Photo by Blaine Schultz
The Jayhawks - Summerfest 2026
The Jayhawks at Summerfest's Generac Power Stage (2026)
The Jayhawks have played Milwaukee venues from Café Voltaire to Marquette’s Varsity Theatre, from Shank Hall to Turner Hall. On Saturday the Minneapolis band returned to Summerfest.
While the group has included a roster of touring musicians over the years, the group that took the stage celebrating 40 years was the core quartet of Gary Louris (guitar and vocals), bassist Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg on keyboards and Tim O'Reagan on drums and vocals.
After a brief mulligan, the band kicked off with the deep, familiar Crazy Horse fuzzed out groove of “Waiting for the Sun” and followed with “I'd Run Away,” songs that put the band on the map during their run with American Recordings in the ‘90s. Through the 14-song set they traversed from country-rock to folk to the pop majesty of “Tailspin.”
Louris announced a new album in the works and offered “Keeping My Head Above Water.” A handful of songs with Louris on acoustic guitar concluded with “Save It for a Rainy Day.”
Gearheads would note that Louris has stayed true to his rig over the years with a combination of Vox AC30 and Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifiers, a Gibson Flying V guitar, a Gretsch that had been mothballed for some time and the familiar Gibson SG that traces it provenance back to Minnesota garage gods The Litter.
As dependable as O'Reagan is as a drummer, his value as a vocalist is one of the Jayhawks’ key elements. He doubled vocals with Louris on “Rainy Day” as Louris’ harmonica blended into Grotberg’s piano. O’Reagan would also assume lead vocals on “Wichita,” the song that was originally sung by founding member Mark Olson.
The pair of false starts would cut into the band’s time onstage and there would be no funk tonight. Closing with their biggest hit “Blue” was a fine choice but the audience would not get to hear the last song written on the set list; the Jayhawk’s longtime crowd-pleaser, Grand Funk Railroad’s “Bad Time.”
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