The rain threatened to put a damper on Summerfest's Fourth of July in the early going, but the skies cleared long enough for the headliners to shine. Well, most of them.
Here's the best and worst of what we saw and heard at the Big Gig Thursday.
Mariah the Scientist
If you’re ever feeling insecure about your level of patriotism, do like Mariah the Scientist: Stuff an American flag in the pocket of your skirt, just in case.
The Atlanta-based R&B songstress kept a packed Briggs & Stratton Backyard captivated Thursday night with no band, no fancy dance moves and no attempt at a fashion statement.
She didn’t need much beyond her growing repertoire of infectious songs and the casual yet arresting power of her voice. She commanded the stage alone for more than an hour of mostly originals, including a generous helping from her underrated 2023 album "To Be Eaten Alive," a core of diehards screaming along at the center of the bleachers.
“This is for all my lovers, and for all the ones who love me back,” she said, introducing “Always n Forever.” The set featured some quasi-bangers but was mostly moody slow jams like that, the heavy bass thickening the still night air. Summerfest swayed along contentedly.
— Cal Roach, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Mt. Joy
Independence Day, cliché central for furniture marketing departments as well as rock 'n' roll. Mt. Joy kicked off its headlining set at the BMO Pavilion Thursday night with crowd-pleaser “Sheep,” which contains the patriotic refrain “You cut it up, you cut it up/But it's still the red white and the blue.”
Later on, an atmospheric lull in “Let Loose” led into a minute or so of “Born in the U.S.A.” Lead vocalist Matt Quinn didn’t necessarily have a handle on the lyrics; if it was a case of ironic detachment, it didn’t come off that way.
Between the mild psychedelic visual backdrop and the occasional forays into guitar or piano solos, Mt. Joy could be mistaken for an earnest jam band, if only they had the musical chops to pull it off.
Keyboardist Jackie Miclau alone showcased any kind of propensity for taking an audience on a journey through musical notes. Otherwise, it was elementary loud-soft dynamics buffeting a lot of unremarkable indie-rock tunes.
— Cal Roach
Brian Kelley
Despite the fancy camerawork, smoke machine and remnant fame as a member of disbanded Florida Georgia Line, Brian Kelley’s performance was lackluster.
At the UScellular Connection Stage, the last 15 rows were mostly empty, and most of the crowd was concentrated toward the front of the stage.
To their credit, Kelley’s most engaged fans raised their beer cans to the stage and slow-danced in the back. One fan even held up a sign that read, “KISS OUR BOOTS TYLER #BKSFL4EVR,” what seemed to be a reference to Kelley’s song “Kiss My Boots” and a dig at Tyler Hubbard, the other half of Florida Georgia Line.
Few people seemed to know the words to Kelley’s songs, most of which were from his newest album “Tennessee Truth” and two unreleased songs from his upcoming album. It wasn’t until he sang two of Jason Aldean’s songs “Burnin’ It Down” and “You Make It Easy,” both written by the Florida Georgia Line duo, that the crowd began singing along enthusiastically.
In true Independence Day spirit, Kelley played songs such as “American Spirit,” a song dedicated to American veterans, and Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” Hearing the familiar tune, passersby joined the crowd and chanted “USA, USA, USA.”
His charming interactions with fans and between-the-songs chatter was probably the most impressive part of his performance. At one point, Kelley even jumped off the stage to greet fans with high-fives and selfies. By the end of the set, Kelley’s face shone with beads of sweat.
Even though his own music did not seem to excite listeners beyond mild swaying and cheering, Kelley seemed earnest in his performance.
For the eager fans in the pit, this seemed to be more than enough.
— Jane Park, jpark@gannett.com
Set It Off
Pop-punk group Set It Off entered the Miller Lite Oasis unceremoniously, as the four members wordlessly took the stage. The crowd, modest but devoted, knew better and collectively rose to their feet.
The band opened up with their single “Parasite,” instantly warming up the stage with energy and excitement. Drummer Maxx Danziger was shirtless even before the first song began. Not even a broken arm could hamper band frontman Cody Carson’s energy.
Whether the crowd was able to match the band’s spirit was a different story. The small group of devoted fans screamed and roared the lyrics of the band’s setlist. But part of the crowd was made up of more casual listeners, who occasionally glanced at their phones and chatted on the side.
It was clear that Carson wanted more energy from the crowd. “I broke my hand a (expletive) week ago, I wanna see what you bring to the table,” he told the crowd.
