Third Eye Blind charmed, Tash Sultana impressed and Charlie Wilson drew adoring aunties on June 18, the opening day of Summerfest.
Third Eye Blind
It might not be the ’90s but Third Eye Blind still charmed a massive crowd at the Uline Warehouse June 18.
Frontman Stephan Jenkins, now 61, didn’t miss a beat, belting out opening song “Thanks a Lot” while keeping up the energy with hard vocals through “Narcolepsy” and “Graduate.” Despite his age, Jenkins was still running around and jumping across the stage with his tambourine.
“Dust Storm” featured an impressive and extended guitar solo from Kryz Reid that lasted over a minute long. Bassist Alex LeCavalier showed off his own vocals during “The Kids Are Coming.”
They tugged on heart strings with an audience-assisted rendition of “Shipboard Cook” and “Motorcycle Drive By.” “Semi-Charmed Life” was saved for the end as the Big Gig was filled with the audience singing along to the iconic song.
-Joey Schamber
Echo & The Bunnymen
This iconic English band isn’t your traditional festival fare. Don’t get me wrong, they have a massive back catalog of memorable hits and can still command a capacity crowd, just like the capacity one they drew at the Generac Power Stage June 18. Even the opener, the classic band Modern English, popped into the pit to take in the performance.
As the show opened, thick fog rolled off the darkened stage, cutting through the night to the tune of one of their most upbeat pop tracks, “Going Up.” It instantly grabbed the audience’s attention. From there, it was all eyes and ears on the music; the band confidently elected to skip the massive video screens usually expected of festival headliners, letting the atmosphere do the talking.
Frontman Ian McCulloch, who was recently involved in an auto accident while on tour, looked absolutely no worse for wear. His iconic vocals have truly stood the test of time. The setlist moved steadily through a masterclass of classics, including “The Cutter” and “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo,” before hitting the ultimate high notes at the finish with “Ocean Rain” and “Lips Like Sugar.”
-Tedd Lookatch
Charlie Wilson
The aunties were out in full force June 18 as the BMO Pavilion filled to near capacity, eagerly awaiting the arrival of R&B legend Charlie Wilson—better known to many as “Uncle Charlie.”
Immediately after the opening-day fireworks lit up the Milwaukee sky, Wilson took the stage and turned the evening into a celebration of soul, funk, and nostalgia. Backed by a polished band and energetic dancers, he wore what may have been the shiniest suit jacket ever seen by man.
The setlist moved effortlessly through decades, from his featured appearance on Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful” to Gap Band classics like “Party Train.” Along the way, Wilson reminded the crowd of a lesser-known piece of music history— that he sang on Zapp & Roger’s classic “Computer Love.”
At 73, Wilson may not be as mobile as he once was, mostly performing from behind his piano, but his voice remains rich and powerful … and the aunties loved it.
– Damon Joy
Tash Sultana
For some Summerfest attendees, the lakefront fireworks are the main event. But those who skipped the Tash Sultana afterparty missed the best display of the night.
Sultana’s headlining set at the Miller Lite Oasis June 18 transported fans into a soulful psychedelic genre-blender that all flowed together impossibly well. *And* they brought one of the most imaginative and engaging visual displays ever seen on a Summerfest ground stage.
Having made their name solo in the truest sense—multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, samples and loops—Sultana brought a full band for this tour, only for certain songs. And even then, there might as well have been only one person onstage.
Hailing from Melbourne, Sultana is a bona fide star in Australia, and they sing and play guitar with the sort of swagger that suggests the rest of the world is only a matter of time. And that was only part of their act; at one point Sultana abandoned the guitar first for a flute solo, then a quick session at the beats console before picking up a saxophone for an impressive solo that included a tease of Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.” By set’s end it seemed there was approximately nothing in the realm of music Sultana couldn’t do.
– Cal Roach
Passion Pit
Michael Angelakos’s warm-up acoustic set at the American Family Insurance House earlier in the day was the perfect setup for the evening. Relaxed, open, and at peace with the nearly 10-year break between albums, he shared how that introspection birthed new material like ”Once Upon Your Balcony” and “Everything’s Stephanie.”
