A Taste of Madison 2017

Sorry for not blogging earlier, been dealing with some stuff this week. About time to catch you up on my most recent concert excursion: my first journey to the free Taste of Madison event over Labor Day weekend in my neighboring state of Wisconsin. I hadn't been to the WI state capitol in about three years, and I had a great time!

I got to the grounds last Saturday afternoon in time for the first opener, 90's rock cover band the Foo Foo Dolls. I also spied my buddy who was drum teching for Nonpoint later that day, and it was good to catch up with him for a bit.

The second act was Alabama natives Shallow Side. This was my third  time seeing the group in about a year, and they put on a good show. I was happy to chat with their singer for a bit after the show.

Next up were Vegas natives Otherwise. This was my first time seeing their revamped lineup, but they put though the same constant energy that I'd come to expect. It was kinda cool having frontman Adrian Patrick right in our faces during the set.

The final opener for Saturday was Stitched Up Heart. I enjoyed their set, and I didn't expect to see their singer Mixi Denner literally ride around the crowd in an inflated float for a while during their show. I took the time to chat with her after the set too.

Shortly after 6:45 pm, the evening's headliners Nonpoint took to the stage. This was their last show for the year, and it was going to be recorded on audio and video, so that's why I decided to make the 5 1/2 hour drive from my home. It was an intense set, with a ton of crowd surfers. I was in the second row, and my new concert mates and I were doing our best to protect the kids that were in front of us during the all-ages show.

After the set, I caught up with my buddy and a couple other friends who I hadn't seen in a while. I didn't have time to buy any souvenirs, but I made a note to buy Nonpoint's flash drive online later, which would give me a link to the evening's set.

After an overnight at a nearby hotel, I got back to the capitol grounds on Sunday and had a quick lunch just before I heard the evening's headliners Powerman 5000 soundchecking with their single "Nobody's Real." I made it to the front of the stage, where I stayed for several hours.

When I thought of the name Revolution X, I first thought of a halfway-decent Playstation game featuring Aerosmith from the mid-90's. This was also the name of a great Janesville, WI band that started the day's entertainment on the rock stage. I was impressed by their original songs, and snagged a guitar pick after their set.

Next up were Never Say Die (formerly Deadset), featuring 2 members of the former band My Darkest Days. It was good to hear their new songs, and they of course closed their set with the hit "Porn Star Dancing."

The third band of the day were Vista, CA natives Hell or Highwater. It was interesting to see their singer walk around the crowd during one of their songs, and to hear a rock band perform a cover of the Outkast hit "Miss Jackson."

Despite some problems with the guitar sound levels, September Mourning put on another good set as the final opener for the day. Lead singer Emily Lazar walked atop the crowd for a bit, and they kept the growing crowd's attention throughout their show.

This was my first time seeing a full Powerman 5000 set (I saw the band at Pov's in Spring Lake Park, MN a few years ago on a weeknight, but left early because I had to work the next day), and they did a great job. There were crowds surfers of course, but maybe a third of what I had encountered during Nonpoint's set the night before. At one point, frontman Spider noticed a wedding at the capitol building behind us, a perfect segue in to the band's new song "Sid Vicious in a Dress."

I got back to my hotel early enough to grab a bite to eat and relax in the pool and hot tub for a while before making the drive back home on Labor Day. My last big concert roadtrip of the summer was a success!

Well, that's all for now - until my next adventure, have a great week, everyone!