Summerfest concert(s) review

So, Summerfest is over for another year and this time around I made my way to a few more shows than usual. I know, I know, I'm a little late to the party as usual and you've already read reviews of the shows or heard how "amazing" they were from your friends, but I am going to review them anyway.

The Hold Steady - US Cellular Stage 7/1

The Hold Steady are one of indie rock's biggest names, but the size of the crowd did not show this. Out of all the headliners I saw, this was the most sparsely attended. Thankfully, this did not dissuade lead singer Craig Finn and his band from having a great time. Bespectacled and decked out in Old Navy's finest plaid button-down shirt, Finn sing-spoke, danced, and gesticulated wildly through the entire set.

"Let's build something, Milwaukee!" he said as the band kicked into all-too-appropriate opener "Constructive Summer" from 2008's Stay Positive. The Hold Steady mostly didn't let up for all of 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, I was struck by the crowd's lack of participation. I'm not sure if it was because The Hold Steady attracts the arms-folded serious indie crowd or because people were just curious because of the hype. This was not for lack of effort on THS's part; their music is particularly fitting for a summer festival, full of hooks and singalong choruses. It took until near the end of the set during "Massive Nights" for the biggest reaction thus far -- the 'Whoa-oh-oh-oh!" refrain -- but from then on the crowd was completely engaged.

They played a nice selection of songs from all of their albums: "Chips Ahoy!" from their breakout Boys and Girls in America, "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" from Separation Sunday and "Hurricane J" from their latest record Heaven is Whenever. Overall, the band sounded great. Finn's enjoyment in particular came across rather well -- "This is awesome!" he said, three songs in -- and The Hold Steady's first Summerfest performance as a whole was a success. Here's to many more.

Favorite songs: "Hot Soft Night," "Chips Ahoy!," and "Stay Positive."
Could've played but didn't: "Girls Like Status"

New Politics - US Cellular Stage 7/3

Because I am an idiot, I wrongfully assumed Modest Mouse was playing at the US Cellular stage so my girlfriend and I staked out spots to see them while these guys were playing. Fortunately, they weren't all that bad.

Steph said the lead singer was a spaz, and that wasn't far off. He breakdanced and did headstands and otherwise just freaked out for the entire 40 minute set. The lead singer split time between singing and spitting out rhymes sort of like Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. (In sound only; the lyrics weren't nearly as incendiary.) New Politics hail from Brooklyn by way of Denmark, but their 80's-influenced pop rock managed to cross those borders. The crowd seemed pretty into it, particularly for radio single "Yeah Yeah Yeah"

Though I was not familiar at all with the band beforehand, I think I will be checking out their debut CD, due out July 13.

Favorite songs: "Yeah Yeah Yeah"
Could've played but didn't: N/A

Modest Mouse - Miller Lite Oasis 7/3

We made our way to the Oasis only to find an overflow crowd for indie superstars Modest Mouse. I was surprised by the distinct lack of hipsters, at least from my vantage point. Instead of the expected people decked out in Goodwill's finest, I saw plenty of girls all gussied up in sundresses and heels, and bros with t-shirts and backwards hats.

Sometimes spacey (opener "Dramamine"), sometimes hooky (smash hit "Float On"), and sometimes WTF? (sort of gothy Americana "Bury Me With It"), Modest Mouse has a sound all their own, but it is a sound that doesn't come across all that well in an outdoor festival setting. Singer/Guitarist Isaac Brock was sometimes lost in the din of the overpowering band, complete with two drummers. Admittedly, though it was pretty awesome to hear banjo, violin, and clarinet (oboe? other woodwind?) during the course of the set, the whole thing just kind of ran together.

I noted the lack of hipsters, but the people were into Modest Mouse beyond "Float On" which was a surprise. There were plenty of people dancing and enjoying the twisted tunes. To put an exclamation on my befuddlement, there was a small mosh pit formed in front of me for encore closer "The View." You read me right, a mosh pit at a Modest Mouse show. Truth is stranger than fiction.

