David Lee Roth swaggered, Connor Price excited and Trapper Schoepp paid homage to one of the greatest on June 20, the third night of Summerfest.
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth goes on stage when David Lee Roth wants to go on stage. I kid – but he was about 20 minutes late to his BMO Pavilion show June 20. His fans couldn’t have cared less. Once “Panama” kicked in, all was forgiven.
The former Van Halen frontman treated the crowd to nearly 20 songs spanning decades, mixing hard rock classics with enough explicit gestures and banter to keep things interesting. Seriously – I can’t repeat anything without a trip to HR.
Roth spent much of the night doing his signature “fancy man” dance and occasionally twisting himself into a downward spiral yoga pose. He’s 71. I get it.
His voice occasionally wandered from the original melodies, but always got back on track. Fans did not care. They came for the songs, the WILD stories, and the larger-than-life personality that made Roth a rock icon. Backing him was a flawless band, along with four backup singers who somehow managed to follow every diversion.
During a weekend packed with legendary performers, Roth easily held his own. He’s still wildly entertaining and still carries enough of that signature voice and swagger to remind everyone why he became a household name.
– Damon Joy
Christopher Cross
The house music cut out. New-age synth tones began to waft over the crowd at the Uline Warehouse. You could sense alto sax just around the corner…
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Christopher Cross!” said a disembodied voice, and the reigning king of yacht rock strode to the mic. And no fan of his dulcet pipes could’ve been disappointed by what they heard from the 75-year-old crooner on June 20.
“Hopefully we’re gonna be playing all the songs you want to hear,” said Cross following the “All Right” opener, giving a wry nod to hardcore fans pining for deep cuts. “These are people who have no life at all, and God bless ‘em.”
What is the definition of “cheesy,” as it relates to music? Difficult to pinpoint, until you’ve seen a Christopher Cross show. Dripping, oozing out of every instrument. The trio of backing vocalists elevated the proceedings at every turn nonetheless, and the overall production was an immaculate late-‘70s time capsule. The crowd waited patiently for the handful of hits, and after the pure bliss of “Sailing,” the solo acoustic “Think of Laura” started to inspire some crowd chatter that even copious flute soloing in “Spinning” couldn’t drown out. But if even if Cross temporarily lost the crowd, it only took “Arthur’s Theme” to win them back.
– Cal Roach
Dexter and the Moonrocks
At their Aurora Pavilion show June 20, Texas alternative rockers Dexter and the Moonrocks played a set that would’ve fit perfectly into the Seattle grunge club scene in the early 1990s.
“We’d like to play our originals, if that’s alright,” said longhaired lead vocalist James Tuffs, who wore a blue long-sleeved hockey jersey and black jeans.
He sang in a gravelly style similar to Kurt Cobain and Dave Pirner on tunes like “Bleach” and “Say I”.
Lead guitarist Ryan Anderson, bassist Tyler Anderson and drummer Ryan “Fox” Anderson brought a heavy, distorted sound reminiscent of the Pixies and Nirvana, which matched Tuffs’ vocal delivery.
The band encouraged the security crew to “open the (expletive) pit” so the packed audience could start moshing, and to not “be afraid to keep that (expletive) going” proving even more that the ’90s are back in full force.
– Catherine Jozwik
Connor Price
On a chilly night at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage, Connor Price somehow made the crowd forget they were standing next to Lake Michigan and freezing.
The Canadian rapper drew a diverse, enthusiastic audience that seemed to know every word. At one point he asked the audience who was at his Chicago show the night before. More people yelled back than expected.
Price brought nonstop energy, bouncing across the stage while effortlessly delivering his rapid fire verses. His blend of hip-hop, pop, and positivity felt perfectly suited for a Summerfest crowd looking for a more family friendly act.
What stood out most was his connection with fans. Every call-and-response landed and every lyric was shouted back at him. Considering he built much of his following online, he looked completely at home on a live stage. Watching him perform “Scoop” unassisted was definitely the highlight of the show. That kid’s got mad breath control.
