful as he is!
Pop Punk artists Avril Lavigne and Machine Gun Kelly were quite the draw
This show was in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, with a reported attendance of 18,000 out of the 23,000 total capacity, one of the largest draws of Summerfest.
Avril’s stage and costume theme showed plenty of orange and black as she opened with her classic “Girlfriend” which was well received by the audience. Her second song was “Bite Me” from her latest album, Luv Sux, released on 2/25/2022, with fans singing along. “What the Hell,” another older Avril classic, followed.
Initially, I was told Machine Gun Kelly’s helicopter wasn’t going to make this show, and then just hours before the show started, I received confirmation the helicopter was in fact suspended from the ceiling over the stage. His descent from the helicopter is an incredibly iconic moment for photographers, myself included. His stage was slightly tilted with the back of the stage being higher than the front, and I really wondered if standing on the tilted part made a person lose balance or not. Machine Gun Kelly performed “born with horns,” “god save me,” and “maybe,” all from his Mainstream Sellout, released 3/25/2022, after he descended from his helicopter rope ladder. His microphone stand is a giant hand, which looks amazing. He was more than happy to share with the audience how this show drew the largest audience compared to the prior times he has performed at Summerfest on the amphitheater stage. It was very clear the audience dug what he was doing pretty much every second of his performance.
https://www.machinegunkelly.com/#/
Stone Temple Pilots
If you know me you know I don’t run unless I have minutes to go to make it on time to another stage, which was exactly what happened as I could hear the sound of both Dean DeLeo’s guitar and Eric Kretz’s cymbals start “Wicked Garden,” one of my most favorite of all Stone Temple Pilot songs. Thankfully, I made it just in time to capture photos of Stone Temple Pilots and to check out my first time seeing lead singer Jeff Gutt. “Vasoline” and “Big Bang Baby” both followed as the crowd and I immediately decided Stone Temple Pilots are fantastic again! Being in the photo pit while photographing Stone Temple Pilots remains one of my most memorable experiences of Summerfest 2022 because I got to closely observe the genius of the DeLeo’s, Kretz, and how Jeff professionally made everything be as alive as it once was. I sure hope they return to WI soon so I can do it all over again with them!
https://stonetemplepilots.com/
Aargh! I hate when this happens!
War and Here Come The Mummies, two bands I enjoy immensely, performed on two different stages at the same time. Both bands are entertaining and their music makes it impossible for so many people to stand still. If you are a fan of funk then you owe it to yourself to see both of these bands.
I had to start with War because original member Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan (keys & vocals) provides historically accurate and entertaining context for so many songs. Each band member is entertaining to observe while they perform due to their creative antics such as twirling drumsticks, and who doesn’t enjoy singing along with the songs from the best-selling album of 1973, The World is a Ghetto, including “Cisco Kid?”
I did not want to leave War but alas, Here Come The Mummies were just a few ground stages away, and as soon as I could hear them upon my approach, I was bopping! Just in time for their “Freak Flag!” What an incredibly fun band and I could tell their crowd was completely into this show based on the smiles and bopping.
https://herecomethemummies.com/
Raised in Milwaukee
Buffalo Nichols is another show I was not going to miss, especially since he was raised in Milwaukee making Summerfest a home stand. Buffalo Nichols’s self-titled album was released 10/15/21 on Fat Possum Records. Why Fat Possum Records is significant here is Buffalo Nichols is the first solo blues singer the label has signed in the past twenty years, and that is tremendous. His singing style reminds me of Keb’ Mo’ while his guitar playing is more complex. There’s such a peaceful intensity about Buffalo Nichols that it makes it difficult for his audience to look away. His future is wide open, as many of us look forward to his next album.
https://www.buffalo-nichols.com/
Jackie Venson returns to Summerfest
Milwaukee loves Jackie and she returns the love with her brilliant performances which combine a fusion of genres she uniquely perfects along with her band while displaying sheer joy through her smile. If you are a fan of Jackie and follow her on social media, you know how genuinely she interacts with her audience. She has grown her fan base better and faster than many other artists who hire publicists as found in her Facebook group. Jackie attracts fans of all ages and that becomes even more obvious by looking at her audience. Jackie was sure to treat us to a wide variety of songs from her albums. We would absolutely love to see her return to Summerfest again in 2023!
Just as it was meant to be
BoDeans had the largest audience of any band I saw perform on the Johnson Controls stage, with fans packed inside and surrounding the outside of this structure. Usually, I can easily leave the photo pit and then walk through the crowd to the merchandise area however there was no way I could do that during this performance due to the massive amount of people. I literally had to exit the Johnson Controls structure and walk outside of the massive amount of people, then re-enter the structure by the merchandise to check out the shirts which match the new logo for the 4 the Last Time, which was released 6/24/2022. As I looked at the audience and saw how many people were singing along with Kurt Neumann, it was obvious to me this was a heartfelt show. We love this band originally from Waukesha, WI, and based upon Kurt’s smile, he has never stopped loving us back. Things became even more interesting when newlyweds crashed into the pit. In all of my years of covering Summerfest, this was my first to see a bride in her wedding gown.
Too Hot ta Trot!
The masters of song seduction from Motown finally returned to Summerfest and there was no way I was going to pass them up! I have patiently waited for The Commodores to return to Summerfest and they were even better compared to years prior. They started with “I Feel Sanctified” then moved right into “Too Hot ta Trot” followed by “Easy.” Even though we are decades from when these hits were released, it is clear The Commodores are not slowing down and far too many of us did not want their show to end!
Kick Push
The final show of the night was Lupe Fiasco and he kicked things off with his classic “Kick Push” which also let us know this was going to be a fantastic show because we could not have been any happier with this crowd favorite song! Fresh off his 6/24/22 release of Drill Music in Zion and his new teaching job at MIT, Lupe really laid it out about how important performing at Summerfest is. As far as rappers go, there’s nobody else who writes meaningful and purposeful lyrics as Lupe Fiasco.
Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Weekend!
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.
