Tucker Wetmore charmed a crowd, Common swaggered like an MMA fighter and Subtronics turned things electric on June 25, the fourth night of Summerfest 2026.
Tucker Wetmore
It’s not hard to see why Wetmore is a fast-rising star. This was the second night of The Brunette Tour Part 2, and he drew an overflow crowd that spilled out far beyond the T-Mobile Stage June 25. While cowboy hats and boots were a given, the sheer diversity of the audience was a real surprise and they were treated to one heck of a show.
Wetmore certainly knows how to use some Wisconsin-style flattery to butter up a crowd, proclaiming, “I’ve spent a lot of time in Rhinelander, and I love your fishing and beer.” It was just one of several sincere, crowd-pleasing callouts. But he didn’t just rely on charm; he backed it up with splashy dance moves and masterful crowd interaction, at one point pounding on a giant wooden piano to lead three massive singalongs.
He also did a great job shaking off the inevitable Morgan Wallen comparisons. Despite the similar vocals, shared aesthetic, and identical “injured athlete” backstories, he clearly has more than enough individual talent to stand on his own. The 26-year-old served up pure confidence, infectious band chemistry, and old-fashioned fun. By the time he rolled through hits like “Wine Into Whiskey,” “3,2,1,” and “Brunette,” the adoring crowd was sent into an absolute frenzy.
– Tedd Lookatch
Common
No cap: this may have been the best hip hop show I’ve ever seen at Summerfest.
After The Roots unexpectedly canceled, Common stepped into the BMO Pavilion headlining slot. I’ll admit, I was disappointed. As far as hip-hop trades go, this felt like Giannis getting dealt to Miami — not exactly what I signed up for.
Three minutes later, none of us cared.
Common hit the stage like he was walking into an MMA fight and never let up. His energy was relentless as he tore through a set packed with classics and features, from Black Star’s “Respiration” to Kanye West’s “Get ’Em High.”
One of the night’s best moments came when he pulled audience member @kateygothands onstage and delivered a flawless, nearly three-minute freestyle right to her before sliding into “Come Close.” Needless to say, she wasn’t complaining.
Common had the women swooning while giving hip-hop heads everything they came for. When he closed with his verse from The Roots’ “The Light”… wait, scratch that—his performance of “Love of My Life” brought everything full circle.
In the end, what started as a disappointing replacement turned into one of the greatest hip-hop performances Summerfest has ever seen.
– Damon Joy
Subtronics
Subtronics, real name Jesse Kardon, turned the Generac Power Stage into an all-out rave with his electric performance on June 25. While I wasn’t jamming with his jittery style the audience definitely was.
He remixed audio from songs like “Anxiety” by Doechii, “Cupid’s Chokehold” by Gym Class Heroes and “Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars, but he’d switch them up very quickly. That style is what he’s known for though, and it looked like a lot of people vibed with it.
He had some great moments, though. The beat drops on “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, and “My Way” by Frank Sinatra were epic and dramatic — they even had me hyped.
Kardon also treated the audience to an unreleased track featuring rapper J.I.D and a tribute remix to recently deceased artist Oliver Tree towards the end of his set.
But maybe it was because I was out of place among the sparkly, screaming ravers, Subtronics just wasn’t for me. Still, the bass was so loud it rattled your insides and the crowd danced through his whole set; that’s about all you can ask for.
– Joey Schamber
Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane delivered a short, but lively set on June 25 at the BMO Pavilion.
Following an energetic opening by Dee Jay Skaz Digga and Bboy Tata, the New York-bred rapper stepped onstage around 5:40 to loud whoops and applause from the audience.
Dozens of hip-hop lovers crowded at center stage to catch a glimpse of the rapper whose 1980s hits “Ain’t No Half Steppin’” and “Smooth Operator” still draw hundreds of thousands of listens per year.
The head nodding, hand waving and hip swaying crowd grooved through Kane’s setlist with enthusiasm.
One audience member tossed his belt to Kane after his first song. Kane quickly looped it around his pants and launched into a fervent, joyous dance, thanking the fan with laughter.
Halfway through the show, Kane shared a heartfelt tribute to fellow industry titan and rapper Biz Markie, who died in 2021. Longtime collaborators, Kane and Markie’s relationship began before either released their debut albums.
Kane said he “wouldn’t be on this stage” if not for Markie, who recruited him as a co-writer on his first album and brought him on tour.
Kane’s Milwaukee performance ended after 31 minutes, leaving the audience yearning for more.
