On tap for tonight? The Bangles for an 8:30 show at the Classic Rock stage (since when are the Bangles classic rock!?!?), and then if we were lucky, Aqualung at 10 p.m. at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse. ...Yeah, you read that one right too -- Aqualung -- mellow piano pop -- at the typically rowdy Harley-Davidson stage ...
So I caught the Ryan Road shuttle one more time -- Bus No. 41. It's been engraved in my brain this last week -- and met ol' buddy Matty at the Summerfest gates as planned a little after 5:30, never minding the ugly-looking storm clouds that were suddenly rubbing away the sunshine and settling over downtown Milwaukee. ... I was starving; he'd already eaten. So we started our walk through the grounds and eventually came to the Saz's booth. Their combo plate (mozarella sticks, cheese curds, fries, etc) had come highly recommended from another friend, so I stepped to the window and placed an order. (I also was proud of myself for eating a different food from a different restaurant every day I'd been to Summerfest ...)
...No sooner had I finished ordering, Matt and I turned around to see a torrential downpour beginning to fall from the sky and the throngs of Summerfest-goers scattering for any piece of shelter they could find -- including the canopy we were standing under at Saz's. A couple minutes later, I had my combo plate and there we stood, stuck in the crowd, waiting for the rain to subside ...
Eventually, it did. But only for a little while.
Beginning our walk again, we stopped once more to watch the kid juggling fire and knives on his unicycle. And soon we were at the classic rock stage, surveying the crowd in place for the Bangles show. With about two hours before showtime, a good cover band on stage and a decent-sized crowd in place, we decided to stay ...
... But once again, no sooner had I got my routine 'bucket' of Dew, the rains broke loose again.
There was no use finding shelter this time and we quickly settled on the idea of enjoying the rain, getting soaked and having all the fun we could. ... On the stage, the Rockerfellers -- fronted by a cute female vocalist and a tank-top-wearing stud with arms so bulging he should be a pro wrestler -- had the crowd getting, well, wet n' wild. ... A classic Summerfest cover band, they belted out 'It's My Life,' 'Jessie's Girl' 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,' 'Our Lips Are Sealed' 'Let's Go Crazy' and much, much more. All the while, the rain kept falling, Matt and I kept singing and dancing -- and enthusiastically stepping closer to the stage everytime someone in front of us gave into the rain and left ......We had made it to the third row -- perfect for the Bangles show! -- when the rain started becoming so thick and heavy it had ruined my Mountain Dew. And shut down the rest of the Rockerfellers show.
... And now the rain is coming down so hard, it's approaching hurricane status. Matt and I bolted from the stage, along with the 30 or so other people there with us. We ran past the 40 or so people still waiting in line for Kenny Chesney tour shirts. And I see a few people taking shelter in the port-a-potties.
Seems like a good idea, I thought. ... I began to enter an empty one.
'You're going to wait it out in a portable toilet!?' Matt shouts.
Right. Bad idea. ... we shared a hearty laugh.
And finally found Jo-Jo's Martini Lounge, one of the few covered stage areas on the grounds,
where another band was finishing up and a drenched 21-and-over crowd was packing in among the only dry people remaining on the grounds.And we waited. And watched the torrential rains. And waited. And walked around the tent. And laughed at our situation. And saw an older gentleman actually pouring water from his shoe. And came up with alternate names for Summerfest (Blubberfest, Rain Forest Fest, Splashfest, Drenchfest ... ) And waited some more. And watched more of the torrential rains ...
Finally, when we saw the rain diminish ever so slightly, having come to the conclusion there would be no Bangles concert tonight (... at least for us. It turns out they did play.), we left the shelter of Jo-Jos and ran for the parking lot ... Only the Harley-Davidsion stage still had a band playing and soaked fest-goers were running every which way ...
Matt and I said our goodbyes. And I said my goodbye to Summerfest. It was fun and memorable again my dear friend. And I'll look forward to doing it again next year ...
But yeah, about that rain storm ... As I rode the bus back to my car, now at about 8 p.m., I couldn't help but notice this rain seemed to be getting worse. The lightning was getting worse. And the roads were getting worse ...
I stepped off the bus and jogged to my car in the downpour, and breathed a deep sigh of relief when I was finally behind my steering wheel, unloading my drenched pockets, and turning on the heat to relieve my soaked, cold body ...
But, oh, we weren't done yet. ... In what's typically a 15-minute drive from the Ryan Road parking lot to my doorstep, it would take me the next hour to get home. ... It was probably the worst -- no, it was the worst -- rainstorm I've ever driven through. White knuckles gripping the steering wheel and all. Mine and every car going barely 20 miles on the interstate. People were driving with their flashers on. Blinding lightning flashing all around. Flooded bridges and overpasses. Driving rain so hard I thought my window was going to shatter. Windshield wipers on to the max ...
But my little green machine and I bonded, held strong and made it through -- good thing, too, because she's been a little stubborn lately.
And finally when we pulled into the garage, I could leak a smile, look out and enjoy the spectacle Mother Nature had produced ... and be thankful for a heckuva a five-day run at Summerfest '06.
ALSO SEE:
a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Big Gig looking to get better with age
a JS online's Summerfest blog ... there's been some great posts on here throughout ...
a OnWisconsin's Summerfest section, including MKE's Summerfest bingo card, tons of show reviews and archived coverage from past years ...
a My Summerfest preparation: 'It's here baby!!'
a My Summerfest Day #1
a My Summerfest Day #2
a My Summerfest Day #3
a My Summerfest Day #4
2 comments:
A little sneezing, but all in all I'm glad I stuck it out. Good to see you yesterday. I think it's strange seeing our Thumbs up picture next to Thumbs Up Jesus. We look like an odd, wet trio.
However, I should mention that the Cubs suck. They're the ones who should be hiding in a toilet.
Yeah ... Too bad we didn;t stick it out longer for the Bangles. I'm sort of kicking myself for that ...
... and for not wearing my rain jacket.
Post a Comment