I’ve spent the past few days in Milwaukee, hanging out with friends and going to Summerfest. One of the great things about the fest can be amount of talent that’s available. With the main-stage amphitheater and seven major side-stages there is of a lot of music going on. Sometimes, the quality of the acts on a given night can be so high it’s tough to decide which act to focus on. In some ways this can be a bad thing. Because there are so many bands you want to see, you can end up seeing a smattering of a lot of acts, missing out on each band’s entire performance.

Such was the case on Sunday. I saw parts of six quality acts including The Whigs (an alternative rock trio from Athens, Georgia), Soul Asylum, Kings of Leon, Tragically Hip (one of my favorite bands), and the reggae sounds of King Solomon. At one point in the middle of the evening, my friend and I decided to check out Fred Hammond (a gospel act). Wow! Fred and his band’s tight sound was inspirational, crowd pleasing, and the best thing we heard all night. Actually, the phrase “crowd pleasing” is a vast understatement. A great majority of the audience knew all of the songs, belting out the choruses (and a lot of the verses). At times Fred would just point the microphone at the crowd and let them raise their voices. Most of the time, audience participation during concerts can be a drag, but with the crowd belting out those gospel songs and raising their hands in praise, it just made the show better. Praise the Lord, indeed.