I've been to two Modest Mouse shows now, and my impression of them live is that they are just okay. Maybe it's because they have such a wealth of material that I just don't get/am not familiar with some of their songs, but I much prefer listening to them at home with my headphones. Or maybe I just don't like people, I don't know.

Favorite songs: "Dramamine," "Float On," "The View."
Could've played but didn't: "Good Times are Killing Me," "Black Cadillacs," "Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset."

Against Me! - US Cellular stage 7/4

I will admit that I arrived very late for Against Me!'s set. For all the talk from indie tastemakers and the punk rock Powers That Be about how much Against Me! sold out, the Summerfest crowd was having none of it. The place was packed to the hilt.

I only heard a few songs, but what I heard was great. Set-closer "Sink Florida Sink" and lone encore song "Baby, I'm an Anarchist" went over well, as was evidenced by the mosh pit and crowd surfing going on by the right side of the stage.

I'd very much like to see these guys headline a show at the Rave or a similar venue.

Could've played (but probably did because I suck and got there late): "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong," "Thrash Unreal."

Silversun Pickups - US Cellular Stage 7/4

An apt metaphor occured before LA's Silversun Pickups took the stage: A couple of inflatable blue balls with the Milwaukee's Alternative 102.1 logo were let loose and bounced around before the set. I say this because Silversun Pickups are experts at building and building a song... thankfully they also pull off the release full of guitar squall and hammering drums just as well.

I figured SP to be among the most likely of bands to have a mosh pit, but no such luck. No matter, though, as their fuzzed-out guitar atmospherics went over well with the crowd who bobbed their heads and danced along with the songs.

The lead singer/guitarist Brain Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger appeared to be having a good time onstage, but the drummer Chris Guanlo was easily the most striking, bashing away at the kit without abandon.

They made their way through a set that comprised of songs from their two albums, and the standout from their debut EP Pikul, "Kissing Families," and it was good. I feel like this is a band that can move on to greater things, and their set only furthered that notion.

Favorite songs: "Well Thought Out Twinkles," "Little Lover's So Polite," "Future Foe Scenarios," "Lazy Eye"
Should've played but didn't: None, surprisingly.


Stray notes:

Maybe I have a shitty taste in music, or I wasn't in the right place, but the crowds seemed restrained. Where was all the dancing that Summerfest is supposed to be famous for? I am admittedly self-conscious, but I found something within myself to rock out to the bands I liked.

The sound overall was better than I've heard in a long time. Kudos to you, sound guys.

I was only carded once in about twenty attempts to buy beer, and it was on the last time I tried. I don't know whether to feel terrified or awesome that I'm finally a grown-up.

Concert review: Weezer at Verge Festival

It took a special kind of music fan -- or an awful lot of alcohol, your choice -- to brave the cold, driving rain that hampered much of the Verge Festival on Saturday night. Those that stuck it out until the end were rewarded with a respite from the awful weather and a set by Weezer that, while it didn't do anything to silence its critics, did provide 75 minutes of solid entertainment.

Rivers Cuomo is now only a part-time guitarist in a live setting (drummer Pat Wilson takes over those duties) which allowed him to show off a geeky sort of charisma and showmanship that included -- but was not limited to -- splashing around in puddles, wrapping himself up in a tarp, and generally running and dancing around the stage with reckless abandon. I thought this was both captivating and off-putting. On the one hand it's great to see him having fun up there, and for him to be a shoegazer would make no sense while cranking out jams like "Pork and Beans" or "My Name is Jonas." But on the other -- and I may have said this before but it bears repeating -- Rivers reminds me of the theater geeks in high school trying way too hard to be funny and noticed. The tarp incident highlighted this point: it was as if he were trying to say "Look at me! Aren't I silly?" Weezer's music is good enough on its own; it doesn't need extra stage antics.

But I won't begrudge a guy for having fun, and if there was an overriding theme to this particular night that was definitely it.

