Milwaukee's Summer 2k19 Kick Off - Summerfest Recap
/Oh Summerfest, the time of year that officially kicks off a beautiful Milwaukee Summer...and what a beautiful start it was. The weather was amazing for the first day of the festival. Perfect for all the concerts, food, fun and of course, The Big Bang (my favorite part might I add). I was a little worried at first because the weather said it was going to rain for the entire week of Summerfest, but luckily Mother Nature was in our favor on the first day.
The main reason everyone is in attendance for Summerfest though, is usually for the music lineup. This year wasn’t too disappointing when it came to representation and diversity with performances from Lizzo, T-Pain, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Jacob Latimore, Vic Mensa, T.I., A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Schoolboy Q at the amphitheatre and more! Even when it came to the local talent, Summerfest was on it with Spaidez, Shle Berry, MT Twins, and Nile, just to name a few.
Going back to Mother Nature...she wasn’t playing on the second day of Summerfest (and a few other days as well), which was also the day Lizzo performed. When I say it rained, it POURED. I was completely soaked and so were many others. Summerfest was providing people with rain ponchos while everyone scurried to find cover from the storm. Surprisingly enough though, the thunderstorm didn’t stop Lizzo fans, as they trapped through it all just to get a glimpse of her Black Girl Magic. There were nearly 10,000 people in attendance for her show (says fox 6 News), which means to me that she is ready to fill those amphitheatre seats!
I tried to finesse my way into interviewing Lizzo, but got humbled real quick lol. I don’t know who I thought I was that day with my camera set-up and microphone, only having done one on-camera interview so far in my career, but that didn’t matter to me, I was trying to get it done! Okay! Haha. (But we did get cool pics of T.I. set)
The highlight of Summerfest for me had to be the day A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was performing on July 2nd at the U.S. Cellular Stage. DJay Mando was opening up for the MT Twins, Jacob Latimore and A Boogie. That show had crazy energy! Everyone was lit and just excited, but it also made me realize if I wasn’t there as a reporter, I probably wouldn’t have gone. Those kids in the crowd made me feel old lol! I remember back when I was their age in high school, getting there super early to get a good view, sweating like crazy from the heat, all the pushing and shoving. Yeah, no thanks. I can’t do that anymore. Big Yikes! However, being there as a reporter was so dope! I would do that any day.
The last day of Summerfest was cool too because whenever someone saw me with the mic and camera, to them, it was showtime! I met a few brave individuals who just wanted to hop on screen with me and that’s always a good time. Those moments always remind me of the great human experiences I get to have during these events that bring people together from all different backgrounds and communities. It’s like one big BBQ or family reunion and I love it!
Overall, Summerfest 2k19 was amazing! I had so much fun for it being my first time doing on-camera interviews and I was geeked to be able to start doing what I want to do for my career. I learned so much through this experience and from everyone I talked to. I had a lot of “firsts” that are finally out of the way, like hearing more No’s than Yes’s, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Don’t forget to check out my brief interviews with Vincent Van Great, DJay Mando, the MT Twins, and Nile. They all did a great job so make sure you follow them and support them on their journey!
/Carrie for CW
