Sometimes being Plain Jane is the name of the game. And even though you paid for something that wasn’t all that great, or all that bad, you just have to deal.

170 - Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers

AKA The first Yule Ball and my first time dressed as a fictional character. Good thing my Hagrid costume had pockets so I could buy a couple CDs at the show.

169 - Erasure

There’s nothing that can prepare you for an Erasure show. First off, they perform in this light box, with the instrumentalist (Vince Clarke) on top of the box and the singer (Andy Bell) on the bottom. Clarke is in a full suit. Bell is … not. You know those fake tattoo sleeve you see around Halloween? Imagine that but in a full body suit. Then throw in some heels, makeup and shock-white hair. They’re not higher on this list because I can only imagine the show is actually Pet Shop Boys-lite and there was an odd feeling of unoriginal outlandishness.

168 - Pop Evil [Palaye Royale]

Had this show not been in Michigan I don’t think it would rank this high. A local crowd will always give a show an extra 15% boost and you can tell it helped the band. Also, the opener was steampunk circus strange, but in a good way?

167 - Make America Rock Again [Sick Puppies, Drowning Pool, Scott Stapp]

Some dude said he got permission from his wife in the good seats to go into the crowd. He then told me the devil took over him and that’s why he had to start throwing punches in the mosh pit during, you guessed it, Drowning Pool’s Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.

166 - Flogging Molly

I saw an encore set one year at Summerfest after seeing Gogol Bordello at a nearby stage. The full show was much better at 20, maybe. As in, I don’t remember being there, but also I do. But I don’t. I have a signed poster by the band. The show date was a Thursday, so I would’ve easily been available to work it. I actually know I was in the lobby for it. But the actual show doesn’t pop up in the memory bank. So, both shows get ranked here.

165 - Brian Vander Ark

AKA the lead singer of The Verve Pipe. Great soloist. He opened for Colin Hay (Men at Work) but I got cut before his set. Vander Ark was flat-out brilliant in a stripped-down set and his a cappella rendition of Freshman was a highlight of the year (2017).

164 - Ministry

“What if Rage Against the Machine was more like Rage Against the Machine From Inside the Machine.”

163 - GGOOLLDD

GGOOLLDD was an emerging artist at Summerfest when I saw them just made their headlining debut this past year. Big things are going to happen for this band, especially with a lead that sounds like Lana Del Ray meets Fever Ray.

162 - Black Label Society

Viking rock. Single greatest guitar solo I’ve ever witnessed. Probably because I was standing right behind Zakk Wylde while he was strumming behind his back in our lower mezzanine section.

161 - JJ Grey & Mofro

Blues is not jazz. Blues is far greater than jazz will ever be, in this life or the next. That said, JJ Grey has a song called This River that opens with the same instrumentation as three other JJ Grey songs. He played those three other great songs and not This River. Which is a great, great song.