The set included songs from every album, leaning heavily on the Blue Album but had only one from cult favorite Pinkerton. Personally I think "El Scorcho" or even "The Good Life" would have fit in perfectly with the party vibe Weezer had going, but the show didn't suffer any without them. Opener "Hash Pipe" got the crowd moving right away, and they didn't let up for the remaining 16 songs. The songs didn't sound much different from their studio counterparts -- Rivers did take on Lil' Wayne's verse on "Can't Stop Partying" though -- but Weezer's music hasn't ever been about improvisation; it's been about playing catchy, rockin' power-pop perfect for dancing and singing along. Weezer did not disappoint on that one, and there wasn't a clunker in the entire set. Particular favorites of mine were "Troublemaker," from the mostly horrible Red Album, "Perfect Situation" from Make Believe, and "Say It Ain't So."

As for surprises, there really weren't any if you've checked the set lists beforehand. They tossed in a tease of Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" which would have been more awesome if they played the whole song. Also played was their medley of "Kids" by MGMT and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. I like the former and despise the latter, but Weezer managed to polish a turd on "Poker Face."

After the final encore of "Island in the Sun" and "Buddy Holly" the age-diverse crowd left the Summerfest grounds with good vibes. Rain notwithstanding, it was a good way to spend a Saturday night.

Seven Songs: Song 4 - "Watching the Wheels" by John Lennon

One of my favorite things about music is that it's open to interpretation. Sure, the songwriter has the final say when it comes to what he or she meant when writing it, but the listener can take whatever they want from the song and that meaning can even change over time.

(I suppose I just recapped why I'm writing this series of posts. Bear with me.)

John Lennon's “Watching the Wheels” has always been near and dear to my heart since the first time I heard it in high school. If you'll recall from the last post, I had just been dumped and was naturally feeling sorry for myself. Enter “Watching the Wheels.”

I listened to those lyrics obsessively and determined that Lennon had taken a break from something important – perhaps life itself – and that it was just fine with him, thank you very much.

I was on the right track, sort of. “Watching the Wheels” was John's response to his critics deriding him for taking five years off from music to raise his son: “No longer riding the merry-go-round / I just had to let it go.” When you really think about it, taking that time off was quite the admirable thing to do. He was John Lennon, after all, and instead of taking cues from his contemporary rock stars – penetrating groupies with seafood, being in the throes of heroin addiction – he chose to correct a mistake he made with his first child.

My connection to this song isn't so noble.

I wanted to take a step back from life not because I needed to get my head straight but because I was hurt and vulnerable and I didn't want to feel anymore.

Lennon came back from exile and wrote “(Just Like) Starting Over” and “Woman” along with “Watching the Wheels”; I started an exile of my own and wore black while listening to angry music. If “No Surprises” was my immediate reaction to the breakup, “Watching the Wheels” was the confirmation of those feelings. Maybe I didn't need her after all. Maybe I would be all right on my own.

Now I could just leave it at that – a childish reaction to a teenage relationship – but I did write above that the meaning of a song to me can change over time, and “Watching the Wheels” has done just that since my first experience with it in 1998.

John Lennon has always been my favorite Beatle – though George Harrison is running a close second – for as long as I've loved the Beatles. It started out as being that way because of his way with words and his sarcastic sense of humor, but as I learned more and more about him, it became apparent that he was a deeply flawed and conflicted human being. He lost his mother not once but twice: she abandoned him at an early age, then just when he was reconnecting with her as a teenager she was run over by a bus. He supposedly beat his first wife. But then he turns around and writes a song like “All You Need Is Love.” Lennon was a millionaire many times over, but he didn't forget his roots with his song “Working Class Hero.” It just goes on and on and on.

I admire the man for not being afraid of wearing those scars on his sleeve, and I've taken “Watching the Wheels” as a sort of philosophy. That, of course, is a conflict in and of itself. (I'm pretty sure I don't need to spell out for you why, so I won't.)

