BRAD PAISLEY TOPS ROBUST LIST OF MUSIKFEST ACTS
The Revivalists’ midweek misstep to Brad Paisley’s fabulous finish
This year, Musikfest’s Steel Stage saved its best for last.
And that’s saying a lot.
Usually that means that what came before the end was mediocre. But this year’s Musikfest main stage was consistent and consistently good during its 11day run.
There was a packed party of a show with the festival’s first electronic dance music headliner, The Chainsmokers, on its official opening night Aug. 2. There was a strong show by classic rocker Steve Miller and country favorite Marty Stuart on Aug. 3.
It also had great middle-ofthe-week shows by a revived and rocking Weezer on Aug. 5, another night full of hits with Train and Goo Goo Dolls on Aug. 6, and an evening of intensity on Aug. 7 with Incubus.
In fact, there were so many good shows that ranking them is difficult. Just how good Musikfest’s main stage was is shown by the fact that a fun and feature-filled concert by country music trio Lady Antebellum on Aug. 4, which could have been the top show for many of Musikfest’s years, was barely in the top half of our shows this year.
But the closing night show by Brad Paisley edged all the others. Paisley is a country music icon, but put forth every effort, playing all his hits, playing them well and engaging the crowd.
Here’s our ranking of Musikfest’s main stage shows this year:
11. The Revivalists, Aug. 8. Virtually all music acts stand on the shoulders of those who have come before them musically and stylistically. But for half of The Revivalists’ 16-song, 90-minute show, it seemed as if it lacked any clear idea of how to do that — or even what kind of music it wanted to play. For the first few songs, it sounded as if the band was willing to throw any sound out there, hoping something would connect. It finished strong, but too little, too late.
10. Phillip Phillips, Aug. 10. Singer Phillip Phillips showed he apparently has learned a lot since winning the 11th season of FOXTV’s “American Idol” in 2012, and the two-year contract dispute over the direction of his career. Or not. He was good when he embraced the “Idol”-connected hits he once rejected, and playing other songs in that style, but below par when he stretched his 12-song, 73-minute set with long, pointless jams in which he barely played and didn’t sing. 9. Earth, Wind & Fire, Aug. 1. It might seem Earth Wind & Fire would be the perfect act for a warm, starry August night, and its fun 1970s soul-funk songs indeed captured a carefree time. But it’s also true summer can’t hold on forever, and the 18-song, 95-minute preview night show exposed the lack of depth in the band’s songbook, and how a few of its songs haven’t held up quite as well.
8. Godsmack, Aug. 9. Here’s where the ranking gets tougher. Godsmack came out blazing and didn’t let up for nearly two hours, without intermission. The setlist was standard Godsmack, but that’s very good. But up against a strong lineup, here is where it lands in the rankings.
7. Incubus, Aug. 7. Incubus’ show was successful because the band showed it still, 20 years
later, can deliver the intensity that made it such a hit in the 1990s. But it also showed it also still has the ability to reach a broader audience, not just with its classic songs, but with new ones, as well. Some of the best of its 18-song 97-minute set were when it combined the intensity and accessibility.
6. The Chainsmokers, Aug. 2. The Chainsmokers’ success has come in blowing up conventions of electronic dance music, and the group did it with a hits-and-effects-packed show of 16 full and partial songs that offered one of the most intense concert experiences ever at Musikfest. It played its multi-platinum original singles and had an energetic, visually exciting show. But at just 74 minutes, it was significantly
shorter than any other mainstage show but Phillips’.
5. Lady Antebellum, Aug. 4. Lady Antebellum brought its old hits, a few new hits and some other artists’ hits in a 19-song, 90-minute showcase that summed up the trio’s musical journey over the past 13-plus years and answered a larger question about where their sound is headed next. Throughout the night, the band simply played to its strengths, with a depth and richness in their harmonies still unrivaled in country music.
4. Weezer, Aug. 5. Weezer’s hour-and-15-minute set was filled with hits, leaning on older songs such as “Buddy Holly,” “My Name is Jonas” and “Undone (the Sweater Song).” But
with its recent career resurgence, with four new albums in four years, the group also played a few lesser-known numbers. And with its recent No. 1Alternative chart hit cover of Toto’s “Africa,” it also played covers, including A-ha’s “Take On Me.” In short, something for everyone. 3. Steve Miller Band, with Marty Stuart and His Fabu
lous Superlatives, Aug. 3. Steve Miller has told us he’s a picker, he’s a grinner, he’s a lover and he’s a sinner. And that description, as well as any, explained his Musikfest show. His 18-song, 90-minute set had (a lot of ) hits, deeper cuts and even a cover song, covering blues, bluegrass, country — and, of course, rock. After more than 50 years, he’s still a-rockin’ us, baby. Stuart was an inspired supporting act, playing a 13-song, hour-long set that similarly showed how talented he and his band are. 2. Train and Goo Goo Dolls,
Aug. 6. Both late 1990s alt rockers Goo Goo Dolls and 2000s radio-rockers Train made their careers through hit singles. Both also followed that path to success at Musikfest, giving the festival its only sold-out audience of the year pretty much everything it expected to hear, and the way it expected to hear it, in a coheadlining show. The familiarity of the hits in Goo Goo Dolls’ 15-song, hourlong set were almost comforting, and Train singer Patrick Monahan wailed as if his life depended on it through an 18-song, 85-minute set.
1. Brad Paisely, Aug. 11. Country music star Brad Paisely’s concert on the final night of Musikfest seemed not only fitting in every way, but also seemed everything the audience could have wanted. The show very much had that loose, feelgood, end-of-summer vibe, and packed the 24-song set with hits — 14 of them gold or platinum, a dozen of them No. 1s. At one point early in the show, Paisley played six chart-topping songs in a row. It had episodes of frivolous fun in which Paisley played with the crowd, and let Paisley display his prestigious guitar skills. Reporter Stephanie Sigafoos and freelance writer Dave Howell contributed to this report. Morning Call Lehigh Valley Music reporter and columnist John J. Moser can be reached at 610-820-6722 or jmoser@mcall.com