Summerfest 2007

Every since I moved to Wisconsin I’ve been hearing about the world famous Summerfest, a two-week outdoor music festival off Lake Michigan. All the people I’ve met suggested that I go and all guaranteed that I’d have a great time because of the music, food, and diversity of people.

Yesterday, I decided to take everyone’s suggestion, especially because if you went between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., you could get in free. So, I headed down to Lake Michigan at 2 p.m. to pick up my free ticket, got a re-entry arm band and returned at 6:30 p.m. to partake in the Summerfest fun. The event is composed of several large music stages, hosted by corporate and radio sponsors, and several small local music stages; therefore, each stage hosted artists playing different genres of music. Although my favorite types of music are hip-hop and R&B, I decided that in the interest of maximizing my fun and exposure to Summerfest, I’d stop by all the stages and try to enjoy as much good music as possible.

The first group I caught was the Toys, a local Wisconsin favorite. They’re a self described alternative dance band. They played several original songs and covered several classic rock tunes. They definitely had a strong local following and put on an excellent live show.

The second group I caught was Australian super rock group INXS. It was definitely 80’s rock at its best. The band performed their international hits “What You Need”, “Never Tear Us Apart”, and “Need You Tonight”. I’m not much of an 80’s rock fan, but INXS got me feeling the grove and partying like its 1980 (although I wasn’t party much in the 80’s).

The third act I tried to see was country superstar Toby Keith, but you had to pay extra to see him, and I wasn’t about to pay any extra money to see someone I wasn’t completely familiar with. Although I didn’t get to go in his venue, they cowboy boots and hat wearing crowd was definitely in attendance. As they say, “Yeeah Haw!”

The fourth act I heard was a local salsa band. I never caught their name and I actually never saw them perform as I was eating dinner behind their small local stage. However, I did get a good glimpse of their crowd and noticed that plenty of salsa dancing was being done and good times for all.

The fifth group I saw was Milwaukee’s own, the Rusty P’s, a hip-hop group composed of Phantom Channel, Caddilac and D.J. Madhatter. They’re definitely a throwback to old school hip-hop, with scratch sets and strong b-boy lyrical fitness. Unfortunately, their set was short, so by the time I got into the show, they were being rushed off the stage.

The sixth act I saw was R&B sensation Brian McKnight. He sang with a live band and it was definitely soulful and entertaining. He sung all his classics, including my personal favorites, “Crazy Love”, “Back at One”, and “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda”. When it comes to singing, you can really tell a lot about an artist if they can actually sing their songs live, i.e. the voice sounds good in hot and natural conditions, and Brian McKnight proved to me that he’s one of R&B’s best singers.

The seventh group I saw was another Milwaukee hip-hop group, the Black Elephant. The Black Elephant infuses a live guitar, bass, keyboard with rappers Element and Dameon. Their sound is a true fusion of soul and hip-hop with politically conscious lyrics. Unfortunately, their set was short and because of the live band, there was lots of distortion, which muted some of their lyrics. I’ll have to go online a checkout some of their studio music.

The eighth and final act I saw hip-hop’s newest star Lupe Fiasco. Actually, once I heard Lupe was performing, I had all the motivation I needed to attend Summerfest. He lived up to all the hype, as his act was by far the best show of the evening. He performed all his burners, “Kick, Push”, “I Gotcha” and “Daydreaming” and his drive bys on Kanye West’s “Touch the Sky”. Although he’s relatively new to hip-hop, Lupe has already mastered the art of a great live performance because he encouraged audience participation; he was all over the stage getting hype, which caused the audience to get hype and he even confirmed the release date for his sophomore album, The Cool, for Halloween 2007.