I've never been one to show much emotion. I might feel it inside, but it's rare that it would actually come out. This has led to being described at least twice on separate occasions as “cool” by coworkers. I just don't let the bullshit of a workaday lifestyle get to me. Sure, I get pissed off once in a while, but I'll always try my hardest not to let coworkers see me cursing to myself, ready to destroy something.

This isn't just about work, though. I am certainly a proponent of not getting caught up in your job – your profession does not define you completely. There's so much more to life that's not worth losing your shit over. (Note: I've lost my shit over stupid things. It happens to everyone. This is okay.) I started off by referencing my first relationship and I think the message of “Watching the Wheels” (how it speaks to me, anyway) carries over even into adulthood. I'm not saying that if a relationship ends – even with someone you love dearly – you should just go out and drink whiskey until you're so pissed up that you can't see then try to nail the nearest warm body with a pulse. But the world has not ended at that point. To let something like that cripple you, to let it affect your everyday life, is like letting them win. It's okay to take a few steps back and say “I will not let this ruin me.”

In the song Lennon wrote “Well I tell them there's no problems, only solutions.” I think that line about sums up what I'm trying to say here. I've had people do shitty things to me like everybody else. I get flustered and angry just like everybody else. But at the same time I don't think – I hope – I dwell on it as much as most other people do.

My philosophy courtesy of “Watching the Wheels” probably won't work for too many people. There is a level of disconnection involved here that probably would make a lot of people feel uncomfortable. But over the years it has held true that being on the fringes of whatever it is that I'm supposed to be involved in has been nothing short of a calming influence on me. It's not perfect, but what is?

Nuggets of Comedy from the Fake Brewers

The Brewers have been playing well as of late, but during the free-fall of their nine game losing streak and beyond I discovered that a number of fake Brewers exist on Twitter. When the Crew wasn't very fun to watch. these guys were pretty amusing to read.

Craig Counsell (@craigcounsell)

Turns out with Adam Stern and Braun both here the Brewers lead the league in Jew. 8:37 AM May 29th via web

JJ Hardy left his phone in my car after dinner last night. Why does he have the CDC on speed-dial? 10:14 AM May 24th via web

Jeff Suppan (@FakeJeffSuppan)

2 innings, just like when I start 9:57 PM May 6th via Seesmic

this bullpen stinks tonight....no seriously Hoffman's been dropping ass all game 8:05 PM May 11th via Seesmic

Gregg Zaun (@notgreggzaun)

#thingsblackpeopledo not play catcher. 8:27 PM May 22nd via web

From here on out, I'm going to shit in the glove of any pitcher who blows a late-game lead for us. If I can shit that much. 9:27 AM May 20th via web

Todd Coffey (@faketoddcoffey)

@notkenmacha called a great game tonight. No blown saves or anything. 9:40 PM May 24th via Echofon (the Brewers were off that night)

Fml. #brewers 6:42 PM May 17th via Echofon (1 IP, 5 ER for Coffey)

Doug Melvin (@fakedougmelvin)

Zach Braddock will not be joining the #Brewers this weekend -- we've maxed out our quota of pitchers who can throw above 96 MPH at one. 1:12 PM May 21st via web

@bobwait is my first follower! If you can throw less than 88 MPH and manage to keep your ERA over 5, you got yourself a 3-year deal! 6:39 PM May 20th via web

And finally, the manager for your Milwaukee Brewers, Ken Macha (@notkenmacha)

Though we've got to say good-bye For the summer Darling I promise you this I'll send you all my love Everyday in a letter Sealed with a kiss 7:17 PM May 18th via web

It was an early morning yesterday I was up before the dawn. And I really have enjoyed my stay But I must be moving on. Goodbye Stranger! 7:15 PM May 18th via web

This is the end, Beautiful friend, This is the end. My only friend, the end. -- Jack Morris was a genius, too bad he died so young. 7:12 PM May 18th via web

(This was after Trevor Hoffman blew his latest save and the losing streak stood at 8. Personally I think "Goodbye Cruel World" by Pink Floyd would've been another appropriate reference.)

Corey Hart

And some people thought Jim Edmonds was the answer...

