Much like the aforementioned Ludacris performance in 2014, seeing St. Saturday, July 2 nd, Harley Davidson Roadhouse, 9:45 PM – Nelly With all this in mind, I was curious what was in store for Summerfest’s first weekend, highlighted (for me at least) by performances by 2000s top 40 radio legend Nelly, the buzzing and eclectic local hip-hop and soul collective New Age Narcissism, and America’s favorite talk show backing band, the Legendary Roots Crew.
This is a double-edged sword for hip-hop, as booking an older artist makes Summerfest look out-of-touch in a genre with a fanbase that tends young and is always evolving, but booking a rapper with mainstream hype like Wiz leads to the exact situation they are trying to avoid (and the first option doesn’t always work out in Summerfest’s favor anyway, as artists like Summerfest 2014 performer Ludacris still have enough name recognition to draw out the starved pop-rap fans of Milwaukee for at least one crazy, jam-packed night). These experiences have led Summerfest to seemingly create a “glass ceiling” of relevancy for the artists it books, hoping to keep crowds somewhat small and somewhat over-21 by getting artists that are either just past their prime or have already achieved “classic” status. While this has become the norm for festival crowds at massive events like Lollapalooza, Summerfest doesn’t seem to be prepared, equipped, or willing to deal with crowds like this (see also: Imagine Dragons’ 2014 ground-stage showing, which forced Summerfest to temporarily close its doors to handle the sheer numbers that showed up). While the rest of the “music festival” scene in America increasingly features huge-name EDM DJs and rappers dú jour such as Future and Kendrick Lamar, Summerfest has maintained its traditionally rock and country focused approach to creating a crowd-pleasing lineup that doesn’t always quite get at “what the kids are listening to.” Wiz Khalifa’s 2011 show at the Harley Davidson Roadhouse, legendary amongst my generation of Milwaukee kids, was a glaring example of why Summerfest takes this approach: The massive crowd at the show filled up what felt like a square mile in front of the stage, which created an unpleasant viewing experience for everyone who wasn’t there waiting at 5 PM for a bleacher seat, and set up a push-or-be-pushed situation that inevitably boiled over a few times throughout the evening.
Despite being one of the world’s largest music genres, hip-hop has never quite found a happy home at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the World’s Largest Music Festival.
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