From Zach Bryan to Morgan Wade, best and worst of Summerfest 2023's Weekend 3 in Milwaukee

If you’re throwing a party, you want to end on a high note. Summerfest did just that for the third and final weekend of its 55th anniversary.

The headliner lineup was the strongest of the three weekends — Jimmy Buffett and AJR cancellations aside — and included this year's fastest sellout of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater and a closing night appearance by a true legend. And the weather was pretty spectacular.

Here are the best, and some of the worst, of Summerfest's third weekend.

More: From Trippie Redd to Odesza, the best, worst of Weekend 2 of Milwaukee's Summerfest 2023

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Best performances

Zach Bryan’s sold-out American Family Insurance Amphitheater show had the power of a runaway locomotive. Nothing could stop it — not Bryan accidentally forgetting some lyrics, not the intrusion of static over his vocals for two songs. And with each passing crackling fiddle and pedal steel solo; with each flash of Bryan’s crazed eyes; with each full-crowd, full-throated singalong, the energy grew stronger and stronger. It will go down as a milestone evening from Summerfest’s 55th anniversary.

Another milestone was living legend Smokey Robinson closing out the fest on the Uline Warehouse stage Saturday night. After Robinson sang "Ooo Ooo Baby," "the set could have just ended right there," reviewer Cal Roach said. "Nothing could top that vocal performance."

Erik Ernst, who reviewed Robinson's show, echoed that sentiment. “Luckily, someone forgot to tell Smokey Robinson that people are supposed to slow down with age," Ernst wrote. "The 83-year-old singer moved, grooved and swooned with more energy than many of Summerfest’s performers a quarter of his age.”

Ernst also was impressed with rising country singer-songwriter Morgan Wade. “It was a stunning performance that was warmly received by the crowd that grew to fill the bleachers in front of the stage," he wrote of her UScellular Connection Stage performance Saturday. "You’d hope to see artists like Wade find their place to the biggest stage in coming years. But if she doesn’t, you can bet she’ll still be on a stage somewhere telling her truth in song to everyone who will listen.”

Although grayer, Catherine Jozwik suggested Ed Roland, frontman for breakout '90s alt-rockers Collective Soul, "still has his signature mane of long hair and plenty of vitality" and the band's performance of signature hit "Shine" at the Uline Warehouse "sounded as fresh and uplifting as it did when it was released nearly 30 years ago."

And writer Damon Joy had one word to summarize Ne-Yo Saturday at the BMO Pavilion: "bananas," with the crowd size verging on "utter madness." "Reminiscent of Charlie Wilson, Ne-Yo definitely had the pizzazz and sex appeal to keep the fans lit all night," Joy wrote.

Most disappointing performances

As we said, Summerfest ended on a high note, so very little truly disappointed. Damon Joy said The Pretty Reckless was pretty boring, the band potentially worn out for this final show of their tour. Writer Lauren Keene suggested that Pavement-inspired rockers Momma seemed out of place smashed between the Mountain Goats and Fleet Foxes Saturday, and struggled to keep the crowd's interest. Another buzzy indie-rock band, Horsegirl, also struggled to live up to its growing reputation with a one-off show/break from writing new music. More disappointing was the fact that they were pitted directly against another emerging female rock act, Leah Kate, during a quiet mid-Thursday afternoon, with the two acts likely cannibalizing each other's audiences, and both of them playing for small crowds.

And while Roach didn't review Buckcherry, their set Saturday was unavoidable from the Summerfest media trailer, which is right behind the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage where they played, with the hard rock band's irregular bass drum rattling the trailer.

"You should at least have to be good to be that loud," Roach said.

Grandest (loud) finale

As spectacular as Bryan's set was, the final song "Revival" threatened to wipe away the memory of everything that came before it. Coming out casually with a lit cigarette nestled in the neck of his guitar, Bryan and the band quickly whipped up a tsunami-like force, with members of Bryan's entourage (and opener Charles Wesley Godwin) stepping up to the mic to take a crack at the chorus, and his backing bandmates (many lifelong buddies from Oklahoma, including his former youth pastor) trading face-melting, crowd-obliterating solos. (His banjo player even faked his death, “miraculously” coming back to life for some pickin’ and grinnin’.)