Later headlining the newly christened T-Mobile Stage June 18, that maturity shone through. Passion Pit’s new devotion is to keeping it pure while performing with no noticeable backing tracks while it still produced natural, authentic versions of their music. Angelakos was still hitting his high notes, which resonated beautifully with the massive, overflowing crowd. It didn’t feel like a total reinvention, but rather a mature evolution that proved the long wait for new music was entirely worth it.
Working inside a sea of keyboards and synthesizers, Angelakos jumped right up onto his bench to kick off “Take a Walk,” whipping the audience into a frenzy. Classics like “The Reeling” and “Sleepyhead” felt reworked and aged nicely, backed by a tight band delivering hot vocal harmonies. A reflective Angelakos warmly thanked the crowd for welcoming him back, fondly recalling how much fun he had at his 2016 Summerfest performance.
– Tedd Lookatch
Holly Humberstone
A chill was descending on Summerfest as the headliners began their sets, which may have accounted somewhat for a small crowd at the Briggs & Stratton Backyard, but the Holly Humberstone faithful were loud and here to dance.
Humberstone’s three-piece backing band took its place on risers and began playing as Holly emerged to enthusiastic cheers. Her opener, “Make It All Better,” approached a nu-metal aggression as it was wrapping up; this was a feint. “To Love Somebody” quickly redirected into the UK singer/songwriter’s bread and butter: breezy pop in the Natalie Imbruglia vein.
Although her new album, “Cruel World,” trends towards dance music, the show was more of a rock-based affair, dependent entirely on her young core audience who knew every word. It may not have been very original, but it was infectious.
Humberstone played more and more guitar as the show went on, and she seemed more comfortable as a bandleader the more she played. Having opened for the likes of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo in the past, it doesn’t seem to have gone to her head; her gratitude just to be doing this for a living certainly rang true.
– Cal Roach
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo demonstrated his versatility as a guitarist, lyricist and singer June 18 at the Aurora Pavilion.
The 75-year-old Texan has been touring and recording since the 1970s and has recorded and contributed to more than two dozen albums.
Escovedo was clad in all black, including a cowboy hat and sunglasses.
“I’ve played Summerfest a few times before and I always have a great time,” Escovedo addressed the crowd before introducing his backing band The Electric Saints. The setup was simple: the singer/guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboard player.
Escovedo launched right into a few blues-drenched, southern rock and pysch-rock influenced tunes, including “Break This Time,” and later lamented changes in his hometown of Austin Texas with “Bottom of the World.”
The sound levels in the Pavilion were somewhat uneven, with bass and guitar riffs threatening to drown out Escovedo’s bluesy vocals. But this didn’t faze the crowd, who danced, jumped around and played air guitar to the blistering rock ‘n’ roll music.
– Catherine Jozwik
Local Beat: Maximiano
Another great selling point of Summerfest that distinguishes it from other major music festivals at its scale: local artists make up a significant portion of the lineup year after year. And the booking team made an inspired choice for opening day to illustrate the tremendous talent Milwaukee has to offer, with a performance from Maximiano on the T-Mobile Stage.
The singer-songwriter brought musical ambition absent self-serving showboating – and plenty of emotional and contemplative lyrics on their powerhouse debut album “The Real Truth” two years back. Recently released sophomore album “Rokeby” was equally remarkable. And the live renditions of their songs at Summerfest conveyed those albums’ intricacies thanks to an exemplary band of local scene powerhouses: Will Hansen (aka Old Pup) on pedal steel; Devin Drobka and Nick Lang on drums; Barry Paul Clark on bass; Ellie Jackson on flute and backing vocals; and Cheston Van Huss on clarinet, guitar and backing vocals.
Yet for all the emotional enhancement and tantalizing textures they brought to Maximiano’s catalog, the arsenal of instruments live never outshined what makes these songs special: the tenderness of Maximiano’s voice and words. And at Summerfest, Maximiano had more special songs to share, leading their backing band through performances of three new intimate and cathartic songs that suggest album number three is going to be another stunner.
– Piet Levy
Note: This story was updated to correct a song title.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Third Eye Blind and the best and worst of Summerfest 2026 June 18
Reporting by Journal Sentinel staff, Special to the Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Journal Sentinel staff, Special to the Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