View From the Brewers Bandwagon, Vol 2: The Last Days of Ken Macha

I go to about 20 Brewers games a year, and watch nearly all the rest of them. Though I'm a casual fan, I do care enough about the team enough to write about them. I don't think I could be a full-time Brewer blogger -- I don't care that much -- but at the same time I think it would be fun to check in on them periodically and give my (mostly worthless) opinions.

So it seemed merely 9 days ago that the Brewers had finally turned the corner in this young -- but quickly aging – season. After being completely shut down by a good Padres team, the Crew finished the road trip strong by going 5-1 against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Spirits were high. And they did indeed turn the corner… right into a brick wall.

How does a team blessed with a seemingly indefatigable offense manage to have the worst home record in baseball?

Do I really even need to spell it out?

It had been said that last year’s pitching staff was comprised of a #1 and a bunch of #5’s, and this year is looking no different. Yovani Gallardo, obviously, is the #1 here but it is only by default. To be an ace you have to be able to get past the 5^th inning in less than 100 pitches. Yo has rarely done that this season. I wouldn’t go so far to say that he sucks, and I have confidence in him to one day be a true ace, but he’s just not there yet. He’s the best the Brewers have, but it’s not quite good enough.

Randy Wolf has been not quite shitty at best so far. His numbers are okay (3-3 4.66 ERA 6IP per start) and just in watching him (I’m no sabermetrician) he looks merely average. Perhaps most alarming of his numbers is this: his BAA against lefties is .291 this season; for his career that number is .225. If a LHP can’t get left-handed batters out, there is a problem.

I don’t feel comfortable trashing a guy who was just diagnosed with a heart ailment, so I will leave Doug Davis alone. But his foibles are well-documented. He was hired to eat innings and at the very least keep the team in the game, and thus far he has not done that.

Dave Bush has been mildly disappointing. He’s only averaging 5.76 IP per start and has an ERA of 4.27. It seems as though he’s been lit up only once: 9 ER in 3 2/3 IP against the Cubs, a game I had the displeasure of attending. Still, while he has kept the team in the game most of the time, he hasn’t gone deep into those games. It’s an epidemic, if you couldn’t already tell.

Chris Narveson isn’t the answer, even though he’s been decent enough. I think Davey Nelson said on Saturday’s radio broadcast that Narveson just isn’t a guy that’s going to go deep into games. With a battered bullpen, that just isn’t going to work.

All of this leads me to the obvious question: Who takes the fall? Certainly you can’t fire the entire pitching staff. You could fire the guy who assembled the staff, Doug Melvin, but what difference would it make this season?

No, the sword will fall – as always – on the manager, Ken Macha.

Maybe Macha isn’t the right guy for this team. I will agree that, at this point, the team needs a fire lit under their collective ass. (Personally, I’m not high on loud, fiery managers. I think that stuff is mostly for show, anyway. If a player is only motivated because a manager goes out to argue calls a bunch of times, perhaps professional sports isn’t for you. ) That has never been Macha’s game, and perhaps the team is suffering because of it. He’s always been a hands-off kind of guy, which might be another reason the team is underperforming.

Others will point to the fact that he appears to be asleep during the games, as evidenced by boneheaded moved he’s made over the past 39 games. This is normally where I would defend a manager by saying he’s not the one out there throwing meatballs or swinging at sliders in the dirt. I think this still holds true as a whole – every decision a manager makes has a 50/50 chance of working whether or not the stats say it’s the “right” call – but over the past two games it’s as if Macha is begging to be fired.

On Monday night, with the game on the line tied 1-1, Todd Coffey was summoned from the bullpen. He immediately gave up a triple, single (run scored), single, single (out made on basepaths). Runners now at 2^nd and 3^rd. At this point you might discern that Coffey doesn’t have it tonight. Scott Rolen was up next to be followed by lefty Jay Bruce. At the very least, you’d think an intentional walk was coming up next to set up a double play – hopefully with a lefty to face Bruce.

Nope.

