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Summerfest
Jul. 8th, 2007 10:00 pmSo I threw off the shackles of the computer this weekend, and headed off to Milwaukee with a friend from high school to experience the fun that is Summerfest. We couldn't have asked for better weather...perfect skies, warm but not too warm, a gentle breeze to keep me from being overwhelmed by my own sweatiness.
There weren't any bands playing that I was absolutely dying to see...(I know I snickered to myself whenever I saw emo kids who were obviously there to see Panic at the Disco!) but I did discover a couple of new ones that were pretty enjoyable. One was a Milwaukee-based rock band called Boxkar, they were the kind of band born to play live, with the lead singer strutting across the stage, joking with his bandmates, really working the crowd, the other was a three-piece that was more singer-songwritery called Romantica, and I liked them for their earnestness and storyteller lyrics.
The highlight of the day, though, was definitely Live. They headlined the Miller Lite stage at about 10:30, and while I can't say I have followed their career in quite a while, their biggest album, Throwing Copper, was on heavy rotation back when I was an alienated, angst-filled teen, and so I thought watching their set would be a nice nostalgia trip. They played all of their big radio hits, along with some others, including a lovely song called Sofia that I think was about Ed Kowalcyk's wife. And through it all I couldn't help but marvel at what a fine piece of man Ed is, and appreciate how genuinely serene and joyful he seemed to be despite the hot lights, the demanding crowd, and the sweat that drenched him. He just radiated happiness, and it was refreshing, because sometimes I get tired of cooler than thou rockstar types who are more concerned with image and irony. Sometimes I just want to experience music in its purest form.
There weren't any bands playing that I was absolutely dying to see...(I know I snickered to myself whenever I saw emo kids who were obviously there to see Panic at the Disco!) but I did discover a couple of new ones that were pretty enjoyable. One was a Milwaukee-based rock band called Boxkar, they were the kind of band born to play live, with the lead singer strutting across the stage, joking with his bandmates, really working the crowd, the other was a three-piece that was more singer-songwritery called Romantica, and I liked them for their earnestness and storyteller lyrics.
The highlight of the day, though, was definitely Live. They headlined the Miller Lite stage at about 10:30, and while I can't say I have followed their career in quite a while, their biggest album, Throwing Copper, was on heavy rotation back when I was an alienated, angst-filled teen, and so I thought watching their set would be a nice nostalgia trip. They played all of their big radio hits, along with some others, including a lovely song called Sofia that I think was about Ed Kowalcyk's wife. And through it all I couldn't help but marvel at what a fine piece of man Ed is, and appreciate how genuinely serene and joyful he seemed to be despite the hot lights, the demanding crowd, and the sweat that drenched him. He just radiated happiness, and it was refreshing, because sometimes I get tired of cooler than thou rockstar types who are more concerned with image and irony. Sometimes I just want to experience music in its purest form.
