Welcome to our daily digest of Summerfest picks, previews, promotions and opinions. Here's what's happening at the Big Gig on Wednesday, July 3. Land here looking for our latest Summerfest coverage? Click here for the newest Summerfest previews and reviews.
The star of movies and television as well as music, Jennifer Lopez comes to town in that rare venue big enough to accommodate her show—the Summerfest American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Also on tap at the smaller stages is everything from volcanic punk rock (Yungblud) to heartbroken emo (Taking Back Sunday).
Jennifer Lopez @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m.
Until recently, the pop radio hasn’t heard much from Jennifer Lopez. The multi-faceted entertainer nonetheless maintains a high enough profile to play the Summerfest American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Her current radio offering, “Medicine,” finds her teaming up for a second time with rapper French Montana for her first top billing on an English language single not related to a movie soundtrack in about three years.
It’s a solid return to the energetic, seductive R&B dance pop, hip-hop and tropical Hispanic inflections with which Lopez began her recording career 20 years ago. Her debut album, On The 6 (named for the Bronx subway line she frequented for work), included a run of hits such as “If You Had My Love” and “Waiting For Tonight.” Preceding the spate of musical success she would experience for the next decade or so, J-Lo received her first major national media attention as one of the Fly Girls dance ensemble featured on Keenan Ivory Wayans’ Fox comedy sketch show, “In Living Color.” J-Lo established herself as a winsome actress in Selena, the 1997 biographical movie on the life of Tejano songstress Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.
Lopez has plied her underrated vocal instrument most intriguingly to Latin market smashes by reggaeton acts Gente De Zona and Bad Bunny, bachata heartthrob Prince Royce, up-and-coming Spanish singer-songwriter Alvaro Soler and nigh-legendary Brazilian crooner Roberto Carlos. Between her catalog of eight albums, dance moves and eminently photogenic looks, Lopez shouldn’t have any trouble taking up the entirety of the show she’ll be headlining. (Jamie Lee Rake)
YUNGBLUD @ Miller Lite Oasis, 8:30 p.m.
Twenty-one-year-old Dominic Harrison, aka YUNGBLUD, could pass as a villain that walked straight off of the pages of a comic book. His energy is boundless and he’s almost always up to something, whether it’s attempting to do some backflips off of stage rigs or jumping from balconies during a performance. He’s usually clad in black, dons smoky smudged eyeliner and its always either his punk rock sneer or particularly toothy grin that remains affixed to his face throughout most of his music videos.
The Doncaster, U.K.-native made a few headlines last fall when he performed an entire set in a hot-pink foot cast at the Austin City Limits Festival, despite breaking his ankle some hours before the show. Even the injury couldn’t keep him bound to his wheelchair. Tons of video footage uploaded by fans show him thrashing around onstage as he carried on with the gig in his typical volcanic fashion, performing songs with titles like “21st Century Liability,” “Loner” and “Anarchist.” The moniker derives from a nickname given to him after being the youngest person on his management roster and the caps-lock is indeed intentional (for dramatic effect, of course). As for the misspelling, he often jokes “Double the ‘u’, double the flavor!”
YUNGBLUD makes a guest appearance alongside Blink 182 drummer, Travis Barker, on Machine Gun Kelly’s latest track, “I Think I’m Okay.” The British rocker also released a song with his beau, popstar Halsey, entitled “11 Minutes,” where tragedy strikes an on-and-off-again couple as soon as they attempt to rekindle their romance, a somber tale inspired by true events. (Nayeli Portillo)
Switchfoot @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, 10 p.m.
Switchfoot played a sold-out show in Madison earlier this year, and it’s easy to understand the San Diego band’s appeal.
Arriving on the post-grunge scene in 1996 with a sunny guitar-driven alternative-rock sound layered with Christian overtones, Switchfoot achieved mainstream success with the Billboard Top 20 singles “Dare You To Move” and “Meant to Live.”
Earlier this year, the band released its 11th studio album, Native Tongue, which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Christian charts. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Foreman claims the album is all about pursuing joy. “Joy is an incredible motivator,” he said at the time of Native Tongue’s release. “It’s only to be found in the moment, not in the past or future. That’s what music is to us: The ever-present joy of the ever-present now.”
That feel-good spirit not only comes through in Switchfoot’s recordings but also on stage, as the band casts aside singing about all of the ugliness and hate in the world by celebrating love, which Freeman has called “our native tongue, our common bond.”
To that end, Switchfoot founded the “Bro Am Beach Fest” in 2005, a local charity event that takes place on Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, Calif., and features vendors, surfing contests, and performances by artists such as Jason Mraz and Needtobreathe—all topped off by a massive Switchfoot concert. This year’s beneficiaries include the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Feeding San Diego and the VH-1 Save the Music Foundation. So far, the Bro Am has raised more than $1.5 million for worthy causes.
Switchfoot’s Summerfest gig will be considered intimate by the current standards, as immediately upon leaving Milwaukee, the band will embark on an eight-date European stadium tour opening for Bon Jovi. (Michael Popke)
Taking Back Sunday @ Miller Lite Oasis, 10 p.m.
2019 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Taking Back Sunday, one of the most influential emo bands of the 21st century. Indeed, it will be difficult for any future music historian to discuss the evolution of the controversial genre without wrestling with the impact of the Long Island-based band’s first three albums: Tell All Your Friends (2002); Where You Want to Be (2004); and Louder Now (2006).
New fans continue to discover these important records every day. In fact, there is probably a heartbroken teen blasting “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)”—the breakout track from the band’s debut album—right at this very moment, screaming along with vocalist Adam Lazzara as he dramatically sings, “And will you tell all your friends / You’ve got your gun to my head?”
Over the past five years, the band has continued to put out solid records, including Happiness Is (2014) and Tidal Wave (2016). The latter record found the band drawing from pop punk and even straight-up rock ’n’ roll as band members moved further away from the drama of their teens and twenties. In early 2019, Taking Back Sunday released a career retrospective album, featuring fan favorites like “You’re So Last Summer,” “Set Phasers To Stun,” and, of course, “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team).” The anthology also contains two new songs, “All Ready to Go” and “A Song for Dan,” that further highlight the evolution of the band’s sound. While diehard fans may not appreciate the maturity heard on such tracks—“A Song for Dan” is a moving piano ballad—it is refreshing to come across a band not content to rest on its reputation. That being said, expect their Summerfest set to draw heavily from their first three albums. (Michael Carriere)
Dirty Deuce
Local Pick
Dirty Deuce @ Harley-Davidson Roadhouse, 2 p.m.
Today's Promotion: Seniorfest and H.O.G. Member Day
All patrons ages 60+ will be admitted for free when they present their ID between noon and 4 p.m.. Admitted seniors will also receive a voucher for $2 off a food or non-alcoholic beverage purchase over $10. July 3 is also H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) Member Day at Summerfest. Members get one free admission ticket by presenting a valid H.O.G. card between noon-3 p.m. One admission per card.
Here's Today's Complete Lineup
Downloadable one page PDF | Visit Summerfest.com for full lineup
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