Image via Rockonsin
Rockonsin, the annual battle of the garage bands featuring middle and high school students, held their 2021 finals over the course of the first weekend of Summerfest 2021. 12 acts from around the state were given the chance to perform at the Johnson Controls World Sound Stage, with the top two acts winning 40-minute sets at the BMO Harris Pavilion on September 18, the festival’s final day. The winners also received a new set of Shure microphones, a trophy, and most importantly, a recording session at Madison’s Blast House studios.
While every band proved why they had made their way to the state finals, Madison band You Got The Message took home the 2021 Rockonsin title, with Monona act Flying Fuzz crowned runners up. Both acts performed on the first half of the two-day showcase on Friday afternoon.
In addition to the 2021 winners getting their time to shine on the biggest ground stage at Summerfest, the winners of the 2020 Rockonsin At Home competition will also get their pandemic-delayed sets at the U.S. Cellular Connections Stage. That means a short turnaround for Flying Fuzz, who were also 2020 runners up, and Milwaukee’s Negative/Positive, who took home the 2020 title.
The full lineup of Rockonsin finalists can be found on the Rockonsin website. The September 18 lineup of winners is as follows:
12 p.m. – Flying Fuzz – U.S. Cellular Connections Stage
12:50 p.m. – Negative / Positive – U.S. Cellular Connections Stage
2 p.m. – Flying Fuzz – BMO Harris Pavillion
2:50 – You Got The Message – BMO Harris Pavillion