Grandest (quiet) finale

For the finish of her warm set, performed with cool confidence, Jenny Lewis strummed guitar for the gentle triumph of "Acid Tongue," her all-female band (aside from her bassist) stepping away from their instruments to supply heavenly backing vocals a few feet from Lewis' microphone.

Coolest cover

The Regrettes' Lydia Night expressed concern early in her punk band's set that the Summerfest benches would prohibit widespread dancing, and six songs in, fittingly performed the Robyn classic "Dancing on My Own." But the rendition was so true to the heart-bursting sentiment of the original that a dancing Night had plenty of company grooving between and on those benches.

Coolest collaboration

Bryan couldn't wait to show up for his own show. He crashed his friend and opener Charles Wesley Godwin's set, pairing up on a full-hearted rendition of John Denver's classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads." It was a precursor to the euphoric, amphitheater-wide singalongs throughout Bryan's headlining set. (“Country Roads” proved to be popular on Weekend 3; Hailey Whitters also covered it Saturday.)

Most committed Summerfest performers

Opening night players the Moss swung back through Milwaukee for closing night to replace band of brothers AJR as one of two openers for Imagine Dragons at the amphitheater Saturday. (The brothers’ father, sick for a year, passed away earlier this week.) With AJR also understandably canceling its amphitheater headlining show scheduled for Thursday (itself a last-minute addition, filling in for a canceled Jimmy Buffett appearance), University of Wisconsin-Madison grad Yung Gravy came back to take the amp's stage less than a week after his headlining appearance at the Generac Power Stage. It was better than the likely alternative — another dark night in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, following late cancellations by Megadeth in 2019 and Justin Bieber in 2022. Should bad fortune break again with the amp lineup, here's hoping Summerfest can book another grounds stage favorite for a similar free-with-general-admission show.

Biggest regret

The media trailer at Summerfest was right behind the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, so when I was filing my Zach Bryan review Friday, I could hear Grupo Niche (and a packed house) having a hell of a time. Alas, by the time I finished my review, they were finished, too. So bummed I missed that party.

Weirdest hair issues

Several times throughout Imagine Dragons' American Family Insurance Amphitheater set Saturday, guitarist Wayne Sermon's long locks would stand straight up, the result of some weird static electricity issue (or perhaps the work of a previously unaccounted for Summerfest ghost.)

Funniest onstage comment

“So this festival’s been going on for like … two months or something?” — Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold.

Most unexpected bonus attraction

One of America's largest music festivals also became the center of the cornhole universe Friday, with the American Cornhole League's Pro Shootout and Superhole Cornhole matches. They were broadcast live on ESPN2, and featured celebrity players like Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Garcia (formerly Nikki Bella), Summerfest headliner and former Florida Georgia Line member Tyler Hubbard, and Spice Adams, who's parted ways with the Chicago Bears and has become a popular Internet personality. Congrats to Jones, who ended up winning a spot at the Superhole IV Championship next month. Never doubt a Packer.

Best local celebrity spotting

Aside from all the stars on the Summerfest stages, and the stars playing cornhole Friday, I spotted NBA Championship-winning former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer at Zach Bryan's show.

Best crowd moment

Two strangers who were moved to joyously jump during New Orleans' jam band Galactic's unstoppable funk came together to bounce around and gloriously clasp hands — one of several exuberant moments the band conjured up during an extra-long set that left the stagehands little time to prep the next band.

Best backstage sighting

A bunch of guys with country star Dylan Scott’s tour went shirtless for an aggressive game of cornhole. Victorious butt-shaking was involved. Then later, as the sun started to set and the temps dropped (and the shirts came back on), Scott himself joined them, humorously flashing "I'll destroy you" eyes at his buddies/adversaries, reminiscent of Giannis in the NBA Finals.

Erik Ernst, Damon Joy, Catherine Jozwik, Lauren Keene and Cal Roach contributed to this report.

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: From Zach Bryan to Morgan Wade, best and worst of Summerfest Weekend 3