No one up in the pen. Rolen hits sac fly to score another run. Bruce is intentionally walked ONE BATTER TOO LATE and then Gomes comes up, hits a homer, and the game is out of reach. Points to Coffey for drilling the next guy.

I’d love to say “it just didn’t work out,” but that entire sequence was just baffling.

Tuesday afternoon, the Crew plays well and the two-headed starter Parrestrada held the Reds to two runs in eight innings. Trevor Time! And by Trevor Time I mean give up a single, homer, double, walk, single and the ballgame. For some, Macha bringing in Hoffman at all was a mistake; for myself, the guy pitched a scoreless inning the last time out – meaningless, yes, but still scoreless – and was perhaps on the road to rebounding.

But Macha left him in for the whole thing. Maybe he thinks by getting fired in such a glorious, shitty fashion it’ll somehow trick the team into thinking they are better than what they have been because, “hey, our manager was a bonehead and that’s why we suck.”

I was never a guy frothing at the mouth for the firing of Ned Yost, nor am I for firing Ken Macha. I, like a lot of fans (I hope) realize that firing a manager mid-season is nothing more than a PR move. It is putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. Talent will always overcome a “bad” manager. If you have marginal talent, you get a marginal team, even with a baseball genius for a skipper.

So, what now? If the Brewers are going to compete this season it's going to take some ballsy moves, some common sense, and quite a bit of hope.

Step 1: Cut Jeff Suppan. This is a no-brainer. They kept him for depth, but with pretty much everyone on the pitching staff under-performing, I think an infusion of new blood is required.

Step 2: Ask Trevor Hoffman very politely to retire. If he refuses -- and as an all-time great closer he has that right -- keep him as far away from the closer's role as possible for as long as possible. Also, make Todd Coffey the closer.

Step 3: Move Doug Davis into long relief. I think he hurts the team the least here, and lately it seems as if he's good for a few innings before falling apart.

Step 4: Leave both Parra and Estrada in the rotation. It's true you can't tell too much from one start, but at this point you might as well give it a shot. Parra has been an enigma thus far but he has the stuff to be a major league starter. Time for him to start showing it.

Step 5: Give Dave Bush some better run support. In his last 5 starts -- which the Crew lost -- he was given 2-0-3-3-2 runs, while giving up 3 in 4 of those 5 games. Granted, he also needs to go deeper so the bullpen can pick up where he left off... but still.

Step 6 - and this is a big one - The remaining pitchers need to pitch to their career norms and go deeper into games. I know, it's a lot to ask. But Yo and Wolf are pretty much there as is. Bush is close. This offense is equipped to carry the team, but they will not do that if the pitcher takes them out of the game.

My adjusted staff looks like this:

SP Yo

SP Wolf

SP Estrada

SP Narveson

SP Parra

Mopup (Hoffman?)

LRP Davis

MRP Vargas

MRP Stetter

MRP Axford

SU Villanueva

CL Coffey

I know what this team really needs is some power arms. This junkballing finesse shit isn't exactly working out. But Doug Melvin or any other GM isn't going to get those arms through FA because the money just isn't there. You're also not going to get that kind of talent by trading Prince Fielder. I don't think any team is going to fill a hole by blowing out a hole somewhere else. You will get prospects for him at best, and for the future that would be prudent. But I don't think the Brewers are done just yet. The offense is too fucking talented, and a pitching staff comprised of Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson (I just picked five random all-time great awesome pitchers) isn't needed with this team.

Of course, much like Ken Macha's stint with the Brewers, time is running out and running out quickly.

Thanks a lot, shitheads

Sure, after a post on how I think the Brewers will make it through Doug Davis goes and lays an egg. Except that he didn't, exactly.

He was betrayed by:

a) An error by Craig Counsell, which should have been the first out
b) a sacrifice bunt that got no one out
c) a double play ball that only got one out

Nothing the Padres hit was smoked.

Davis should have been out of that inning only down 2-0. Not the best outing, but certainly something the Brewer bats could have overcome.