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As a patch of rain trickled down on the Summerfest grounds, fans trickled into the Generac Power Stage area to see pop punk/hip hop hybrid Sueco on Thursday at Summerfest. Before the end of his set, that crowd would build to a small flood, and for good reason.
Flanked by a guitarist and drummer on either side of him, Sueco displayed all of the swagger of a modern day rockstar during the late afternoon set, with the prowess of a veteran touring act at this point. He and guitarist James Marino would work the crowd from one side of the stage to the other, making sure to be as in-your-face as one can be from behind a barricade or two. Before the set was over, he’d make it a point to literally be in people’s faces, as well.
With a soundcheck that turned into a live mic, Marino playfully shouted “I love two things; Sueco, and America!” to the 4th of July crowd. That gave you a glimpse of where things were standing in Sueco’s camp, as the trio of musicians were all business when they were actually playing music, but making each other laugh when they weren’t in the middle of a song. More often than not, though, they stuck to what they’re known for best, leaning on material from 2022 breakout “It Was Fun While It Lasted,” as well as teasing a new album set to drop in a couple of weeks.
Sueco is largely a product of social media, though, and that wasn’t lost on him or the crowd on Thursday. Midway through the set, he ducked behind the curtain to come back with a steadicam rig attached to a phone for new single “Outta My Head,” which he explained had just hit a million streams before he walked onstage. During the song, a shirtless “fan” who was actually part of his team would tackle him to the ground while he was trying to perform, only for him to act bewildered by it all after the song ended.The footage will likely land on his social media presence soon. After the set, he would also tell fans that he was filming a TikTok on the grounds, if they would all be his extras. It’s the reality of making music in 2024 that artists must also be content creators on all mediums, and while it may have gotten in the way of the set on Thursday, you could sympathize with him that this was, in fact, part of his job.
When he wasn’t creating content, he was pouring his heart into his performance. He would opt to go for more pop punk than hip hop in the set, harmonizing and screaming his way through songs like the Travis Barker-assisted “SOS” and “Sober/Hungover” with a mob of fans bouncing along. Most of his new singles, however, were not part of Thursday’s show. He explained that this was his first show in a while, which likely meant that the new singles weren’t ever going to be part of the plan. That being said, few responses from the crowd were louder than a call-and-response on 2023 single “POS,” which is sure to stay in the set on the next touring cycle. Post-album single “Next Ex,” which was one of many that blew up online, also made the show, to a big response.
Before things would wrap up, Sueco looked to the crowd to create one last moment while he had time. He needed fans to open up a mosh pit, so that he could jump in with them. With the metal bleachers getting in the way, he ultimately landed on the right side of the crowd to run down and push amongst the fans. He couldn’t bring a mic down there with him, so it was a brief moment of chaos before closing out the night with single “Paralyzed.” In lieu of a proper encore, he finished with time for another song, which led to a bit of a scramble between the trio to figure out what to close on. His drummer found the backing track for “It’s Going Good!” from “It Was Fun While It Lasted,” which then became the night’s closing song. While he explained it was a deeper cut, the crowd knew every word, and it ended up working out as a closer.
By this point, Sueco had shown that he has all of the panache of a veteran rockstar, but still has all of the excitement of an up-and-comer. While his slot was earlier in the day, it’s reasonable to think that his name will be the biggest on the marquee in the very near future. On performance alone, he’s more than ready.
