Summerfest kicked off last Thursday and the first weekend was a whirlwind of music and HEAT. It was such an incredible time, and while I am partial to specific genres, I am making sure to gather photos and content of different artists as well as the wide variety of activities featured at this wonderful festival. Summerfest is known for being the world’s largest music festival with a total for fourteen stages including the amphitheater. So many different artists and people from all over travel to be a part of this wonderful community. I’ve still got two jam packed weekends to cover and so many more artists to photograph, but, here’s a recap from the first one. 

DAY ONE: It was such a difficult decision picking between which headliner to cover that night and ultimately Jack’s Mannequin won. I still did grab a couple shots of Natasha Bedingfield from a distance and enjoyed hearing her play fan favorite songs, “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine,” from a distance as well. It was a humid day, and we were briefly rained on for about half an hour, which caused some stage delays, but the droplets of rain were a nice intermission from the sun, and spectators huddled under the bars to stay dry. 

Most of the opening artists I covered on this day were local musicians who I’d seen once or twice at shows around the city. I believe in the local music scene and definitely want to provide support however and whenever I can. They were all amazing in their own way. Go check out Ben Mulwana, NileXNile, and Troy Tyler. Stay tuned for that inside scoop on NileXNile…

I can’t forget that I also witnessed the talented duo, Aly & AJ, for a second time. I grew up with these two from the Disney Channel with their movie Cowbelles and several of their tracks being featured in different films. They were both so ethereal to watch and their voices meld together so perfectly. I saw them from the barricade at Lollapalooza 2021 and this time I was even closer in the photo pit. As Hilary Duff once said, “this is what dreams are made of.” 

DAY TWO: There were several artists that got rescheduled, so I am bummed to say that I did not make it to Betty Who’s set as she conflicted with Gigi Perez on the amphitheater stage. I wanted to make sure to see Gigi as I had heard only good things about her. Her voice was enchantingly beautiful as she stood on stage with her guitar. I was able to chat with a few fans at the barricade who waited and started the line at 9 a.m. to make sure they were as close as possible to the stage. Absolute dedication, and I hope they enjoyed the whole show. 

I did a lot more atmospheric shots of the grounds and activities on the second day, so I only photographed a handful of other artists. Four Seasons SkatePark was doing demos in the community park area, and that was such a joy to watch. I have a longboard and it’s really just a mode of transportation to get from one place to another. I am by no means good at it and would not be able to pull off the stunts they were showing. It was super cool to watch and photograph.

The Head And The Heart really bought a fun set to stage and the crowd clearly loved them. I really love it when the band is able to provide such an interactive experience. One of the guitarist vocalists jumped from the stage into the pit and hugged and high-fived several fans before going over the barricade into the crowd. You could really feel the love and excitement all around. 

Austin Snell is a country artist who I was introduced to in October 2023 at The Rave. He was one of my earlier shows when my concert photography career really took off. I felt there was something a little poetic in seeing him grow so quickly in just two years from playing a 400-capacity room to playing a major festival and go on right before the stage headliner. I did have to sprint to his stage from Gigi Perez, but I made it in the right amount of time. He had a big draw and good sized crowd, so watching his growth while knowing about my own personal growth from when I last saw him was pretty neat.

The final artist of day two was Mike Posner. I was not aware he had turned into an EDM DJ recently so I wasn’t sure what to expect of his set. I do know that my life is completely changed having heard him perform “Please Don’t Go” live and in front of me. I listened to “Cooler Than Me” as I was leaving the grounds. I thought it was also cool to learn about how he wrote “Sugar” for Maroon 5 and he performed it for everyone. He had so much energy, it was honestly insane!

DAY THREE: An extreme heat warning was in effect so my plan was to stay inside as much as possible. I photographed an array of artists throughout the day and honestly none of them are really ones I listen to, just familiar by name or a random pick to check out. I was not disappointed by any of them. They were all amazing in their own, unique way. Shout-out to Cooper Ramsey and The Strike for being two more additional interviews this weekend. I’m super stoked to have started them and they are really so much fun. The interviews are coming soon!!!

Anyways, Brie Stoner started off my day and she was so beautiful on stage. Her fit was on point and her voice was so mesmerizing. I also caught the sets of Immortal Girlfriend, Iann Dior, Cooper Ramsey, The Strike, Japanese Breakfast, Lindsey Stirling, and Yung Gravy. 

And this all wraps up weekend one… Two more to go! Stay tuned to find out who else I’ll be covering this year at Summerfest!