I’ll be on Fox 6 WakeUp in Milwaukee tomorrow morning (July 1) at 8:15 discussing Summerfest and my forthcoming book, Everything I Know I Learned from Rock and Roll: Timeless Wisdom from Aerosmith through ZZ Top.
Hope you can tune in.
In case you missed it, here’s the link to yesterday’s podcast on WTMJ 620. When you get there, click on James T Harris 6-29 Hour 2.
Stevie “Guitar” Miller came home to a hero’s welcome in Milwaukee last night at Summerfest and again demonstrated why he, like co-headliner Joe Cocker, belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Looking delighted and dapper, Miller is one of the rare rock and roll megastars who can walk down the street wearing a pair of shades and go unrecognized.
Although his fame and fortune derived from the many albums of pop-rock hits, Miller’s blues roots came through loud and clear at the Marcus Amphitheater. Along those lines, he recently added the brilliant vocalist Sonny Charles to the band, which added a whole new dimension to their performance. Mid-show Miller yielded the lead vocals to Charles for a few classic blues covers, including Bo Diddley’s “You Pretty Thing.”
That said, the hits from Miller’s gargantuan catalog were also in abundance. In stellar fashion, the band delivered an extended “Fly Like an Eagle”, the song (and album) that catapulted him to international superstar status. The 3-song run that closed the set darted from blistering to mellow to get-up-and-boogie with “Keep on Rockin’ Me”, “The Joker” and “Jet Airliner”.
But wait…there’s more. After coming back on stage and asking for requests, Miller launched into my personal favorite, “Serenade”, before bringing the show home with scorching renditions of “Take the Money and Run” and “Jungle Love”.
It was one of those magical Summerfest nights that I wish could have gone on forever.
Joe Cocker is amazing. The grizzled veteran has been sounding terrific the last several years and last night at Summerfest in the Marcus Amphitheater he absolutely tore it up!
Pardon my exuberance if you think I’m gushing, but I’m not a reviewer or a critic. To quote Springsteen, “I’m a rocker, baby I’m a rocker.” And I love Joe! Cocker is the best in the world at what he does. He doesn’t cover other people’s songs, he interprets them in his own inimitable fashion.
Relying heavily on the Beatles, Joe rolled out the classics. From “Feelin’ Alright” and “The Letter” to “Unchain My Heart”, “When the Night Comes” and “You Can Leave Your Hat On”, he delivered exactly what I hoped to see.
I had two particular favorites on this night. First, he did my all-time favorite Cocker interpretation, “Summer in the City” from the Lovin’ Spoonful. The second, relating to my earlier comment regarding the Beatles, was a bangin’ version of “Come Together.”
As always, Joe ended his set with a monster extended version of “With a Little Help from My Friends”. The Beatles were also on tap for the first encore, “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”, before he closed the show with Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me a River.”
After once again being blown away by Joe, imagine my delight in realizing there was another couple hours of magic in store with The Steve Miller Band. Is Summerfest a great festival or what?
During the show I remember thinking that, as the Rock and Roll Guru, I have the greatest job in the world. Ice cream tasters and brewmasters be damned!
Just before the Joe Cocker + Steve Miller Band show tonite, I’ll be live at the Summerfest grounds on WTMJ radio at approximately 6:00 CST.
If you’re there, stop by and say hello. I’ll be the one in the Grateful Dead t-shirt.
If not, you can listen online.
Rock on, Milwaukee!
Tonight’s Marcus Amphitheater show is certain to be a classic, with Joe Cocker AND The Steve Miller Band.
Time permitting, I’ll also get to see the end of Dickey Betts’ set at the M&I Classic Rock Stage.
It’s gonna be a fantabulous day at the Big Gig!
See you there!
Saturday was one of those great afternoons at Summerfest with several terrific bands from which to choose, and I was able to see three of them.
As a brief midafternoon downpour erupted, I ducked into the covered Potawatomi Stage and was treated to a fun set by Back Alley, a high energy kick-it-out blues band that kept the captive packed house entertained during the storm with great covers from legends like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Peter Green. If you’re into the blues, this band is a must-see.
Next up I split my time between two Summerfest institutions, Daryl Stuermer and Paul Cebar.
I’ve been watching Stuermer for 30+ years, dating back to the 1970s band Sweetbottom, which he formed with his brother Duane and Warren Wiegratz . A guitarist extraordinaire, Daryl is a true master of his craft. He skillfully combines rock and jazz in a manner that only a true virtuoso can pull off. He has toured with Phil Collins and Genesis for years and is universally recognized as one of the best.
Then it was off to see Paul Cebar, who has been delighting audiences since his days as part of the R&B Cadets. Cebar is the kind of guy you would love to have play at your back yard cookout, because he has an incredible knack for making it fun and getting people moving.
I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve seen these two cats over the years, but like fine wine they just keep getting better with age.
The artist formerly known as Johnny Cougar wasted no time in cranking it up last night for the Marcus Amphitheater crowd. Mellencamp knows what his audience wants and he delivers.
Backed by a tight band that included a rockin’ violin and accordion, Mellencamp displayed why he’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of the most beloved American songwriters of all time.
One of the great things about a Mellencamp show is that he delivers many of his songs with updated arrangements, instead of just replicating the studio versions. That was delightfully evident on many of his classic tracks, including Small Town, Rain on the Scarecrow, Little Pink Houses and my personal favorite, Authority Song.
June 29, 1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their final concert at the Denver Pop Festival.
WOW! Today’s Summerfest lineup has me in my glory like a pig in slop!
Check this out. Tonight, the Marcus Amphitheater plays host to 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Mellencamp with Lucinda Williams. In addition, Vice President of Entertainment Bob Babisch and his crew have brought us fellow Rock Hall of Famer Blondie, as well as the BoDeans, James Hunter, Paul Cebar, Daryl Stuermer and Willy Porter.
Where else in the world can you see two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers back-to-back on the same night? And that’s the second time in three days of the Big Gig that this has occurred!!! On Thursday, Stevie Wonder followed Eric Burdon and the Animals.
Just another reminder of why Summerfest is the world’s greatest music festival. My only issue is how to choose from the slew of great bands.
Stay tuned to see what I decided.
To read all my Summerfest posts, visit the official web site and look under Fun Stuff.
