Among the many reasons Summerfest is such an intriguing venue in which to see live music is the mere fact that on any given night, one can see a diverse lineup of bands, spanning several musical genres in just a few hours and a few hundred yards.
For me, Monday was the night this year to drive that fact home. From the Nigerian world beats of Femi Kuti to the So-Cal rockabilly punk of Social Distortion, the Big Gig captured a little bit of everything and made for a most pleasant mid-fest evening.
Femi Kuti took the Briggs Backyard stage at 7:30 p.m. While I hadn't yet heard their music, enough friends told me it'd be worth seeing this unique group that I felt compelled to check it out. And believe it or not, I know a thing or two about Nigerian history and its political climate, and to call the African nation "a rough place," would be quite the understatement. So it was enlightening to see this most energetic group of nearly 15 bursting with enthusiasm, playing music that conjured up notes of Morpine, Santana and Bob Marley, mashed together in a modern African combination of sax, horns, guitars, keyboard. And lest I forget to mention the trio of brightly but scantily clad dancers who gyrated in a hypnotic whirlwind of rhythm - they capped a strong stage presence by every member involved.
Best of all, Femi Kuti brought along an equally diverse audience. It's not every day you see black and white people jamming out to the same band in Milwaukee. But from Rasta Reggae guys to hippie dudes to middle-aged folks, Femi Kuti put the "world" back into world beat. It made for a lively and enthusiastic introduction to this most colorful group.
Across the festival grounds, Social Distortion played the U.S. Cellular Stage at 10 p.m. I saw this band back in high school, in 1992, I think, and I recall it being the loudest show I've ever heard. This time around, Social D wasn't quite as loud, but front man Mike Ness sure was feeling chatty. Between songs, he rambled on about all sorts of stuff, including referring to the venue as "Summer F--- Fest." That was a new one to me.
Fortunately, despite his lack of brevity in between songs (at least a handful screamed "less talk, more rock!"), the music sounded dead on. For a guy who's done some hard living, Ness' voice came across amazingly clearly, and their library of hard rocking punk anthems held up nicely to this packed crowd.
Social D, who just released a greatest hits album, nailed most of them, including "Mommy's Little Monster," "Ball and Chain" and "Nickels and Dimes." Ness also threw in a few covers, including the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" and Hank Williams' "Six More Miles." The encore wrapped with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and "Story of My Life."
Unlike Femi Kuti, this crowd seemed a bit more homogenous, but no less engaged in the show. Tattooed current and former hipsters came out in force, completely filling the ample bleachers and picnic tables behind them. And Ness didn't disappoint, showing that 29 years after the band's inception, he still has the chops to deliver a serious rock show.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
