As I said in my Summerfest Picks, July 8 would be the best day with music to keep you interested. My choices for the night were: 30 Seconds to Mars, Marty Casey and the Lovehammers and, finally, Pink.
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars took the U.S. Cellular Stage after Chicago-based band the Hush Sound, which, after catching the tail-end of their performance, I’d like to hear more but not in a festival setting. Hollywood star Jared Leto along with the other members of the band came onstage about 8:20 p.m. wearing Michael Jackson-esque, or bandito style, coverings on their faces.
I am in love with the band’s CD “A Beautiful Lie,” but the show turned out to be more of a showboating experience than a concert. After six songs, the band was done. Now, those songs took an entire 45 minutes, but still … six songs when the band has two CDs out? There’s a disconnect if I ever saw one. The “My So-Called Life” star dropped the F-bomb as much as he could, let the audience sing for him as much as he could, but then he also tried to have as much fun as possible.
By far, he provided some of the most memorable moments I’ve ever experienced at Summerfest. He scaled the U.S. Cellular Stage for Pete sake! He was stage left, all the way up to the top where everyone could see him hanging from the stage’s rafters, if you could call the white beams that. It would have been a shame to see him fall, thankfully he didn’t. He also tried to get people to move the bleachers out from the middle of the stage area; the bleachers are bolted down which I think the Summerfest crew was smart to do.
Finally, the most interesting and shocking thing occurred during the band’s final -- and my favorite -- song “Attack.” Jared stopped the song midway through to scold someone, who I think was either a parent or a Summerfest security guard, for “freaking out.” He made sure no one was hurt and said that as long as no one was being stupid everything was fine and we could have fun. How true.
Still, six songs? I can’t stand it. I was disappointed when the All-American Rejects only sang for 50 minutes last week, at least that band sang more than a handful of songs.
But it’s well-known that the band sticks around after their shows to sign things and hang out which is definitely redeeming. Jared let the audience know where they’d be more than once and I saw people carrying posters and CDs around the grounds that were autographed.
Marty Casey and the Lovehammers
So, Marty Casey was the runner-up from last summer’s CBS reality competition “Rockstar:INXS.” All I can say is that I am glad he didn’t win. First, J.D. Fortune was a better fit for INXS. Second, Marty just rocks this band. I went home and downloaded the band’s self-titled album from iTunes after seeing the performance.
Marty has this stage presence that captures people. His unique dancing is also fun to watch. It’s a mixture of maniacal conductor and man who wants to fly which you’d think would be funny looking, but he’s just too cool to laugh at. He was another lead singer who wanted to climb things, like one of the cranes building Discovery World by the lake. He let the crowd know that he had already been warned by Summerfest staff that he was not allowed to do so. His reputation precedes him.
After seeing the live show, all the talk backs on my Summerfest picks about the Lovehammers makes sense. The music touches more than a few genres, hard rock, soft rock, pop. For me, the best songs were “The Riddle” and “Trees,” a song Marty sang and, I believe, penned for “Rockstar: INXS.”
I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t get my request for Britney Spears though.
Pink
The last time I saw Pink was at Chicago’s Soldier Field; she had just released her debut CD and was opening for NSync’s “No Strings Attached” tour. She was great then and she was great this go’round.
She came out hard and fast with “‘Cuz I Can,” one of the best songs off of “I’m Not Dead Yet.” The songs performed were primarily off of “Missundaztood” and “I’m Not Dead Yet.” This includes fan favorites “Just Like a Pill,” “Don’t Let Me Get Me” and “Stupid Girls.” She even took the audience back to her first album, “Can’t Take Me Home,” when she performed her first single ever “There You Go.” Fans of Pink’s music can see how far she’s come, because that first album definitely was too R&B/Pop when compared to her newer material.
The best part of the night came near the end. Pink started a massive sing-a-long with a song everyone seemed to know, “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, and she wanted everyone to sing so people in the suburbs would wake up. As a small Milwaukee tribute, she tried to sing the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” but she couldn’t remember all the lyrics.
Note to everyone: Don’t leave a concert until the background music comes on or the lights come on. No one seems to remember this fact. Pink took a seemingly long break before the encore for a change of clothing and to grab a drink. The encore is where this singer truly shined. She serenaded the crowd with the acoustic song “The One That Got Away” to show off her vocals. Then came the showstopper, “Dear Mr. President” which was penned and sung with the Indigo Girls on “I’m Not Dead Yet.” It’s a scathing song dedicated to our president, but the harmonies on the chorus are just breathtaking.
I didn’t expect her show to be so crowded, with Panic! At the Disco as the U.S. Cellular Stage and Guster at the Miller Lite Stage. I could barely see her most of the time because of all the people, but Pink is one amazing singer.
But she ended the night with “Get This Party Started,” which is ironic since the party’s over with the last song. She didn’t sing “God is a DJ,” which was slightly odd since it was a single as well. However, it was one of the most satisfying Summerfest concerts ever. (See Jeff Sherman's review for a set list from the show).
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars took the U.S. Cellular Stage after Chicago-based band the Hush Sound, which, after catching the tail-end of their performance, I’d like to hear more but not in a festival setting. Hollywood star Jared Leto along with the other members of the band came onstage about 8:20 p.m. wearing Michael Jackson-esque, or bandito style, coverings on their faces.
