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Verge Fest kicks off Milwaukee's
summer festival season

Verge Festival
Summerfest Grounds
Milwaukee, WI
June 4 & 5, 2010
She & Him
She & Him
AFI
AFI
Weezer
Weezer

Story by Andrea Jenels
Photos by Lynn Allen
Invade Rome photos by Matt Schwenke

Kicking off summer festival season in Milwaukee, the first annual Verge Fest, managed to not only pick up where the now extinct River Splash Festival left off, but surpassed expectations of the die-hard music lovers of the Midwest. Dark clouds and bouts of rain had no lasting effect on festival goers who simply adapted with the help of neon-orange ponchos available for purchase throughout the festival grounds (perhaps even adding to the revenue generated over two days of not-so-nice weather).

Day one of Verge Fest started off to a mediocre crowd, however gaining patrons with every passing hour. The grounds boasted three stages of musical acts kicked off by Milwaukee alums Red Knife Lottery (dark, girl-fronted screamo) and The Championship (Indie, upbeat rock) on alternate stages. (The third and least populous stage was not only hard to find, but weathering in notable acts).

By the time California rockers Eagles of Death Metal took the main stage at, the crowd had notably doubled in size and enthusiasm. Front man Jesse Hughes gave a charismatic performance in which he interacted with the crowd, noting a few songs especially "for the ladies." Despite their name, the garage-rock band has little to do with death metal or adult contemporary crooners such as The Eagles. Instead they brew a hybrid cocktail of LA cock-rock, hip shaking drum and bass laced with over- sexualized lyrics, resulting in a delightfully perverse danceability.

Meanwhile, across festival grounds, the indie rock duo She & Him were busy wooing the crowd with their brand of country twinged folk. Fronted by the wide-eyed actress Zooe Deschanel, the sickeningly cute sounds of this emerging duo seemed to make even the rain stop (or at least play backdrop to their warm and sunny stage presence).

Back on the main stage, the night closed with Canadian metal rockers Three Days Grace. Known for their heavy guitar and drum sounds, one can't help but compare the northern rockers to their predecessors (and notable influences) such as Nirvana and Black Sabbath. Although there was nothing original about this band, but it was a rightful fit to a festival that was sponsored by the local alternative music station.

Day two once again started off at a turtle's pace, with the three stages opening with local bands Invade Rome, Figureheads, and Violetness fighting the rain and losing festival goers to covered shelters scattered throughout the grounds. But by evening's dawn Verge Fest was once again filled with loyal music fans who weren't going to let a little rain stop get in the way of their festival experience. Cold War Kids and AFI both garnered maximum crowds with the die-hard fans sporting their band t-shirts and staying positioned front and center even when the bouts of rain intensified.

Closing the fest were controversial alternative rockers (although some argue they are now more "pop" than anything), was Weezer. Regardless of whether you're a long time Weezer fan dating back to the Blue album, or you're part of the generation who has recently discovered the greatness of such bands like Weezer or Green Day, one thing is undeniable; they rocked. Rivers Cuomo was as charismatic as ever, smashing guitars, throwing water at the crowd, and playfully dancing in rain puddles gathered at the edge of the stage. It was the perfect ending to a not so perfect weekend, but Verge Fest definitely did a great job in opening the summer festival season in Milwaukee.

AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI fans
AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI
AFI
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer
barrel break
barrel break
She & Him
She & Him
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega
sign
sign
Invade Rome
Invade Rome
Invade Rome fans
Invade Rome fans
Invade Rome
Invade Rome

More Verge Fest Photos!

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