– Tamia Fowlkes
The Mountain Goats
Although June 25’s weather was on the chilly side, that didn’t stop Millennials and Gen Xers, some of whom brought their children, from packing the Aurora Pavilion to see indie folk veterans The Mountain Goats perform. There were black-rimmed glasses, baseball caps and black hoodies aplenty.
Fronted by bearded founder and singer/guitarist John Darnielle, who wore a navy-blue suit and light red button-down shirt, the band included a drummer, guitarist/keyboardist, and bass player.
The Mountain Goats got the crowd moving quickly with the half-singing, half-spoken-word rocker “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds” and followed it up with others such as “Need More Bandages,” and then slowed it up a bit with the high school nostalgia tune “You Were Cool.”
Known for mordant, confessional lyrics and unique vocals, Darnielle strummed his guitar and sang with passion and intensity.
He has an endearing habit of announcing the song’s themes and including the titles (i.e. “this is about being buried in a shallow grave” before launching into “Shallow Grave”).
The audience seemed to love every minute of the set–the applause was loud and contagious.
– Catherine Jozwik
Kim Gordon
Not unlike fellow ‘80s icon David Lee Roth last weekend, Kim Gordon was fashionably late (20 minutes or so) for her headlining set June 25 at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard. The gathering was sparse, but the faithful were gradually drawn in as Gordon and her three-piece backing band performed her new album, “Play Me,” in its entirety.
There would be no Sonic Youth nostalgia; Gordon is now seven years and three albums into her art-pop rebirth and the material stands on its own. Grooving in a glittering silver top, the more she danced, the more into it the crowd got; then for “Busy Bee” she finally picked up a guitar and things got noisy.
While her solo work is some of her most accessible, it still gets caustic, especially live. By the time Gordon began delving into her back catalog, the show had become a series of three-minute industrial blasts, culminating in an explosive “Psychedelic Orgasm.”
“Paprika Pony” gave the crowd a quick breather before another pummeling in the “Cookie Butter” set-closer. Guitarist Sarah Register stroked the frets with a screwdriver while Gordon leaned into her monitor, bathing the fans in feedback, a proper no-wave sendoff.
– Cal Roach
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is known as many things: a Grammy-winning king of soul, blues and R&B, the master of the Hammond B3 organ and a critical part of the tapestry of America’s music landscape through Booker T. and the MG’s.
On June 25, Jones and his band drew a crowd of hundreds to the Generac Power Stage with hits such as “Green Onions,” “Soul Limbo” and their version of the B.B. King classic “The Thrill is Gone.”
Ebbing and flowing through instrumental and lyrical pieces, Jones brought audience members to their feet, with many leaping out of their seats to record their favorite songs or to dance with a neighbor.
Decades into his career, Jones still glides easily through a performance with an undeniable swagger and cool.
He performed on his keyboard and organ in tandem, strode to the stage mid-performance to strum a bright red electric guitar for a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and cooed haunting bluesy belts during a rendition of “Born Under a Bad Sign”, a song he co-wrote with William Bell at Stax Records.
– Tamia Fowlkes
Local Beat: Pat McCurdy
Pat McCurdy at Summerfest. It’s about as much a staple of the Big Gig as the Saz’s Sampler Platter.
But the truth is it’s not always a given. The veteran Milwaukee singer-songwriter wasn’t part of the Summerfest 2025 lineup, he reminded the crowd at the Generac Power Stage early evening June 25, prompting McCurdy to sing an impromptu song.
“I wasn’t here last year and that was strange,” McCurdy sang as he strummed his acoustic guitar, alone on stage. “But I look around and not much has changed.”
Quite true, as is more or less the case with McCurdy. Well, except for one thing. As he mentioned to the crowd, he’s a “movie star” now, referencing the documentary “Bright Beautiful World: The Infectious Joy of Pat McCurdy” that had its world premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival in April, and won the festival’s audience award for best feature film. Combined with fine weather and a prime slot following Booker T. Jones, McCurdy drew a large crowd for what he said was his 172nd Summerfest show.
Most people knew the tricks. They sang along to a snippet of polka classic “Roll Out The Barrel.” They threw up jazz hands together for “Gotta Make a Living.” They danced during the random recorded snippets of “Sugar, Sugar” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” that interrupted “Screw You.” A Mary and a Rebecca and an Ava in the crowd had the honor of being named during “Reason to Live.”
It was unapologetically silly, corny – and for these fans, undeniably fun. Oh Pat. Don’t ever change.
– Piet Levy
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tucker Wetmore, Common and the best, worst of Summerfest 2026 June 25
Reporting by Journal Sentinel staff, Special to the Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Journal Sentinel staff, Special to the Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