I am in love with the band’s CD “A Beautiful Lie,” but the show turned out to be more of a showboating experience than a concert. After six songs, the band was done. Now, those songs took an entire 45 minutes, but still … six songs when the band has two CDs out? There’s a disconnect if I ever saw one. The “My So-Called Life” star dropped the F-bomb as much as he could, let the audience sing for him as much as he could, but then he also tried to have as much fun as possible.
By far, he provided some of the most memorable moments I’ve ever experienced at Summerfest. He scaled the U.S. Cellular Stage for Pete sake! He was stage left, all the way up to the top where everyone could see him hanging from the stage’s rafters, if you could call the white beams that. It would have been a shame to see him fall, thankfully he didn’t. He also tried to get people to move the bleachers out from the middle of the stage area; the bleachers are bolted down which I think the Summerfest crew was smart to do.
Finally, the most interesting and shocking thing occurred during the band’s final -- and my favorite -- song “Attack.” Jared stopped the song midway through to scold someone, who I think was either a parent or a Summerfest security guard, for “freaking out.” He made sure no one was hurt and said that as long as no one was being stupid everything was fine and we could have fun. How true.
Still, six songs? I can’t stand it. I was disappointed when the All-American Rejects only sang for 50 minutes last week, at least that band sang more than a handful of songs.
But it’s well-known that the band sticks around after their shows to sign things and hang out which is definitely redeeming. Jared let the audience know where they’d be more than once and I saw people carrying posters and CDs around the grounds that were autographed.
Marty Casey and the Lovehammers
So, Marty Casey was the runner-up from last summer’s CBS reality competition “Rockstar:INXS.” All I can say is that I am glad he didn’t win. First, J.D. Fortune was a better fit for INXS. Second, Marty just rocks this band. I went home and downloaded the band’s self-titled album from iTunes after seeing the performance.
Marty has this stage presence that captures people. His unique dancing is also fun to watch. It’s a mixture of maniacal conductor and man who wants to fly which you’d think would be funny looking, but he’s just too cool to laugh at. He was another lead singer who wanted to climb things, like one of the cranes building Discovery World by the lake. He let the crowd know that he had already been warned by Summerfest staff that he was not allowed to do so. His reputation precedes him.
After seeing the live show, all the talk backs on my Summerfest picks about the Lovehammers makes sense. The music touches more than a few genres, hard rock, soft rock, pop. For me, the best songs were “The Riddle” and “Trees,” a song Marty sang and, I believe, penned for “Rockstar: INXS.”
I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t get my request for Britney Spears though.
Pink
The last time I saw Pink was at Chicago’s Soldier Field; she had just released her debut CD and was opening for NSync’s “No Strings Attached” tour. She was great then and she was great this go’round.
She came out hard and fast with “‘Cuz I Can,” one of the best songs off of “I’m Not Dead Yet.” The songs performed were primarily off of “Missundaztood” and “I’m Not Dead Yet.” This includes fan favorites “Just Like a Pill,” “Don’t Let Me Get Me” and “Stupid Girls.” She even took the audience back to her first album, “Can’t Take Me Home,” when she performed her first single ever “There You Go.” Fans of Pink’s music can see how far she’s come, because that first album definitely was too R&B/Pop when compared to her newer material.
The best part of the night came near the end. Pink started a massive sing-a-long with a song everyone seemed to know, “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, and she wanted everyone to sing so people in the suburbs would wake up. As a small Milwaukee tribute, she tried to sing the Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” but she couldn’t remember all the lyrics.
Note to everyone: Don’t leave a concert until the background music comes on or the lights come on. No one seems to remember this fact. Pink took a seemingly long break before the encore for a change of clothing and to grab a drink. The encore is where this singer truly shined. She serenaded the crowd with the acoustic song “The One That Got Away” to show off her vocals. Then came the showstopper, “Dear Mr. President” which was penned and sung with the Indigo Girls on “I’m Not Dead Yet.” It’s a scathing song dedicated to our president, but the harmonies on the chorus are just breathtaking.
I didn’t expect her show to be so crowded, with Panic! At the Disco as the U.S. Cellular Stage and Guster at the Miller Lite Stage. I could barely see her most of the time because of all the people, but Pink is one amazing singer.
But she ended the night with “Get This Party Started,” which is ironic since the party’s over with the last song. She didn’t sing “God is a DJ,” which was slightly odd since it was a single as well. However, it was one of the most satisfying Summerfest concerts ever. (See Jeff Sherman's review for a set list from the show).
Originally from Des Plaines, Ill., Heather moved to Milwaukee to earn a B.A. in journalism from Marquette University. With a tongue-twisting last name like Leszczewicz, it's best to go into a career where people don't need to say your name often.
However, she's still sticking to some of her Illinoisan ways (she won't reform when it comes to things like pop, water fountain or ATM), though she's grown to enjoy her time in the Brew City.
Although her journalism career is still budding, Heather has had the chance for some once-in-a-lifetime interviews with celebrities like actor Vince Vaughn and actress Charlize Theron, director Cameron Crowe and singers Ben Kweller and Isaac Hanson of '90s brother boy band Hanson.
Heather's a self-proclaimed workaholic but loves her entertainment. She's a real television and movie fanatic, book nerd, music junkie, coffee addict and pop culture aficionado.
