Photo by Brit O'Brien - Instagram
Hippo Campus
Hippo Campus at Summerfest
Thunderstorms were just some features of Hippo Campus’s eventful Friday, June 28 night show. The band went on a little after 9:30 p.m. on the Generac Power Stage, after being preceded by singer-songwriter Briston Maroney and alt-band Flipturn. Hippo Campus’ show was high energy and filled with many more of their hits than anticipated.
Hippo Campus started their set with “Yippie Ki Yay,” off their country-inspired EP, Wasteland. The rain started around the second or third song, and the rest of the show occurred in a torrential downpour. That didn’t deter fans or the band, whose energy seemed to, if anything, increase in the face of getting soaked through their ponchos. Hippo Campus knows how to command a crowd, from surprising instrumental solos to witty banter.
Hippo Campus is a multi-genre band, so each song freshened the set with a different vibe from country to a harder rock sound to classic indie. A highlight in the middle of the set was the back-to-back playing of their hits “South” and “Baseball,” which was nostalgic. Hippo Campus has been in the music scene in some capacity for around 10 years, which makes many of their songs layered with memories, another testament to their loyal fanbase. The stand-out performer of the evening was DeCarlo Jackson with his perfectly timed, impeccable trumpet solos.
Hippo Campus finished with their most popular song “Buttercup,” a bubbly, pop-leaning track, both wordy and upbeat. The band exited with a grateful farewell from Nathan Stocker. However, Hippo Campus came back out to play one more song for a very rainy, very exhilarating encore.
