Brett Young, Sean Paul, Ava Max and the best and worst on Day 6 of Summerfest in Milwaukee

Strong voices, including reggae dancehall star Sean Paul and Milwaukee native Ava Max, lit up Summerfest 2023's sixth day on Saturday.

Brett Young

Was that the Milwaukee "people's flag" backdropping pop-country star Brett Young as he took to the Miller Lite Oasis stage Saturday night? Alas, no; apparently, other branding experts have also come up with similar original designs.

For a 42-year-old, Young exuded a surprising degree of boy-band energy in his demeanor and delivery, although between songs a bit more world-weariness crept into his voice. It came off both as endearing humility and a flat-out lack of stagecraft.

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In ripped jeans, untucked white shirt and jean jacket, Young strolled around the stage casually, as if the very concept of rhythm were foreign to him. Traces of country in his music were scant; it was almost purely pop balladry, "Lady" reminiscent of Wilson Phillips and "Mercy" like REO Speedwagon with a mild twang. For better or worse, quintessential Summerfest fare.

Bringing out the crew to take up instruments and jam on “You Got Away With It” was a nice touch, but this crowd was primarily here to sing along to “In Case You Didn’t Know,” and when the moment came, they actually paid attention for three minutes.

— Cal Roach, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Sean Paul

Reggae superstar Sean Paul did not come here to play. Once everyone heard his voice at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, it was a wrap. They hung onto every word until the end and the thunderous applause never stopped.

Standing atop his throne shrouded in the Jamaican flag, Sean Paul, with the assistance of two well-dressed dancers and a live band, shredded the stage. The dancers moved vigorously in unison to Sean’s hits as he dashed from the stage to his flag.

He gave very little time between songs, choosing to go back to back with hits to ensure the fans were satisfied. He stopped occasionally to check on the crowd in a heavy patois, but it was right back to joints like Sia’s “No Lie” and “Temperature." He performed “Get Busy” third. That right, third. That’s unbelievable,as he could have easily closed with it, being one of his biggest hits of all. Did I mention the dancers?

— Damon Joy, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Ava Max

Near the back of center stage at the BMO Pavilion Saturday night, a large mirror-ball diamond seemed to hover. This was a nod to headliner Ava Max’s second album, this year’s “Diamonds & Dancefloors,” and, inadvertently, to the symbolism of ersatz glitter instead of the real thing.

Max, born in Milwaukee, came across with talent to burn: a voice pitched somewhere between Lady Gaga’s smeary glamour and Christina Aguilera’s power on those occasions when Aguilera doesn’t oversing absolutely every note. Max combined that voice with a comfortably sensual style of movement, rather than overdone choreography.

The songs were solid, too: “Cold as Ice” (not the Foreigner hit) and “Weapons” used modern beats confidently, and “One of Us” showcased Max with fewer backing tracks and slower tempos. If those backing tracks blended together after a while, Max brought enough personality to suggest she could be a long-haul pop princess a la Robyn or Kylie Minogue. She could be a real diamond.

— Jon M. Gilberton, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm

Oh, that tricky Generac Power Stage gets them every time. The bass hits and everybody goes nuts. But alas, commercial. Shortly after that, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm strutted on stage Saturday and went into a sort of vocal exercise/soundcheck before diving in.

The energy of this group was immediately evident. Sturm danced about the stage like a ballerina while belting out some divine notes. It is hardly noticeable that she was on hiatus from the group for nearly 10 years.

Guitarist Sameer Bhattacharya and bassist Pat Seals ran back and forth-leaping into the air like salmon out of a river while rhythm guitarist Jared Hartmann, went full metal and head banged at a dizzying pace.

Flyleaf's edgy blend of metal and emo made for an impressive and aggressive show and the fans agreed.

— Damon Joy, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Yellowcard

Jacksonville pop-punk band Yellowcard broke up in 2016, but as we all know, nobody except R.E.M. actually breaks up. A mere six years after calling it quits, Yellowcard reconvened for Riot Fest, and the 20th anniversary of their fairly successful album "Ocean Avenue" seemed reason enough to do a full tour.

