Summerfest Day 6: The best and worst
IshDARR, Alessia Cara shine; ‘Lakeside 4cast’ falls flat
It was a night that belonged to the young, and we’re not saying that to be overly romantic.
Summerfest modified its Fourth of July bookings to attract a younger audience. Some of those (dare we say it?) millennial bookings went over better than others.
IshDARR at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
After a full day of performances from upand-coming Midwestern hip-hop acts, IshDARR closed out Tuesday with a jazz-influenced set featuring Foreign Goods.
The set started with Sista Strings’ impromptu playing along with Milwaukee-native Kid Cut Up’s DJ set, getting the crowd hyped. After a 20-minute delay, the crowd was a bit restless, but when IshDARR’s DJ kicked off the set with a smooth mix of new rap songs and T-shirt giveaways, they were right back with it. After a few more delays and technical difficulties, Milwaukee’s own Foreign Goods started to play and IshDARR finally arrived.
He kicked it off with his popular single “Locals” while the band provided jazzy remixes of his songs. While the energy level stayed chill throughout, which was a change from the previous acts, the unsuspecting young crowd stuck with him for the entire time. A highlight of the show was special guest and label-mate BoodahDARR, who mixed his style with the band’s soulfulness, making him hard to forget.
“I’m 20 years old and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” IshDARR proclaimed. Based on the loud response that proclamation received, Summerfest should continue its trend of booking Milwaukee hip-hop acts as headlining artists. —Tyrone Miller, Special to the Journal Sentinel Alessia Cara at the Miller Lite Oasis Given the depth of self-reflective maturity in her 2015 debut album “Know-It-All,” it can be hard to remember that Alessia Cara is just 20 years old.
The Canadian-born singer carried that maturity onto the stage Tuesday night, blending the trappings of a rock show with messages of introspection and empowerment.
Strumming ferociously at an acoustic guitar in front of a tight three-piece band, the desperation and regret of “Overdose” was carried in the slight grit of her soaring voice. Drenched with humility rarely found in a chart-topping pop star, Cara was a gracious host, urging the audience to love one another before the doo-wop swing of “Outlaws.”
On “Here,” the singer’s breakout ballad of introversion and independence, she paced the stage, drawing confidence from a crowd that sang along loudly with the familiar lyrics until a new verse that reflected on Cara’s life. Her voice becoming impassioned, she explored the experiences a person who sought privacy at a basement party three years ago dealing with the swelling pressures of fame and succeeding with an audience appreciative of her honesty and vulnerability on stage. — Erik Ernst, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Saba at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
In the middle of a day filled with performances from a new generation of Milwaukee and Chicago hip-hop, Saba stood out with an engaging set.
Saba’s DJ Dam Dam kicked off the set with a melody of newer rap that re-energized the crowd from the lackluster previous act. Saba then took the stage and rocked the crowd with his mix of soulful, jazzy trap hip-hop, including his breakout song “Church Liquor Store” featuring fellow Chicago native and Chance the Rapper’s single “Angels,” which Saba is featured on.
He bounced around the stage for his entire 40-minute set, interacting with the crowd without missing one lyric. It was refreshing to see a young MC not rap with a vocal track over his own voice. Outside of being told to put my hands in the air a few too many times, Saba put on a truly impressive show. — Tyrone Miller
Miike Snow at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse
On a day traditionally marked by fireworks, Miike Snow preferred a rich display of aural pyrotechnics early in its set Tuesday night.
The indie-electric-pop trio of two Swedish producers, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, and American singer/songrwriter/ producer Andrew Wyatt — joined onstage by drummer Gunnar Olsen — opened with the lush, swaying falsetto-fueled “My Trigger.” From a darkened stage, the pop tune bounced across a crowd of nodding heads and singing voices.
Soon, a large screen came alive, projecting a moving street scene behind the band as “Billie Holiday” bounded with its joyous melody. “Cult Logic” thumped with a mechanical disco fuzz as Karlsson and Winnberg danced behind their two center-stage audio consoles. “Summerfest, this is your time to shine,” Wyatt told the crowd. The band’s scintillating grooves helped that glow grow. — Erik Ernst
And now, the gruesome details of the bands that didn’t quite stick the landing at the Big Gig.
“Lakeside 4cast” showcase at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
It’s a great idea that deserved to thrive: Milwaukee native Zach Henderson, a Chicago-based producer who goes by oddCouple, curated a July 4 Summerfest showcase of rising Chicago and Milwaukee hip-hop scenes dubbed “Lakeside 4cast.”
The good news is there was a decent-sized crowd when it kicked off at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The bad news is the crowd wasn’t always decent.
The show began with Chicago R&B artist Jamila Woods, best known for collaborations with Chance and Macklemore. However, Woods’ strong music and stronger message largely fell on deaf ears.
Milwaukee rapper WebsterX at least managed to get the indifferent crowd to stand up when he took the stage at 6 p.m.
“Y’all ... bored?” he asked at one point. “I saw a few excited faces,” he said later. He couldn’t fully conceal his disappointment, but WebsterX nevertheless managed to muster up at least some of his patented energy.
OddCouple followed at 7 p.m. Several collaborators from his sleek new album “Liberation” were in the wings, including WebsterX, Woods, Milwaukee singer Siren and Chicago rapper Joey Purp. Instead, oddCouple played soulful remixes of Chance, Kanye West and Drake with a synth player, bassist and violinist backing him up. It was the safer play, but it still didn’t make much of a difference. — Piet Levy