Concert Review: Outlaw Fest 2025

As the night wore on at a nearly sold-out Alpine Valley Music Theater, I had one thought that kept coming back to me about the 10th Outlaw Festival. And that was that the name was a misnomer at this point. To me, “outlaw” suggests a bit of danger, and this show was anything but. It was overall too pleasant to be dangerous or daring. 

That isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but don’t get me wrong — Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan are true one-of-one American classics and this concert didn’t do anything to take that away from them. Waxahatchee and Sheryl Crow were also perfectly fine. I just found it funny that this is called Outlaw Fest, but any normie could come through the gates and enjoy themselves, even if they weren’t familiar with any of the music. 

All of that being said — I did enjoy the show. Read on for more in-depth thoughts, both positive and negative.

Waxahatchee and Sheryl Crow were the first two artists that I saw. I am going to lump them together here because I felt they are both pretty similar. They both deal in laid-back Americana, highlighted by excellent pedal steel in songs by each — “Right Back To It” by Waxahatchee and “Strong Enough” by Sheryl Crow. 

The vibes from each were wonderful; it felt like perfect festival music, if only the sun were out for their respective sets. 

Crow did differentiate her music via several bitchin’ guitar solos. “If It Makes You Happy” started a three-song run at the end of her set that got the crowd going, and it still absolutely slayed nearly 30 years on. It was mostly a greatest hits set, but that is not a thing to complain about. 

(If you’re unfamiliar with Waxahatchee, she and her band are awesome. Check out the aforementioned “Right Back to It” and also “Lilacs.” You will not be disappointed.)

Bob Dylan was next up, and he was Bob Dylan.

No one knows what the hell is going on here. Bob is supposedly there somewhere. 

Dylan doesn’t give a fuck what you want from him in concert, he has been doing his own thing since he went electric in 1965. 2025 Dylan isn’t any different. 

For an 84-year-old, particularly one not blessed with the best singing voice, Bob Dylan actually sounded pretty good. He has been working in the same old-timey blues-and-jazz arrangements for some time now, so to expect anything different was a fool’s errand. 

I recognized about half of his set, but almost none of them sounded like the versions on his albums. Dylanophiles will tell you this is what makes him great, casual fans will throw up their hands and want to never see him live again. I — unsurprisingly to some of you, I’m sure, — fall somewhere in the middle. I find some of his — shall we say… detours? — kind of annoying. But I respect what he does. The world needs more uncompromising artists, not less. 

Throughout his 75-minute set, I thought the arrangements were pretty simple in and of themselves. This allowed the crowd to get into the music even if it wasn’t recognizable immediately. There was, after all, plenty of dancing and swaying going on, which is not something I would expect at a Dylan show. 

“Early Roman Kings,” with its bedrock blues riff (think “Bad to the Bone”), was an early set standout. It was more guitar-driven compared to the album cut, which was pretty cool. 

“All Along the Watchtower” managed to channel Bob Seger or Jackson Browne at times, but was otherwise slightly disappointing. 

The epic “Desolation Row” seemed like it had a little pep in its step. Someone had a good harmonica run during it — was it Bob? Who the hell knows? The screens only showed a wide shot of the band, and never zoomed in on anything. Reports have suggested that Dylan has been making himself as unseen as possible this part of the tour. Apparently he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, so whatever I guess. 

It took to nearly the end of the set to get to a song that sounded mostly like the studio version, and that was for “Love Sick.” Good tune. Not much more to say than that.

The last couple of songs were a lesson in contrast. 

Neither sounded like the album cuts, because of course. But “Highway 61 Revisited” conjured up a sense of darkness or menace in its revision; “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” fell completely flat. On album, it is a bitter kiss-off to a former lover; here the arrangement took the piss and vinegar out the song. It was toothless and noodling for no reason at all aside from Dylan wanting it to be that way. It reminded me of William Shatner’s take on “Rocket Man,” which is in no way a compliment.

Dylan may or may not have said “thank you” at any point during his set, and he also didn’t introduce the band, which is odd for even him. That’s just how it goes with Bob; take it or leave it.

Every time I go to see Willie Nelson, the same thoughts pop up: 1) Is this going to be sad? (As in — should he just hang it up already?) And 2) Will this be the last time?

I can answer question one with a Dylan lyric: It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there. 

Willie Nelson can still play guitar pretty good, which is amazing for a 92-year-old-man. He did not play during every single song, which is perhaps for the better. I also felt his singing was a bit more behind the beat than usual — it might be his signature, but the way it has slipped was noticeable at times. 