Judging by the crowd at the Uline Warehouse stage Saturday night, the demand is there. It wasn't quite T-Pain-2017, but it was stuffed and they all knew the words.

"This is the first show of the first tour we've done in seven years," said vocalist Ryan Key following the "Way Away" opener. "Thanks for all the love and support, and for bringing us back to life." He was chatty all night, in case anyone feared a stone-faced run-through of the album.

This got popular, but Samiam never caught on? Must be the violin. No, clearly these songs have reached into the pop-punk consciousness well beyond the signature gimmick. Why, is anyone's guess.

— Cal Roach

Spin Doctors

In one of Summerfest’s darkest hours, the Spin Doctors stepped up.

You may remember, during the craziness that was the first post-COVID Summerfest in 2021 when last-minute cancellations were practically running rampant, that the band ended up playing two sets in one day, their own plus a fill-in slot for a suddenly unavailable Natasha Bedingfield.

We didn’t review either set (apologies, fans, for the snub) but we made sure not to miss the Spin Doctors’ Summerfest return at the Uline Warehouse Saturday.

Perhaps this was a deliberate reward for last time, but the '90s-associated alt rockers didn’t have a lot of well-recognized competition on the grounds for a Saturday afternoon set, resulting in an overflowing turnout. Frontman Chris Barron seemed pleased, and when his singing teetered on self-indulgence for songs like “Gorilla Boy,” a good portion of the crowd politely but decidedly used the set as background music for their own conversations.

But Barron and the band snapped everyone into attention to sing along with Spin Doctors’ signature smash “Two Princes,” with Barron once again showing Summerfest he’s a good sport, peppering the performance with roundhouse kicks and some faux-ballerina poses.

— Piet Levy, plevy@journalsentinel.com

Wang Chung

For every Pet Shop Boys or Depeche Mode that made it through the 1980s without getting commercially or artistically glued to the decade, there are at least five others like Wang Chung, which played Saturday evening at the UScellular Connection Stage.

Still featuring core members Jack Hues and Nick Feldman, the English pop-rock band didn’t avoid its glory years: Early numbers in the set included “Fire in the Twilight,” from the soundtrack to the Brat Pack movie “The Breakfast Club” (1985), and a couple selections from the band’s soundtrack to the William Friedkin-directed movie “To Live and Die in L.A.” (also 1985).

Neither Hues nor Feldman hit the New Wave vocal highs of that pastel past, but the saved-for-last big hits, “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” — the latter hammily introduced via an altered version of the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” — held up almost as well as GoBots left in the original packaging.

— Jon M. Gilbertson

De La Buena

Just weeks after celebrating their 20th anniversary, Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz band De La Buena, and the Milwaukee music scene, was dealt a devastating blow when band co-founder and beloved music teacher Cecilio Negrón Jr. died unexpectedly from a heart attack in May at the age of 47.

Summerfest meant a great deal to Negrón Jr., who first watched his musician father play the festival when he was 14. Negrón Jr. played the festival several times himself, with De La Buena, soul breakout group Kings Go Forth and even on the amphitheater stage opening for Patti LaBelle, an experience he told the Journal Sentinel was a major influence on his pursuit of being a full-time musician.

So despite the shocking loss, De La Buena’s summer shows are still happening, including two sets at the Johnsonville Summerville stage Saturday.

The band, and a packed crowd, embraced Negrón Jr.’s carpe diem spirit. People were salsa dancing on the AstroTurf from the band’s first notes, the number of hip-shaking revelers doubling, tripling and quadrupling within minutes. Fueled by that energy, the band blissed out with sharp conga snaps, golden horn blasts, earthy stand-up bass grooves, a killer percussion solo, and psychedelic jazz organ jams from Buena co-founder and Negrón Jr.’s close friend David Wake.

In the end, De La Buena showed that the show going on was the right call, their Summerfest set serving as a spirited tribute to, and continuation of, Negrón Jr.‘s joyful legacy.

— Piet Levy

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brett Young, Sean Paul, Ava Max and best, worst on Summerfest's Day 6