Illenium’s EDM, Keith Urban’s country, MUNA’s indie pop pride for Summerfest’s sequel
The musical momentum representing every single style and generation imaginable certainly carried into the second weekend of Summerfest, which was once again stacked with superstars and emerging artists spread across no less than a dozen stages.
There was no better way to get the party going inside the American Family Insurance Amphitheater than Illinois native Illenium, who’s remixed just about everyone of current relevance and continues crafting his own electronic endorphin rushes, each set to the mesmerizing visual array of pyro, lasers, smokestacks and mood-enhancing screens.
Fellow marquee man Keith Urban brought some rockin’ country, playing faster than “The Speed of Now” on a “Straight Line” through tons of hits, plus previews of an upcoming guitar-charged project.
Fresh off Taylor Swift’s “The Eras” Tour, indie pop band MUNA dropped nothing but bangers featuring surging synth beats and colossal choruses, while its fiercely dedicated following screamed along to lyrics of self-discovery that fit right into the message of Pride Month.
The name Mike Campbell might ring a bell as the axe-slinger for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and the final edition of Fleetwood Mac, though nowadays he’s similarly at home fronting spicy southerners The Dirty Knobs, who delivered much of “Vagabonds, Virgins And Misfits,” yet made sure to leave a little room to “Listen To Her Heart.”
Landing somewhere between pop, rock and country with collaborators as widespread as Diplo, Polo G and Jelly Roll, 19-year-old singer/songwriter Jessie Murph appeared to be on the verge of blowing up as she confidently settled into her own shoes after impressively covering others on TikTok and YouTube.
Former Boston front man Tommy DeCarlo astounded on such iconic arena anthems as “Peace Of Mind,” “Don’t Look Back,” “Amanda” and “Long Time,” in addition to a few spot-on Styx surprises by August Zadra, the guitarist he shares with co-founder Dennis DeYoung.
Platinum R&B favorite Mario didn’t only dust off the smooth grooves at night, but provided dedicated fans an intimate afternoon opportunity to catch him croon “Just A Friend” and many more in the living room-like setting of the American Family Insurance House.
Original mall queen Tiffany may be all grown up, yet continues to craft contagious pop tunes with a richer than ever before, especially when it came to selections off her current “Shadows” collection, though confections from the 1980s were never too far around the corner.
It unfortunately began raining precisely as the The All-American Rejects were revving up, but the power pop/punk combo made a point to seamlessly “Move Along” and thrill those who grew up surrounding the “Van Warped” Tour era.
However, alternative veterans Letters To Cleo perhaps made the most history, mainly because it was 27 years since they previously stopped in Milwaukee, yet Kay Hanley and company managed to made up for lost time by aggressively celebrating the 30th anniversary of the seminal “Aurora Gory Alice” album on the way to Summerfest starting back up July 4-6 for what’s already shaping up to be a firecracker of a finale.
Deanna Glatczak contributed to this review.
Click here for more photos of Summerfest’s second weekend at Henry Maier Festival Park.
For a list of upcoming concerts at Summerfest, visit Summerfest.com.