In an already saturated music festival scene, the last thing we need is more major music festivals. And yet, we see them popping up more and more. This weekend was the inaugural Verge Music Festival in Milwaukee, WI. Held at the Summerfest grounds, Verge essentially replaces Milwaukee’s Riversplash, which had been cancelled due to a number of shooting incidents in recent years. So what do you do with a new music festival that is held a few weeks prior to one of the larger music festivals in the country? Get a bunch of acts that don’t play the bigger festival. With that, the festival focused on a number of indie bands who have made a nice name for themselves to play, along with a few established heavy hitters, and a bevy of local artists.
She & Him, the one band that really stuck out like a sore thumb considering this was an alternative music festival, headlined the side stage Friday evening, offering really the only variety throughout the 2 days. What I really like about She & Him, they know what they are (pop folk music) and they play to their strengths. Theyre not a band like Nickelback who masquerades as a “real” rock band, and they’re not one of countless emo bands who try to be punk. They’re a pop folk duo who write and perform songs about walking in the sun, heartbreak, and having a good time in nice weather. And that’s exactly what they gave the crowd during their set. Playing songs off both of their albums, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward performed with the confidence of a duo who has been together for years, not the 2 years they have actually performed together. A great crowd for their first Milwaukee appearance sang along to favorites like “This Is Not a Test,” “Sweet Darlin,” and new tunes like “In the Sun” and “Ridin’ in My Car.” Zooey may not have the most technically beautiful voice, and M. Ward isn’t going to win any guitar solo contests, but the two together have great chemistry and energy that doesnt come across on record, but springs to life live.
Saturday was raining. A lot. So much so, in fear of catching pneumonia in the rain and cold 45 degree weather, my friends and myself didn’t stick around for Weezer. Instead, we caught a few other acts. The acts I wanted to make sure I caught were the Cold War Kids and AFI. I’ve seen the Cold War Kids about 7 times in Chicago, and I know Chicago is full of rabid fans. It was going to be interesting to see how a market like Milwaukee would welcome them. While not as rabid as Chicago fans, Milwaukee fans were definitely into the tunes, especially their singles “Hang Me Up to Dry” and set closer “Something is Not Right With Me.” CWK are definitely a band that feeds off energy and the crowd. While there wasn’t too much energy, namely because the crowd was absolutely drenched and freezing, the CWK still owned the stage as if they were playing a packed venue. With this energy, and the fact they sound absolutely fantastic live, and they work their asses off whether it’s 100 degrees or 45 degrees in the rain that I think will help them win over new fans.
AFI, I’ve always been a casual fan. I know all their popular songs, but I’ve never seen them live. But man, did they bring it. Maybe it was their light setup, when combined with the rain, looked pretty damn awesome on the big screen, but these guys killed it. The fans were into it, the band was into it, it was an awesome performance given the conditions. Throughout the set they thanked the fans for sticking around in the miserable weather, and the band jumped into the crowd to let the fans sing along. Crowd participation was fantastic, even if the weather wasnt.
Was the fest a rousing success? Hard to tell. The people who were there were into it. I think what will make it hard for this festival to be successful is the fact its mere weeks before Summerfest. Who else will they be able to book, if literally everyone else and their mother is booked a few weeks later at Summerfest? Are bands they get to headline worthy of headlining a festival? (Note, Three Days Grace headlined Friday. Yeah…..) Maybe it’ll be a great way for local and indie fans to get some additional exposure. But regardless, Id definitely go again next year, if they decide to have it again.
PD
