Last night I went to my first concert since I moved to Madison and caught Steve Earle’s show at the Barrymore Theatre.
Musically, Steve and his backing band (the Dukes) rocked the house, concentrating on songs from his two most recent discs, “The Revolution Starts Now” and “Jerusalem.” He didn’t ignore his back catalog though, playing excellent versions of older tunes like “Guitar Town,” “Copperhead Road” and “Goodbye.”
Summerfest is over. This year, I went to the fest six nights and saw a total of twenty bands (that means I stayed at a stage and listened to at least a few songs — I don’t count “walk-bys”). Here are a few thoughts on this year’s festival.
Right now, we’re smack dab in the middle of Summerfest here in the Milwaukee area. Last night I was at an outstanding show where Burning Spear (a.k.a. Winston Rodney) and his band performed one of the best reggae concerts I’ve ever attended.
Last night at Summerfest, I saw what could be the quintessential American band, Wilco. Wilco’s musical mix of rock, folk, country and even punk at times can resonate with an almost magical quality. Both the slow, quiet songs and the loud rowdy songs had this quality last night. The tunes that stood out for me were “Monday,” “War On War” and “Misunderstood.” The band also played some excellent new songs last night (which I hope will be on their next CD).
It’s the middle of Summerfest (one the the world’s biggest music festivals) and I’ve already been to some excellent concerts. The two that stand out so far are Peter Gabriel (as you would expect, his show was good both theatrically and musically) and Lucky Dube (a reggae singer from South Africa).
At Lucky Dube’s concert last night, a thought struck me in the middle of the show. Whenever I’m at a reggae show the audience is always the most diverse of all the concerts I go to. You seem to see all ages, races and if I may be presumptuous, even income classes. When you’re grooving to the music with such a diverse crowd, you begin to wonder why it is so difficult for all of us in this world to get along with one another.
Wow! Last night I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band’s show in Milwaukee. Of course I was anticipating songs from Springsteen’s back catalog the most (“She’s The One” was a real treat), but my favorite song of the night turned out to be “The Fuse” from his current album. I was wondering how some of the more somber material from The Rising would turn out in concert, but Bruce and the band pulled it off like the seasoned professionals they are. Surprisingly, while the old classics were great, I enjoyed hearing a lot the new songs more than the older ones.
Summerfest is over and I ended up going five times this year. I must admit I thought the musical line-up was a little weaker compared to years past. Some of those same old acts are definitely due for a break next year. Seeing a group like the BoDeans headline the main stage year after year is getting a bit stale. On the other hand I did see (and hear) some great concerts. My favorites this year (starting with the best) were Guided by Voices, Midnight Oil, Femi Kuti, Train, Third World, Yellowman and R&B group Christopher’s Project. How’s that for en eclectic group? Oh, and in case you’re interested, just 352 days until Summerfest 2003.
