Big Bad Concert Rankings: 180-171

Nothing upsets me more than people talking during a concert and stopping during set or song changes. I turned to a woman during a show much higher on this list because she wouldn’t stop yell-talking at her friend and said, “Hey! Is your name on this ticket? No?” She did not like that. But, at the very least, she moved away from me. And like me, she also probably paid a considerable amount for that ticket. You don’t have to like every song, but at least pick your place in the venue to talk if you want to talk, like the bathroom, or the roof.

180 - Stevie Wonder

One of my all-time favorite conspiracy theories is that Stevie Wonder isn’t blind. What does this have to do with his music? Nothing. It was my first Summerfest show and I was 18 and the crowd leveled out around 68.

179 - Candlebox

When I think 90s alternative, I think Far Behind by Candlebox. Throw in some STP and Matchbox Twenty and we’re off to a great nostalgic jam session.

178 - Santigold

I love Santigold’s voice, but apparently I only loved her music digitally or on the radio. Live, she was just as choreographed as her music videos, however, her show sounded exactly like her music videos, when you could hear the sound. Luckily, I was on the side of the crowd that had the fully-functioning sound equipment. The right side got hosed.

177 - Seether

Tamest hard rock show. I really don’t know what else to say.

176 - Kaleo

Wildly popular on the radio and on a CD in my car. I genuinely like many of their songs. But there were times I had to really listen to hear a difference between the live version and the recording. I’d really like to see them again once they develop a stage presence.

175 - Semisonic

Blast from the past. Before Grand Rapids had Rosa Parks Circle they had Monroe Mall. It was a series of brickwork layered in between fountains and a big amphitheater space. I used to play around that space whenever my dad would be part of the Meijer Food Show, presumably for me to waste energy before I fell asleep under his booth (and mini donut machine). Anyway, Semisonic once played at the Welsh Auditorium, which was the concert hall inside the big convention center that hosted the food show.

174 - Vance Joy

Big Show. One Good Song. Just kidding. Vance Joy has lots of good songs if you’re into background music you forget is on the radio. I don’t get the teen girl fan appreciation, though. Is it because Taylor Swift covered a song, or did Swift cover a song because he had such a teen girl following? Either way, there was a lot of screaming that took away from the whole mood.

173 - Killswitch Engage [August Burns Red, Light the Torch]

AKA The last Show Before Everything Shut Down. Right before we got serious about social distancing, there was a mosh pit show with a guttural ambiance. It made you forget there was impending doom around the corner for four hours.

172 - The Beths

Small Show. Singing Girls. Many Good Songs. My aunt and I caught The Beths’ set within minutes of entering Summerfest. Those mid-afternoon shows have sparse crowds but The Beths could do very well in 250-400 capacity rooms.

171 - Jet

If you watched any TV or played a video game, you heard Jet. And they brought what I can only describe as ‘video game energy’ to a rock show. High energy, good vocals, but because it was one of those private volunteer shows at Drake University, hardly anyone in the crowd was feeling the same vibe I was. But I was closer to the stage because I was working the event.