On June 26, country superstar Cody Johnson dropped his 10th studio album “Banks on the Trinity.”
His first stop to celebrate: Summerfest in Milwaukee, to headline the American Family Insurance Amphitheater that very night.
Backed by six fellow Texans in his band the Rockin’ CJB (naturally pedal steel and fiddle were in the mix), Johnson had a blast busting out album single and Brothers Osborne collaboration “Fool Proof” live for just the second time. “The only ring I gave her came collect from county,” Johnson sang at the top of the devil-may-care roadhouse rocker. (Another clever line that comes during the chorus: “She says I ain’t got a shot, but I’m sittin’ here with two.”)
From there came another unbothered and brazen “Trinity” single, album opener “Horseback,” also performed live for just the second time. “She did ’em dirty, took him to the cleaners,” Johnson belted live with his good-ol’-boy twang. “Now her pockets and her pastures are greener.” It ends with our down-and-out hero getting his sweet revenge – cutting his ex’s fence, saddling up the horse she kept, and riding off “like a bat out of hell.”
“Banks on the Trinity” is bound to be a major contender when the CMA Awards and ACM Awards come around, loaded with sharp storytellers that will translate well to the stage. “I Have” is one of the most emotionally raw songs Johnson’s ever made, album closer “Yippy Ty Oh Hey Hey” is a spare recording that could transform into a powerful pin drop moment in concert, and there’s a rollicking Luke Combs collaboration, “Shoot The Bull,” just begging for a crowd-thrilling, in-concert video cameo, similar to what Johnson’s done with his Carrie Underwood team-up “I’m Gonna Love You.”
But despite the strength of this new album, Johnson opted to play just those two songs from “Trinity” at Summerfest. Not that it was a huge-hits-only affair. One song that made the setlist at Summerfest that didn’t show up at Fiserv Forum last year was “By Your Grace,” Johnson’s personal outcry to God he said he wrote at one of the lowest moments in his life. He prefaced the performance talking about his faith to huge cheers, one of a few soapbox moments where Johnson spoke from the heart. He also praised law enforcement, military members, nurses, firefighters, first responders and EMTs ahead of a cover of “God Bless America,” turning the performance into protest of division and calling for unity and common ground.
The best way he got it was through his songs. This may have been the coldest night of Summerfest so far this year, but damn if the hootin’ and hollerin’ Johnson didn’t take the full house to his warm home state for set opener “That’s Texas,” his ode to George Strait, chili with no beans and more, the live rendition culminating with Johnson pulling open his shirt to reveal the Texas tattoo on his chest.
Deploying a similar and infectious “I’m just loving this” energy as one of his clear cowboy-hat wearing idols, Garth Brooks, who was on this very stage last week, Johnson across 100 minutes got big ol’ singalongs again and again, be it for his ode to empathy “Human,” or his wide-eyed love ballad “The Painter,” or his seize the day anthem “‘Til You Can’t.” But when it came to his big finale “Diamond in My Pocket,” Johnson playfully called a time out so he could go take a sip from a black Solo cup.
As was the case for anyone hoping to hear more from “Banks on the Trinity” live at Summerfest, Johnson for his final number was going to keep the fans waiting. But it was clear nobody minded whatsoever.
Jessie Murph opened with a daring set
Any of the more thematically conservative, traditional country-loving fans who had no clue who Jessie Murph was might have been initially intrigued at the start of her hour-long set, with her raspy voice bringing a haunting nature to her cover of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.” But after that came the “f” bombs, the sexually explicit lyrics, the trap-style beats, and a bit where she painted what looked like genitalia on the bare chest of a fan on stage.
This was incredibly bold and provocative stuff for a genre that’s not typically accustomed to such things, with one older guy seated near me rudely yelling out “she sucks” to anyone within ear shot. But it also makes Murph an incredibly daring artist in a genre that could benefit from more risk takers. Defying convention with conviction on the Summerfest stage, Murph showed she had the talent to justify the big swings, intimately singing bleeding-heart bruisers like “Heroin” and “Gucci Mane” with palpable pain. It was also clear, from the young women surrounding me celebrating Murph’s musicality and candor, that the grump was outnumbered.
Cody Johnson’s Summerfest setlist
Contact Piet Levy at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cody Johnson celebrates brand new album at Summerfest show in Milwaukee
Reporting by Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