But it is “Willie Nelson and Family,” and family — one man in particular — sure helped him out during the hourlong set. Waylon Payne, son of Jody, Willie’s former guitarist, sat in with Nelson throughout. He led “Working Man Blues” just like his old man, and backed Willie on both guitar and vocals on several cuts, including crowd-participation favorite “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”

This all being said, Willie still commands all the attention. He may be performing mostly the same set since about 1978, but his age lends gravitas to the songs that make them still worth seeing live.

“Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” was absolutely stunning. His voice might be diminished but the emotion was there in spades.

Mickey Raphael’s harmonica was excellent as always; I’ve felt that he has been the heart and soul of the band for some time now. But during “Last Leaf,” a Tom Waits cover (!), he ditched it for a longing accordion to great effect. The most poignant moment of the night came when Willie sang “If they cut down this tree / I’ll come back in a song.” This elicited a big cheer from the crowd, and rightfully so. 

If ever there was a mission statement for Willie Nelson for this moment in time, that was it. 

The set ended with traditional group-wide singalongs, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “It’s Hard to be Humble.” The joy was palpable on stage — one hopes the crowd savored every moment because it could very well be the last opportunity to do so. 

Willie and his great?-granddaughter. 

Overall I would say Outlaw Fest 2025 was perfectly fine. Sitting in the lawn seats was certainly a different vibe. The constant talking and movement of the people honestly took me out of the show here and there. The $17 beers (and more, depending on what you wanted) were a bit much. But the performances themselves were are all good — even Dylan, who will be eternally confounding!— and I can’t really ask for more than that. 

Concert Review: Nine Inch Nails at United Center, Chicago, IL (8/20/25)

About 90 minutes into the 115-minute set, Trent Reznor said to the crowd that when he was thinking about taking Nine Inch Nails out on tour again, he wasn’t sure if people would still care. Lol. Lmao, even. Both nights of the show were sold out at Chicago’s United Center, and one imagines most nights in most cities were also sold out. Nine Inch Nails’ music means a lot of things to an awful lot of people, so it was not a surprise at all to see this sort of response from the public.

The show started on the “B” stage, in the round. It was just Trent solo at a keyboard. He performed a medley of sorts, “Right Where It Belongs” and “Somewhat Damaged” blended into one song. Suddenly the name of the tour - “Peel It Back” - began to make sense. Usually the intensity of the music is what is unforgiving for Nine Inch Nails; this time it was the restraint. The rest of the band — minus drummer Josh Freese — joined in for the next two songs. Hauntingly beautiful would be a good way to describe them. 

A black-and-white video of Freese was projected onto the see-through shroud surrounding the stage as the band made their way back to the main stage. Once they were back, Freese was off like a madman as they kicked into “Wish.” It was an excellent one-two punch into “March of the Pigs,” with guitars that sounded more like jet engines. 

“Copy of A,” from 2013’s mostly forgotten Hesitation Marks — I personally haven’t heard or thought of that song in years — was a mid-set highlight. The music sounded mostly like the album cut, but the multiple Trents projected on that shroud made for some stunning visuals. I’ve seen NIN twice previously (2000; 2006) and it has never not been a visually interesting show. The 2025 version was no different.

Copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a....

From there it was back to the B-stage, this time with opener Boys Noize. (The less said about them, the better.) This mini-set featured some deep cuts and a couple of classics (“Closer,” “Sin”) all gussied up to sound like demented MTV Party to Go Remixes. Yes, NIN has always had electronics heavy featured in the music, and yes, their songs, particularly “Closer,” have always been danceable, but this reimagining fell completely flat for me. 

The last third of the set, all on the main stage, featured some great tunes. Late-period standout “Less Than” featured a somewhat tepid reaction from the crowd, but I thought it was excellent. “The Perfect Drug” had a dazzling light show to go along with the delectably noisy guitars and an amazing Freese drum solo to close it out. His playing was excellent all night, and I think he was the most outstanding of all the players on stage.

The last two songs of the show were probably the two heaviest. “Head Like A Hole” hit you in the head like a ton of bricks, buzz guitars and all, and featured probably the greatest crowd participation. Reznor didn’t even need to sing the chorus, because the crowd carried it with no problem. “Hurt” was still as emotionally devastating as it was 30 years ago (!!!). The line “You are someone else / I am still right here,” with Reznor bathed in spotlight, held some significance considering all he’s been through. (And, quite frankly, what all of us in the crowd have been through as well.)

