Well I've wrapped up another year of Summerfest. Last year I checked out Reel Big Fish which is still probably my favorite show of all time.
This year I made the trip down to Summerfest twice! I was hoping to make it down a third time but that didn't pan out. Either way it was a lot of fun this year just like last year. And
yes I'm rambling on, on purpose here to get this text to clear the image on the right (sorry web designer nerd joke).
Trip 1: 311 & Pepper
I made the first trip down with my good friend and co-worker Kyle. We arrived at Summerfest early enough to see two bands. The first band was a Reggae/Ska/Punk band by the name of Pepper. Pepper was the opening act for 311. I would say I probably liked their style of music more than 311 but it was early in the night so the show wasn't as exciting at this point.
Pepper playing at Summerfest 2010
Next up was 311. Mike and his friends arrived at this point and we worked our way up in the crowd. At one point we got a really wimpy mosh pit going but since it was a Reggae/Rock band that quickly ended. After that we moved our way up to the 2nd row, right off the stage.
Finally, 311 played their song "Down" which was a favorite of mine so I ditched the front row and returned to the scene of the mosh pit expecting it to be going on during their most popular song. I was disappointed to see a bunch of hippies just standing around like it was a hippie jamfest or something.
So I started jumping around a bit and bumping into people. After a few minutes the crazy die-hard mosh pit people surfaced (shaved heads, no shirt on, tattoos, they're easy to spot) and joined me. We only moshed for a song or two until a cop came in and told me to 'KNOCK IT OFF'. It was child's play compared to the Reel Big Fish show last year where I was scared for my safety.
311 performing 'Amber' at Summerfest 2010
After the show we ended up getting stuck in a parking garage for 30-45 minutes. Overall it was a good time.
Trip 2: Slightly Stoopid
The next trip down to Summerfest was to see another Reggae/Ska/Punk band named Slightly Stoopid. The band apparently was hired to the record label that one of the Sublime band members started in the 90's. The band is mainly a Reggae band but has horns and has a few faster songs as well. This show probably had the most weed smoking of any of the shows I've been to before. It probably didn't help that we pushed our way up to the front again, but that's where all the fun is.
About quarter of the way into the show a crazy dude climbed up the rafters at the Potawatomi Casino stage and after some encouragement, on our part, jumped. I was surprised to find that a fellow YouTuber captured this epic event on video. If you crank up your brightness on your monitor you can see the entire thing unfold.
Crazy guy at Slightly Stoopid jumping from 10-15 foot support beam at Summerfest
Some other highlights from the show that I can recall was me fighting with some 18 year old girls who couldn't handle my need to mosh during one of their few fast songs. Another interesting moment was when a fight broke out (at a Reggae/pothead show mind you) between two guys eventually ending in them both choking each other and falling into the bleachers. The verdict is still out whether it was for real or staged since security ran in and everyone seemed to be friends again.
Wrapping It Up
Overall it was a good time at both shows. I really wanted to see Less Than Jake, but they played on a Sunday night and nobody was able to make that. Regardless I think the other two shows equal a single Less Than Jake show in value.