Price may have found fame through phones and social media, but on this night proved he can command a festival stage just as well. On one of Summerfest’s cooler evenings, he delivered one of its hottest performances.
– Damon Joy
Nate Smith
Three years ago, rising star Smith played a packed afternoon set at what was then the U.S. Cellular stage. On June 20, Smith was on the same stage, with a different phone company sponsor (T-Mobile), top billing, and a significantly sparser crowd.
They were fired up, though, and Smith was in great voice, parlaying his brand of country-meets-Nickelback to his diehards.
Following a supercharged cover of Luke Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” Smith introduced a new song that he insisted is not on TikTok: “Break Up Like That,” a rather spooky, atmospheric dirge compared to his usual fare.
The real treat for fans, though, was a world debut of another new song, a raunchy rocker called “Find Me in a Bar,” due to be released July 17. Soon all vestiges of country were left behind, as the band took on a faithful cover of Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Then Smith invited at least a dozen fans onstage for “karaoke”: Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy.” It was a heck of a party to close out the weekend, and although staff seemed hesitant to turn Smith’s mic back on after “World on Fire,” he persisted into a bonus “Whiskey on You” encore.
– Cal Roach
Don Felder
Milwaukeeans love classic rock, as evidenced by cover bands booked at church festivals, farmers markets and virtually every outdoor event.
Therefore, it was no surprise that the Don Felder show on June 20 at the Uline Warehouse stage was well attended, mainly by Boomers and Gen Xers, with Millennial and Gen Z fans here and there.
The 78-year-old former Eagles guitarist and lyricist, who looked sharp in a white suit and black T-shirt, left the band in 2001, but didn’t shy away from playing Eagles hits, including “One of These Nights,” “Victim of Love” (which Felder co-wrote) and “The Long Run.” Felder also dedicated the Western-inspired “Tequila Sunrise” to late bandmate Glenn Frey.
The decades appeared to have been kind to Felder’s voice and musical chops, as he didn’t have trouble hitting higher notes. His guitar licks were still sharp and electrifying.
However, Felder was a bit long-winded in his reminisces of his times with the Eagles that he shared with the audience, some of whom were getting noticeably frustrated due to some stage technical issues. A guy behind me even yelled out “Land the plane!”
– Catherine Jozwik
Red Leather
Summerfest is no stranger to masked and anonymous artists, be they funk-playing mummies, a sax-blaring Sasquatch or a DJ with a marshmallow for a head.
To that lineage we can now add Red Leather, who performed at Aurora Pavilion June 20, wearing a signature wide-brim hat surrounded by red tassels and a black face mask underneath with holes for his eyes and mouth.
Gimmicks like this have been known to get attention, and Red Leather drew a sizable crowd to his set. But gimmicks only go so far. You need talent too, which Red Leather made clear as day, showing Nirvana-level nerve through his voice and guitar for “Get Out Of My Head,” and life or death-scale drama for his closing rocker “Sins.”
– Piet Levy
Local Beat: Trapper Schoepp
As a songwriter, Trapper Schoepp already showed he could both honor Bob Dylan and bring his own style by finishing an unfinished Dylan song – and with Dylan’s blessing, officially share a co-songwriting credit.
So of course he could do the same thing covering one of Dylan’s classics.
After performing their co-written “On, Wisconsin” at Uline Warehouse June 20, Schoepp, supported by his four-piece backing band, played a cover of “Highway 61 Revisited.” Who knows how many artists have played that song (thousands? a million?) but sure enough Schoepp brought his own personality to the performance while conveying the energy of the original recording.
Besides paying homage to the bard, one of Milwaukee’s finest singer-songwriters at Summerfest also honored his immigrant ancestor via his original “Ballad of Olof Johnson” and his love of bikes on “Three Speed Queen” off last year’s excellent album “Osborne.” And he also revealed another Dylan-related endeavor he’s embarking on, trying to convince the owner of Dylan’s original “On, Wisconsin” lyric sheets to donate them to be housed at the Milwaukee Jewish Museum. Stay tuned to see if that happens.
– Piet Levy
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: David Lee Roth and the best and worst of Summerfest 2026 June 20
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