Overall, I thought the performance was pretty good. The stripped-down versions were fine, the remixes not so much. The arrangements didn’t vary all that much from the studio versions, though they seemed noisier and more distorted. (This could also be a result of the sound mix, which I thought was kind of muddy, though that could also be the acoustics of the United Center.)

Trent Reznor is a 60-year-old man that doesn’t seem like he’s 60 - his voice doesn't sound like it's aged much at all, and Nine Inch Nails in 2025 showed no signs of slowing down. Even if the tours seem like they are fewer and further between, there is no reason to expect a NIN show to be anything other than excellent.

Summerfest 2025 Review: Competently Proficient

Another Summerfest has come and gone, so once again it’s time for the rundown of everything I saw. 

The phrase I keep coming back to when I think about this year’s edition of Summerfest is “competently proficient.” I think a lot of that has to do with what Summerfest is and kind of has been for some time now, which is to say that side-stage headliners are largely made up of nostalgia-driven acts. These artists can reliably fill theaters and large clubs (think The Riverside or Eagles Ballroom) and they mostly know how to please a festival crowd, particularly when competing with 7 other headliners simultaneously. Nothing was outright bad, but nothing was amazing either. It was fine. 

Weekend 2, Day 1 (I was out of town for Weekend 1)

DEVO - Uline Stage, 9:30 PM

I have never seen Devo live, and am also not a superfan by any stretch, so I genuinely did not know what to expect going into the show. 

Consider me pleasantly surprised. 

Despite being a band for more than 50 years, Mark Mothersbaugh & co. still know how to put on a high-energy show that was engaging both visually and musically. 

There were costume changes — they went from a more traditional all-black get up to their iconic yellow jumpsuit and energy dome hat and back again throughout the 80-minute set. The music was backed by pop-art/trash culture-inspired images and video clips. 

But the real standout was the music. I’ve always thought of Devo as being this wimpy, weirdo synth rock band — and they are that — but it occurred to me that a lot of their music is surprisingly muscular. The songs that featured both keyboards and guitar provided a nice contrast, and the songs that featured guitar prominently — hello, “Uncontrollable Urge” — genuinely rocked. Otherwise I would say the music was dance-punk before such a thing was called that, if that makes sense. 

Devo played their two best-known songs — “Girl U Want” and “Whip It” — back-to-back early in the set. They sounded excellent, just like they do on record. In fact, the entire set sounded pristine, and I would say it was the best-sounding show I heard all ‘Fest as far as sound quality is concerned. 

This show did not make me want to dive into their back catalogue, but it absolutely earned my respect for Devo as artists. That’s a hard thing to do, especially at Summerfest. 

Weekend 2, Day 2

Local H - Miller Lite Oasis Stage, 8:00 PM

Local H feels like a band that should have been bigger than they were (or are now). They normally play 400-ish seat venues, at least when they come around here, so it was surprising to see such a big crowd. And the crowd wasn’t just there to save their seats for Billy Corgan at 10 o’clock.

In short: over the course of 12 songs in one hour, they came, they rocked, and they left. 

Normally a two-piece band, Local H took to the stage with two drummers. Perhaps for the occasion of opening for the not-Smashing Pumpkins (or being at a stage far larger than what they normally play) they wanted some extra oomph for the set. It was the equivalent of asking for a live chicken, and I found it mostly just resulted in a cacophony of cymbal crashes and not much else. 

Despite that, the music was still pretty goddamn good. They mostly ignored the newer material in favor of proven crowd pleasers. “All The Kids Are Right,” “Eddie Vedder,” “Fritz’s Corner” and “California Songs” were all there. “Hands All The Bible” sounded like it had a wall of guitars even though there was only the one guitar player on stage. The slow-burn jamming on the ten-minute “Buffalo Trace” did not disappoint. 

I’m sure a choice cover (Lorde’s “Team,” TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me,” or Britney Spears’ “Toxic” just to name a few) — Local H is an excellent cover band, after all — would have gone over like gangbusters, but, alas, that was not to be. Still, I found no faults with their set. They are usually in the Milwaukee area at least once a year — I will continue to recommend going to see them if you want to see a good hard rock show. 

Billy Corgan and the Machines of God — Miller Lite Oasis Stage, 10:15 PM

It seemed like for a little while that Local H might have the bigger crowd, but it did fill in nicely after maybe half an hour. That had as much to do with it not being the Smashing Pumpkins as it does with Corgan’s (earned) spotty reputation as a live act. 

15 minutes before showtime...

The point of this tour was to celebrate milestone anniversaries for Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (30th) and Machina/Machina II (25th), so the set revolved around those two albums for better and for worse. 

