Road Trip Show: Summerfest2013(Day 1-2)

It’s that time of year again folks, Summefest is upon us!

Apologies for the long review, I meant to post this in two parts, but there were some snags with posting yesterday.

For those who are just tuning in, Summerfest is the world's largest music festival. (Literally, it’s in The Guiness Book of World Records!) It takes place in  the heart of Milwaukee, WI and brings in acts ranging from small, local talent to internationally renowned superstars. It’s an eleven day long, twelve stage spectacle with scores of local artists both of the musical variety and the craft variety. Jewelry makers, fortunetellers, incense, and cheep t-shirts can be found all over the grounds in addition to foods from the local restaurants. There’s even a kids zone (though if you want to see any of the bands in the eight or ten pm slots, you might want to leave the kids at home). It has to be seen to for the scale to be truly appreciated.

People come from all over the country, sometimes all over the world for Summefest. IF you’re a music fan and can get out to Milwaukee, WI, go. Period.

The Marcus Amphitheater : 4/6 I have a soft spot for the Marcus Amphitheater as I grew up with Summefest and the main stage was always a special treat because of aforementioned extra cost.  While the sound system is of course not the best the view is nearly always good and the two significantly large screens are visible enough and large enough that even on the lawn they are visible.

It’s an expansive venue that stretches that dominates one entire corner of the grounds and attracts the really big names that headline the festival. 

I love the Marcus personally

The show:

I did not manage to watch a full set weds day night, so this is the speed review section

 Edward Sharpe And TheMagnetic Zeros: (3/6) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros had a psychedelic, lo- fi feel to it with a lot of country influence. Their sound was very innocent and a yearning for the past that seemed out of place in a modern environment.  While I understand that they are meant to be a mellow band, their lack of energy was palpable. I’m mot sure if i was simply the fact that they were that stoned, or if they simply did not know how to put out energy well.

They get points for getting the crowd to participate, but overall not stellar.

Avette Brothers (3/6): The Avette Brothers band took a few songs to get for me my mind around. It didn’t help that they took a long time to get their energy up and warm up. They had a surprising number of instruments that probably haven’t been on the Marcus’ stage often. They scored some pretty major points from me for the use of a double bass that the bassist actually carried around, not as in a double necked bass guitar mind you a classical double bass. And the bass got a solo. So did the cello and the banjo. The banjo player was particular good.

On the whole, they were good, but not great.

Violent Femmes (2/6) I wasn’t expecting much from a 90s one hit wonder, and they still managed to fall short of those expectations. While I have no problems with a band being stoned/high/drunk on stage, they have to be able to preform well enough to give a good show. The band has to really be terrible to make me leave 20 minutes in. I did. They get a point for the fact that it was somewhat coherent. Even the solos were just terrible. It was bad enough that I was seriously wondering if there was something in their style that I was missing and they were somehow making that sound on purpose. Given that the album I recall from when I was younger did have a “stoner rock’ feel I’m still not sure.

Day 2:

Fun with Walk the Moon and Family of the Year at the Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee WI

Family of the Year: (2/6) I had some issues with reviewing them as the first band in a set is often the sound check band and the bass was *atrociously* off. I find it's a common thing to overdo the bass in order to compensate for weak middle end.

It never works.

The lead vocalists had absolutely no energy to speak of.  If a band is first line opener energy is often you’re only tool. You need to give it everything or you will fall flat on your face. They were aiming for that same lazy sound that the above bands had. They sounded lo-fi, nebulously out of place in time and Sleepy. They were also far too wholesome for my taste and no energy to speak of. They would have fit right in a few decades ago as a first tear at a big festival, they seem out of place in time and not in the nostalgic way.

The lyrics were repetitive and felt like they would have been more appropriate for a child’s venue.

Walk the Moon (3/6): In keeping with the semi-retro feeling of the past couple days, they have a lot of 80s influent and a solid, bouncy feeling. It was something easy to dance to. However, Walk the Moon took a significant effort to warm up. Innately they were clumsy and musically disorganized. They had one thing that a lot of younger bands  don’t-- they had the ability to  re-collect themselves. I could see the bassist gesturing to the sound guy and had a very good sense that they were putting the effort and taking the opportunity to tour with a bigger band seriously

Still not the greatest band I’ve heard, but far from the worst.

Credit where its due for the amount of crowd interaction they got, and actually getting the audience going. Even second tier openers often have issues getting a dedicated crowd motivated. I was impressed to see the number of fans there to see them explicitly.

Not bad

Fun. : Give me a second; I need to get my story straight.

(5/6)-- I feel like I’m eating my words in a lot of ways. I’ve been a bit non-pulsed  by fun, but the songs of theirs I do like  I love.  I saw them last year at one of the free stages and they were only fair and nearly inaudible due to some technical issues.  However, even then I could sense lead vocalist Nate Ruess’ endearing, shyness.

