Cold Comfort Band And Summerfest

This weekend trip back home was comparable only to seeing the Rockets bench in 2005. For those who don’t know how exciting of an experience that was, Patrick Ewing was stationed directly next to Yao Ming, and if that wasn’t enough, when I was fortunate enough to see this roughly ten feet away Ervin Johnson was getting his legs stretched out. Only in America my friends (Honorable mentions on that bench: “Skip-to-my-Lou”, T-Mac, and Luther Head. I’m absolutely shocked that the universe is still functioning after that night). Seeing my parents, brothers and friends was the break I needed.
The music started my first night in town. The venue was an alley behind Whelan’s Coffee and Cream. For a local show the venue gets a solid “A” for atmosphere. Serving great coffee and ice cream, the locally owned shop created a truly captivating vibe. Not all types of music would hit a home run here, but The Cold Comfort Band certainly did. This 8 piece ensemble from the Lake Country Area of southeastern Wisconsin had me feeling it. Think solid indie rock thrown in a blender with vocals on a trapeze and horns playing hooky from band camp and looking for an adventure. The mix is awesome.
That night, the band made the venue and the venue made the band. It was the kind of night to remember my younger days by. Great coffee and great local music in an alley. If you get a chance to see these guys, go for it. If you get a chance to stop by Whelan’s, go for it. If you get the chance to see them together, don’t miss it.

The following Sunday I made the trip to Summerfest. For those who don’t know, Summerfest is an annual music party in Milwaukee. It’s huge. There is live music from 2:30 PM until about 12:30 AM on a bunch of stages for 11 days. They bring in a lot of really big artists too. This year there was a really good sampling from all over the place. Panic! At the Disco, Toby Keith, Brian McKnight, and Dashboard Confessional were just a few of the awesome acts to be found over some of the days.
I caught the last day of the festival, and it was a great day to go. We started the day seeing Plumb Loco. Plumb Loco is a local Wisconsin band with world class talent. They keep an electric atmosphere up for the entirety of the show with great personality and musicianship. With a track record of bringing the house down for over 30 years, they are as electric as ever.
After the opening show I decided to check out the festival. Most festivals are too crowded, the food is over-priced, and people generally smell bad. These complaints hold up, but with a little stick to it, this is no reason to stay home. Think amusement park with no rides and great music. While walking around, I stumbled upon a tiki hut stage with some pretty good jams going down. Shortly after, an Elvis impersonator took stage on the mini tiki hut. This was nothing short of epic, and I’m sorry that you missed it, but Elvis covers in a tiki hut is something I will not soon forget. After some lounging around on the rocks by Lake Michigan and an ear of roasted corn, The evening’s headliners were getting ready to start.
For the headlining show, I saw three different bands: Brian McKnight, G. Love and the Special Sauce, and Lupe Fiasco. All three were good shows, but Lupe Fiasco tore the roof off of the outdoor venue. We’ll call it a high energy hip-hop show with all the makings of a great concert. I also have to hand it to the Milwaukee hip-hop scene for making a killer atmosphere for this emerging artist. If you don’t know Lupe Fiasco, get to know him.
G. Love was good too, good jam but didn’t stand out all that much. Brian McKnight set it off as well. You can tell he was a seasoned veteran that had the crowd the whole way.
Good shows, and the atmosphere was great for a festival. I wouldn’t go to Summerfest to see a band I was on the fence about, but I wouldn’t stay away from the show just because it’s at a festival.
After all was said and done, it was a great trip home. Next update: Cain AND Mike reviewing Nickel Creek and Glen Phillips. Oh snap, its bananas.