The hits were all there for Mellon Collie, and they sounded like you would expect them to. “Zero” featured a little tease of hometown heroes Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun.” “1979” got the biggest reaction of the night, though Corgan’s voice showed some wear and tear most prominently for this tune. It was occasionally croaky and less snarly at points throughout the night, but nothing to suggest that he should hang it up. 

Billy’s guitar work, however, has not lost a step. The excellent deep cut from Mellon Collie, “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans,” featured an absolutely majestic guitar solo over the course of its ten-minute runtime. Machina II standout “Here’s to the Atom Bomb” also featured some nice guitar work. 

As much as the Mellon Collie material worked out great, the same cannot be said for the Machina tunes. The lone single played was “The Everlasting Gaze,” which was fine. But deep cuts like “Heavy Metal Machine” and “Glass and the Ghost Children” completely lost most of the crowd. Of course, Billy Corgan doesn’t give a shit so he soldiered on playing songs that most folks probably didn’t care about. 

The 90-minute set was a contrast of some excellent highs and some forgettable lows. In the end, Corgan’s insistence on playing some new material and deep cuts from an album no one bought showed how he can’t get out of his own way sometimes. Case in point, near the end of the show he came out to play “Tonight, Tonight” solo acoustic. It was a beautiful moment, and would have been a perfect ending to a fairly good night. But he insisted on two more songs, a couple of deep cuts.

God damn it, Billy!

But honestly, setlist choices aside, whether touring as the Smashing Pumpkins or something else, Corgan can still deliver the goods when he wants to. The Smashing Pumpkins aren’t one of my favorite bands for nothing, and despite my disappointment with some choices, this show didn’t do anything to dissuade me from wanting to see them again. 

Weekend 3, Day 1

MJ Lenderman — Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard Stage, 10 PM

MJ Lenderman was probably the hippest if not biggest act I saw at Summerfest this year. He and his band played either the Vivarium or Turner Hall last summer, so a headlining slot is definitely a step up for him as far as playing Milwaukee is concerned. 

Did he live up to the hype? Yes and no.

My first note for the show was that it was lackadaisical, and I meant that as a compliment. (Full disclosure: I actually wrote down “laconic,” which isn’t the right word. I have a bachelor's degree in English, I swear.) This largely held true through the first third or so of the 90-minute set. I am a sucker for pedal steel, particularly in the context of indie rock, so Xandy Chelmis’s playing had me from the start. “Rudolph,” from last year’s excellent Manning Fireworks, had a good groove and ended with a squalling guitar jam. 

But then the set just kind of dragged for a while. It was perfect music for drinking beers at a campfire, only the beers and the fire and the conversations were more interesting. “Bark At The Moon” broke down into a feedback-fest that seemed mostly performative. It channeled Jimi Hendrix in a way, only there was no “Voodoo Child” to bring it all back.

Certainly some of the issue is with me — I am not familiar with all of Lenderman’s work, and as much as I like the idea of ramshackle noodling and jamming, it isn’t always my thing. But then again the music just isn’t hook-y enough to command a festival crowd’s attention. 

It wasn’t all bad, though. Songs from Manning Fireworks did get some good reactions, with single “She’s Leaving You” a definite highlight. (Bassist Lou Turner filled in nicely for Karly Hartzman’s vocals on the outro to that one) “Knockin’” was particularly rockin’, and “Tastes Just Like It Costs,” the set-ender, managed to channel Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” (Was it the riffs? The vocals? I don’t know — tell your reviewer to drink less Miller Lite and take better notes.)

(OK, I went back to listen to the song again, and it is definitely the riff. You’re welcome for the basic journalism.)

I think at this point in time, MJ Lenderman’s live work isn’t quite for me, even though I do actually enjoy his live album. Perhaps it’s just a little too laid back — not laconic! — for a Summerfest set, which has been a problem as long as I have been going to Summerfest.

Weekend 3, Day 2

Everclear - Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard Stage 6 PM

Stupid me thought the show started at 6:30, so we ended up missing nearly half of Everclear’s 75-minute set.

No worries, though, as Everclear had plenty of hits left in the tank. Whether or not they sounded like the Everclear of old is up for debate. For the first handful of songs I came down on the side of “no.” It was as if I was watching an Everclear cover band — “AM Radio” didn’t have the “Mr. Big Stuff” sample and therefore wasn’t as good; “El Distorto De Melodica,” a gnarly little instrumental off So Much for the Afterglow, didn’t have the oomph it once did. 

