Zach Bryan surpasses the hype in stunning, sold-out Summerfest concert in Milwaukee

Of the 800 or so acts playing Summerfest for the Milwaukee festival's 55th anniversary, one act was more anticipated than everyone else: Zach Bryan.

The fast-rising alternative-country artist's American Family Insurance Amphitheater show virtually sold out shortly after going on sale, even though Bryan headlined Summerfest's Miller Lite Oasis just last year.

No wonder Bryan thanked fans close to 100 times Friday night.

But the fans who were there were grateful, too, as witnesses to what's destined to become the landmark show for Summerfest's big birthday bash, a towering stunner starring one of the world's most exciting emerging talents just as his career looks to enter supernova status.

But the most remarkable thing about it was that Bryan himself didn't come off like a superstar at all.

Sure, he employed some familiar show tricks, swapping out a reference to his native Oklahoma for Wisconsin on "Oklahoma Smokeshow," and finding several places to adjust lyrics so the Dairy State and its largest city could get a shout-out. (He even wore a University of Wisconsin tank top with the university logo over an illustration of tall grass.)

And Bryan relied on a tried-and-true crowd-pleasing question — "Milwaukee, do you got another one in ya?" — before leading the band through a final chorus and singalong for a few songs.

Despite all that, and some indisputable talent, Bryan didn't come across like a polished, larger-than-life performer. His power came from being committed, as he sang during "Highway Boys" Friday, "to do my best to keep truth in song."

And his already prolific songwriting catalog — he self-released his first album just four years ago — is filled with electrifying intimacy and jaw-dropping songwriting.

There was the searing image of Bryan dropping to his knees on the hardwood floor for "God Speed"; his moving dream of being back on his porch swing for "Tishomingo." There was the haunting memory of "my mother's Southern drawl and her prayin' through the walls in the evening" during "Dawns"; and the blunt realization about a lover for "Sun to Me": "The only bad thing you've done is see the good in me."

And the night's penultimate song, "Burn, Burn, Burn," would have John Prine beaming from the heavens, the way Bryan yearns for living life to its fullest through both good and bad, fantasizing about both drowning in "rot gut whiskey" and writing "a few poems on a sunny balcony" in Paris (or through Bryan's lyric swap Friday, Milwaukee).

Impeccable with such vivid, raw, emotionally loaded but always sophisticated lyrics, Bryan showed at Summerfest he was an equally exceptional storyteller. There was the way "Something in the Orange," through Bryan's voice and pen, faded from the foolish hope of salvation and reconciliation, to the quiet devastation of reality, as he sang, again and again, "Please turn those headlights around." And "'68 Fastback" roared from the seething bitterness of being used and abused, to the steely, inspired realization "that you cannot tear down what's built up strong now."

This crowd hung onto every word like gospel, and sang most of them, too, while Bryan sang his truths not with blustery showmanship, but authenticity and heart.

You could sense the desperation through the nuance as he sang "Won't you tell me that you need me" on "The Good I'll Do," and the defiance of his voice flickered like a spark as he proclaimed "highway boys don't die" for "No Cure."

And as fiery as the band was, they came across more like buddies having a ball than ego-driven showstoppers. And that's because they are a band of buddies, with several members knowing and playing with Bryan back in Oklahoma for most of their lives. His drummer, Bryan revealed Friday, used to be his youth pastor.

So when the amphitheater practically exploded for the face-melting, solo-swapping finale "Revival," with several members of Bryan's entourage coming from the sidelines to sing along, it wasn't the exceptional musicianship that made the performance so special. It was the kinship between the band members that set the amphitheater ablaze, culminating in Bryan flashing crazed eyes as he clenched his teeth, his veins threatening to burst out from his neck.

"I am so insanely happy right now," Bryan said deep into Friday's hour-and-50-minute set. From start to finish, I'm hard-pressed to think of a Summerfest amphitheater audience that seemed happier.

More: Here's the Summerfest 2023 lineup by date, time and stage for the Milwaukee music festival

Charles Wesley Godwin opened

Anybody who showed up early Friday (and that was nearly everybody) was rewarded by a Bryan cameo during likeminded singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin’s opening set, with the two teaming up for their joint track “Jamie” from Bryan’s album “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.” It was a raucous time, with Bryan sipping a can of Bud and slapping Godwin’s bassist’s butt. But things really got rowdy when Bryan and Godwin again teamed up for John Denver’s classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” with close to 20,000 people singing along at the top of their lungs.

It was easy to see from Godwin’s humble, good-natured stage presence why he’s such good friends with Bryan. And it was easy to see why Bryan fans at Summerfest loved Godwin, from his heart-in-the-throat vocal delivery over the anguished “Jesse” to his eight-piece band (with a couple of Bryan's backing players included) delivering a rip-roaring, stage-burning performance of unreleased bluegrass track “Another Leaf.”

Bryan showed that an artist of his nature could sell out Summerfest’s biggest venue. Godwin Friday suggested that it’s possible that it could happen to him.

Zach Bryan's Summerfest setlist

1. "Open the Gate"

2. "God Speed"

3. "Fifth of May"

4. "Highway Boys"

5. "Quittin' Time"

6. "Tishomingo"

7. "Dawns"

8. "Sweet DeAnn"

9. "Condemned"

10. "Sun to Me"

11. "Oklahoma Smokeshow"

12. "The Good I'll Do"

13. "Something in the Orange"

14. "Heavy Eyes"

15. "Snow"

16. "All the Time"

17. "Whiskey Fever"

18. "Late July"

19. "No Cure"

20. "'68 Fastback"

21. "Heading South"

22. "Burn, Burn, Burn"

23. "Revival"

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: Zach Bryan surpasses hype in sold-out Summerfest concert in Milwaukee