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In Summerfest Guide Blogs
Acquitted by "guilty pleasure" Huey Lewis
Don't tell the Summerfest crowd that it's been a long time since Huey Lewis posted a single on the charts.  
By Andy Tarnoff RSS Feed Twitter Feed
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Photography by John Feld
E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Andy Tarnoff

What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published July 5, 2009 at 12:30 a.m.
Tags: huey lewis and the news, summerfest

It's a well-documented admission on the pages of OnMilwaukee.com that my guilty music pleasure is Huey Lewis and the News. As someone who considers his taste in music to be at least slightly above average (though plenty will disagree with that, too), I'm well aware that Lewis is neither aurally spectacular nor particularly popular anymore.

Still, and maybe it's my inner fifth grader, I've always liked him -- a lot. So when I saw that he was coming to Summerfest this year, I marked my calendar early. This was one show I actually wanted to review.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one looking forward to his 10 p.m. show at the M&I Classic Rock Stage. Plenty, and I mean plenty of people made it out, opting for the blued-eyed soul of Lewis over fireworks and backyard barbecues. Do keep in mind that Huey Lewis and the News charted 19 "Top Ten" singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock Charts. For pretty much the entire decade of the '80s, they cranked out hit after hit, with major singles like "The Heart of Rock & Roll,""If This Is It," and my personal favorite, ""The Power of Love."

Not surprisingly, the band -- which still consists of a handful of original members -- played most of what one would expect. They're obviously very tight, and not just because they've been playing the same material forever; the band plays upwards of 70 shows a year.

If you could make any criticism, it's that Lewis seemed like he was mailing it in a little. His music was good, but it felt like an oldies show. Lewis looked as good I expected him to be, but his music felt like Streetlife at a Bucks' game.

But nothing against Lewis, who nailed it with "New Drug," "Hip To Be Square," "Power of Love" and so much more. With about 10 guys on stage, it was everything the crowd wanted and more.

In a 90 minute show, Lewis played all of his hits, and considering I don't own any of his material, I was surprised that I knew just about every song. He played "Heart of Rock and Roll" during his encore, and it was easily the most enthusiastic tune of the night.

I'm happy I finally saw Huey, but once was enough. Lewis was a classic rock show, with a capella songs, horns and soul. His time has passed, but since I wasn't there in '85 to appreciate the first time around, this was as good as it was going to get -- and that was plenty fun, indeed.

Make no mistake about it, Huey Lewis and the News is now old news. They haven't released an album since 2001, though they are reportedly working on new material since they recorded the theme song to 2008's "Pineapple Express."

But that takes nothing off the nostalgia of a great performer and a voice from my childhood. And if liking Huey Lewis is a crime, consider me guilty as charged.

8 comments about this article.
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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Dusty_Bottoms on July 8, 2009 at 10:32 p.m. (report)

I saw him in '85 (though I would have guessed more like '83 or '84 -- I don't recall quite being old enough to drive) on the old main stage. Was never a huge fan, but my sister was back in the day, and one can't deny how catchy them songs are. Good fun. So we went this year, more for a lark than anything else. I was rather surprised and disappointed by the opening song, Some Kind of Wonderful, a song you could probably hear 10 times a day at Summerfest. The crowd was ridiculous, it was too quiet, even up front off to one side, and three of the first six songs sounded like godawful smooth jazz. We left after six songs to catch some of Flogging Molly, though I understand it did get better after that. Overall, a bit disappointing. Also, missed Mario Cippolina on bass and Chris Hayes on guitar. Apparently they both retired, but it's not really the News without those guys.

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Posted by Broner on July 7, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. (report)

I was enjoying all the smoke but that dangerously loud Huey Lewis band really ruined it for me.

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Posted by devidia on July 6, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. (report)

...and if liking Huey Lewis is wrong, you don't wanna be right. Right??...

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Posted by BV Patty on July 6, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. (report)

Pure old school fun. Got to sing along on every song, danced on the benches, hugged strangers...now that is Summerfest to me!

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Posted by brewerfan13 on July 6, 2009 at 8:45 a.m. (report)

Huey rocked it! I sat through the horrible 6 o clock band and the suprisingly good U2 Zoo to get close seats and considering the crowd that showed up, I'm glad I did! I think Huey's voice has thinned a bit over the years but it was still a great show.

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