There wasn’t much of the angry-head banging or body-thrashing commonly seen at their other concerts. It’s hard to get people riled up about exes, “Fake Ass Friends” and “Evil People” on the Fourth of July.
That didn’t stop Carson from trying. In some commendable crowd work, he engaged the left and right sides of the crowd in a scream-off and, at one point, encouraged the crowd to start a mosh pit.
The crowd became livelier toward the end of the set, when Carson announced that the two blurred concert locations on the group’s upcoming “Deathless Tour Part Two” poster were actually set to be held in Milwaukee. “Will we see you (expletives) or what?” he asked.
The crowd, in whoops, jeers and fist-pumping, answered yes.
— Jane Park
Sleeping With Sirens
Sleeping With Sirens are so metal, or maybe metalcore. Some might even say screamo. Whatever they are, they rocked the mostly full and very excited Miller Lite Oasis Thursday night.
Lead singer Kellin Quinn’s distinct, high-pitched voice somehow found its way through the heavy guitar riffs and hammering drums. The entire band had the energy of my 5-year-old, but bassist Justin Hills stole the show — furiously running from one end of the stage to the other. At one point, he even had the camera man zoom in on him to exhibit his gnarly strumming, which actually looked pretty dope against the dark video screen in the background.
This is the type of performance that anyone in this genre of music would kill for — great (and so very distinct) vocals, a kick-ass band and the lead singer dropping the eff bomb every five seconds. It was glorious.
— Damon Joy, Special to the Journal Sentinel
JXDN
In a matter of 15 minutes, the audience at the Generac Power Stage went from a few stragglers in the first few rows to being nearly half-full. It seems JXDN (pronounced Jaden) has some pull.
The appeal became evident fairly quickly. The pop/punk rocker’s voice adjusted from edgy '90s alternative to death metal with little effort. No cracks, nothing. I actually thought he might have been lip-synching until I got within a few feet and realized that really was his voice.
With full band in tow, he commanded the crowd with an energetic yet mature show. JXDN was all over the stage, jumping and throwing mic stands while still knowing when to take it down a notch and regain control.
“Friends With Benefits” and “Angels & Demons” seemed to really get the crowd amped while simultaneously showing JXDN's amazing vocal range.
At the age of 23, JXDN puts on a pretty fantastic show. You’d be hard-pressed to see many his age so professional on stage.
— Damon Joy
Del Water Gap
Mother Nature supplied some extra water for Del Water Gap’s Thursday afternoon set at Uline Warehouse.
Frontman Samuel Holden Jaffe expressed regret that he was under the protection of the stage’s roof while the crowd was steadily getting more and more drenched. The light rain at the beginning of the set became heavier by the third song.
With no lightning in the area, Del Water Gap kept going — and the large crowd stayed put, with Gap’s biggest Summerfest fans dancing and singing through the showers to Jaffe’s pining alternative-pop gems like “Better Than I Know Myself” and “Doll House.” (Maggie Rogers was a brief bandmate, and her influence is apparent in Gap songs — and vice versa.)
And while a dry Jaffe felt guilt, he also expressed gratitude, that people continued to stick it out through the set, a roar from the crowd reassuring him that they weren’t going anywhere.
— Piet Levy, plevy@journalsentinel.com
Reyna
Rain, Summerfest 2024’s most persistent arch-nemesis, was back at it again Thursday afternoon. But for Milwaukee alternative pop duo Reyna, it proved to be an ally.
A relatively late addition to the schedule, Gabriela “Gaby” Banuelos (lead vocals and bass) and her sister Victoriah (guitar and vocals) were booked for the Aurora Pavilion at 5:45 p.m. Thursday. And it’s a covered stage, so the place was absolutely packed — with devoted fans, certainly, getting down to bittersweet earworms like “Lonely Girl,” and being-ghosted lament “You Could At Least Say Goodbye” — but also a whole bunch of people who knew nothing about the band but picked the right place to take shelter.
It couldn’t have happened to a better local act, but the folks who stumbled on Reyna were the fortunate ones. With master pop craftsman Carly Rae Jepsen playing later that night at the amphitheater, I kept thinking how Reyna is every bit their equal. Every song during Reyna's playfully executed Summerfest set (sharply backed by live drums) demonstrated their savviness with smart, heartfelt lyrics and a seemingly endless supply of instantly addictive, never-predictable hooks.
They deserved a massive crowd like this. They always do.
— Piet Levy
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mariah the Scientist, Mt. Joy, and best and worst of Summerfest 2024's Day 7 in Milwaukee
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