10 Must-See Bands at Summerfest 2016

By: Katie Kuropas – 

Summerfest comes back to Milwaukee from June 29th-July 3rd and July 5th-10th with hundreds of bands on the bill. Quoted as being “the world’s largest music festival,” spanning 11 days and over 800 acts, it is not only home to tons of live music but also vendors selling everything under the sun, a variety of food, and rides and attractions. The best part is that it’s all located right on Lake Michigan, which allows even the hottest days to have a cool lake breeze. If you happen to make it out to one (or multiple!) days, here are 10 bands that you won’t want to miss.

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Death Cab For Cutie
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Death Cab for Cutie never disappoint live, with Ben Gibbard’s vocals always being on point and their vast catalog of songs to make up their set lists. Their most recent album, Kintsugi, saw the departure of longtime member Chris Walla, and the introduction of touring members Dave Depper and Zac Rae. This might be a different Death Cab to see live, but a great one none the less.

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Ben Folds
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On his most recent album, So There, Folds collaborated with a six piece classical music ensemble to create an album with eight “chamber pop” songs along with a piano concerto that was performed with the Nashville Symphony. You won’t want to miss his performance, which will be a Ben Folds show unlike you have never have seen before.

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Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness
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Andrew McMahon always gives an amazing live performance whether it includes jumping on his piano, exploding confetti balloons, or a crowd dance party underneath a parachute. He is a Summerfest regular, playing many times before either solo or with his two bands Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate, so it should be tradition to make a stop at this stage to see his unique stage presence. Who knows, you might even get to hear a new song from his forthcoming album.

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Passion Pit
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When Michael Angelakos steps on stage, you can feel his energy radiating throughout the venue, making Passion Pit a perfect choice for a summertime festival. Coming off from 2015’s release Kindred, you’re guaranteed to hear songs like “Lifted Up (1985)” and “Until We Can’t (Let’s Go)” mixed in with their classic hits like “Sleepyhead.”

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Hollywood Vampires
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Why wouldn’t you want to see Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry play music together? A rock supergroup to honor the music of rockstars who died in the 70’s, they have released one studio album containing mostly covers from bands such as The Who, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin, along with two original songs. It’s worth the watch if nothing else but to see Depp shredding on the guitar along two rock legends.

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Weezer
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Weezer’s back again! After a couple of not so well received albums, Weezer certainly made a comeback with this year’s self titled release, also known as The White Album. The First single “Thank God for Girls” really brought back the classic Weezer sound that fans love, and seeing the new songs performed live will reinvigorate any fan’s love for the band.

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Blink-182
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Ever since the departure of Tom DeLonge, the big question is will Matt Skiba be able to fill his shoes properly? The answer is yes! If you listen to the band’s latest single “Bored to Death,” it’s almost if DeLonge had never left at all and we were still back in the pop punk glory days.

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Fitz And The Tantrums
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Fitz and the Tantrums new single “Handclap” is dominating the radio right now and you can’t help but want to sing and clap along while you hear it. Imagine that same energy that you hear in the recording and multiply that by 100, and you have a live Fitz and the Tantrums show. It’s not something to miss if you want to spend your night dancing, singing, and having a good time!

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Milky Chance
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This German electric folk duo might be semi new to the game with only one studio album under their belt, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put on a hell of a good live show. Their song “Stolen Dance” is just one of those songs that you can’t get unstuck out of your head (but in a good way). They’re in for good things, check them out and you’ll quickly see why!

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The Wombats
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This three piece indie rock band from Liverpool has three studio albums and countless EPs to their name, and put on quite the energy-fueled live show. With crazy upbeat songs such as “Let’s Dance to Joy Division,” you’ll want to (as their newest single says) “give them a try” and check their set out. You’ll be glad you did!