Last night, however, Ruess was charmingly awkward and insanely energetic. He was the capstone to an excellent night

This year, I think fun really found their stride. The energy was amazing and they very much lived up to their name. The show was, well, fun. It also captured that phase a lot of bands have when they rise to fame quickly.  There’s a particular, mind blown smile that i just love. It happens when the sheer wonderment that the massive audience in front of them is actually here for their band hits for the first time.

I don’t know what exactly what it was about their general feel but I have an instinct that we will remember Fun. for decades to come if they put the amount of energy into their next album as they did their live show.  I was also very impressed at the dynamics of the group. In many bands there is a lead vocalist and everyone else is treated as secondary. I feel like Ruess was genuinely affectionate toward his band mates and fans.

In fact, the overall genuineness of front dude was wonderful.  He also expended a ridiculous amount of energy, sprinting from one side of the stage to the other so hard that toward the finally he fell over briefly. It was unreal.

I was also impressed at the sheer number of instruments that came out per member. One of the members is listed on the studio work as playing nine different instruments, touring I think he reduced the number to four. Moreover, it wasn’t just for one or two songs, he was constantly switching off

Road Trip Show: Summerfest day1-2 (Milwaukee, WI)

Road trip show, Milwaukee, WI 

Summefest day 1: Lupé fiasco (not reviewed)

Venue: The Harley Davison Stage on the Summefest grounds. 

The reason Lupe Fiasco is going not reviewed is the same phenomenon that occurred last Summefest with Maroon 5.  The volume wasn’t adjusted right for the number of people at the show. I understand the dilemma of balancing popularity with respecting the other stages, however a simple sound check would have solved a lot of the problems.

But seriously, Summerfest, would it kill you to sound check? 


Summerfest day 2: The Foo Fighters and Silversun Pickups
Venue:

The Marcus Amphitheater (4/6): will always have a place in my heart as the crowning glory of the Summefest grounds where I spent a large chunk of my youth. All told she aged well, while the decade old sound system has all of the failings of an aging system-- Heavy bass and a week  mid-tone section—the  judicious use of screens and  the even distribution of speakers minimize the sound distortion making for a pleasurable experience even when you are well back (Due to miscommunications, I didn’t get tickets until later, which meant I was almost in the lawn).

The show:

Silversun Pickups (5/6): I’ve been itching to see Silversun Pickupsn live.  I am often skeptical of more ethereal vocal qualities translating to a live show.  The moment they started their set I realized I had nothing to fear.  Despite what it sounds like, Brian Aubert’s voice is not a falsetto. His speaking has a higher register and where his lower range sound is where he is modulating his voice. Live it is something to hear. Aubert is also incredibly articulate. Many bands don’t think to enunciate; with microphone distortion  this oftem makes the vocals sound slurred. There are few artists who cane clearly understood live, Silversun Pickups is one of them.

It was interesting to see a band that relies as heavily on the bass as Silversun Pickups does.  Even when it’s a band that has a front man who is the primary guitarist, most bands these days rely on lead guitar to propel the music forward.  In the case of Silversun Pickups, it feels as though Aubert acknowledged it is difficult to play and sing at the same time, but still enjoys doing lead guitar work, so the songs were composed  in such a way that the more intensive lead guitar work happens most when he is not singing. To accommodate this they have a phenomenal bassist who is talented enough to fill in where there isn’t a lead guitar.  To the casual listener, the sound is smooth and dynamic but doesn’t feel as chopped up as one that style risks being. 

Speaking of the bassist.  Nikki Monninger is a slip of a thing and soft spoken, and her body language is playful. (At one point during a particularly bouncy song she did what I can only call a hop step—like she was skipping in place) Her soft soprano voice serves to highlight Aubert’s already ethereal voice lending an otherworldly feel to their choruses.

And she plays a wicked bass.  

Then there’s the drum work, which is precise and technical without sounding over-rehearsed.

Overall these guys were killer on stage and a great show.

Foo Fighters (5/6): The Foo Fighters is one of the few bands I’ve seen live that  are not only still going after over twenty years but are still musically relevant (as opposed to the bands that are running off of nostalgia).  There  is something in how a band that seasoned comports themselves toward the crowd that you don’t see in even bands that are ten years old. There is a wonderful balance of both professionalism and well-deserved cockiness that comes with time.  David Grohl  is not only wonderfully talented and energetic, but  also  has a perfect report  with the fans. It feels as though he has learned to really gauge what the fans need and play to it.  Beyond simply being talented, Grohl has  both a strong presence and  the ability to share the spotlight.  Even after having been in the scene for as long as he has, he still took the time to introduce the  band as though they were new, encouraging them to show off their talents and praising them.  IN particular his dynamic with drummer Taylor Hawkins was both touching and entertaining. Hawlkins made the comment that the best thing about him was being best friends with David Grohl)

Aforementioned drummer is exceptionally talented in his own right, standing out in a six man group all of whom are exquisite musicians. 

It was also a real treat to hear some of their old songs (In addition to newer things),  I hadn’t heard “My Hero” in over  a decade and I’d be willing to wager I was not the only one in the crowd to share that sentiment.  There was something for every era of Foo Fighters fans.

A well done show.  It was a pleasure.