Then Art Alexakis spoke about his MS diagnosis from 2019, and how he’s been sober for 36 years. He then acknowledged a lady in the audience who had a sign that read “64 days sober” and offered some words of encouragement before ending with “it’s not bullshit, not a trope. Take things one day at a time.” And suddenly my negative thoughts about the performance melted away. 

Everclear was the soundtrack of my high school years because Alexakis’ plainspoken lyrics sometimes felt as if they were written just for me in a way that Nirvana or Pearl Jam lyrics were not. These songs definitely got me through some bad times, and some of them definitely hit a little different as an adult (“I Will Buy You A New Life,” for one).

So what if Art doesn’t sound like he used to? He still clearly loves what he does. Sparkle and Fade and So Much for the Afterglow still rule. The crowd didn’t seem to care too much either, as everyone was dancing, swaying, or singing along. “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Santa Monica” got the biggest cheers, which felt right. They ended the set with a cover of The Vaselines’ “Molly’s Lips,” though Alexakis acknowledged it was the Nirvana version he was going for.

It was a nice little treat. And with all things considered, that’s probably a good way to think of Everclear shows from this point forward.

Fountains of Wayne - Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard - 10PM

Fountains of Wayne have been mostly inactive since 2014. Then co-founder Adam Schlesinger died from Covid in the earliest days of the pandemic. It was fair to think they were truly done as a band at that point. 

But then they were randomly announced for Summerfest. What gives?

(I think they might be testing the waters for a future full-fledged tour, but that’s just me speculating)

With the guy from Eve 6 (Max Collins) on bass for Schlesinger, the band hit the stage and got to it with Utopia Parkway highlight “It Must Be Summer.”

I’ve never seen them before but I imagine it was almost like they never left. Chris Collingwood’s vocals sound pretty close to Adam Schlesinger’s, so nothing was too different there. The songs sounded mostly like their album versions, so nothing was off about that either. 

Collingwood didn’t talk a whole lot throughout the set, pausing once before a song to say “I love this fuckin’ city,” and once to tease the audience by saying they were definitely the best he’s heard this week. (The last date they played -- the only other US date planned for this year -- was two weeks before.)

It was a no-bullshit hourlong set full of power-pop jams. If you’re familiar with their first few albums, I don’t think you’d have any reason to complain. 

“No Better Place,” one of my personal favorites, was played early in the set. The couplet that goes “The bourbon sits inside me, right now I’m a puppet in sway / And it might be the whiskey talking, but the whiskey says I miss you every day” hits just as hard as it did 20 years ago. 

“Barbara H,” from their self-titled debut featured some sweet wah-wah guitar. “Hey Julie,” from Welcome Interstate Managers, had the crowd swaying to it’s gentle rhythm. 

The end of the set was reserved for the hit singles. 

“Radiation Vibe” featured a breakdown of Bad Company’s “Feel Like Making Love” in the middle, which was unexpected. “Stacy’s Mom” got all the phones out, because of course it did. It is certainly their most popular song, but it is far from their best. 

“Leave the Biker” is more of a deep cut, but probably still a crowd favorite. It’s a good tune, and I will note here that Chris Collingwood still sung the word “fag,” and that made me irrationally happy. (The titular biker is a bad dude who doesn’t read books, probably has never cried, and uses homophobic slurs. I think it’s okay to say that word in that context.)

“Mexican Wine” and “Sink to the Bottom” closed out the show, and just like that it was over. It was probably the most fun show of the bunch due to the familiarity with the material and the catchiness of the music — every bit as hook-y as Weezer, and lyrics that are a hell of a lot more nuanced, for those unfamiliar with the band.

I’m not sure what the future holds for Fountains of Wayne — it very well could be nothing much. But I’m glad I was able to catch them, even if it was only for an hour. 

Social Distortion - Miller Lite Oasis Stage 10:15 PM

Fountains of Wayne wrapped up early, so we were able to catch the last three songs from Social Distortion. One of those songs was “Story of My Life,” so I will consider that a success. 

That’s a wrap on Summerfest 2025. It was perfectly fine, and sometimes that’s all you can ask for. 

If you’re wondering why there are no bus reports like there were last year, that is because much like the shows I saw, they were competency executed and nothing more. The crowds weren’t liquored up, the music was nothing to write home about, and Fred didn’t nearly kill us (or do any sweet donuts or random U-turns).

As much as it bums me out thinking about how getting older definitely is causing me too enjoy Summerfest less and less every year, I’m still looking forward to it next year.