The BoDeans & Trapper Schoepp- Cedarburg Summer Sounds @ Cedar Creek Park,

photo by Jeni Piper

Cedarburg's annual Summer Sounds concert series has long been one of my favorite outdoor music experiences in town.  From the diverse and eclectic line-up of nationally touring acts to the great variety of food and drink vendors to the friendly staff of volunteers, it's hard not to have a good time in the gorgeous Cedar Creek Park.  This year Summer Sounds benefitted from a brand new band shell, improved sound system, and arguably their biggest booking yet-- Milwaukee's hometown 80's-90's roots rockers, The BoDeans.  The BoDeans have long been an institution in town, and are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut release Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams.  Sprecher Brewery even commissioned a special BoDeans ginger beer to honor the occasion.  

More than 10,000 fans, young and old, came to Cedar Creek Park Friday night to take in the show and soak up one of the last Friday nights of the summer, despite off-and-on rain and overcast weather.

photo by Will Piper

Opening the show for the BoDeans was Milwaukee's own Trapper Schoepp who was joined by his band, The Shades.  Schoepp is a growing artist who is developing a reputation both locally, nationally and abroad, for his energetic live shows, narrative songwriting and pure rock 'n roll sound.  At age 25, Schoepp has certainly taken in a lot of life.  His set consisted of a mix of tunes coming from his debut 2012 release Run Engine Run as well as his stellar Rangers and Valentines record, which was released earlier this year. Highlights of Schoepp's set included two songs that were written about family members.  The first was "The Ballad of Olof Johnson," a tale of a Swedish relative of Schoepp's and his journey across the land.  "Run Engine Run," is another song and story with a personal connection to Schoepp, as it's written about Schoepp's grandfather and his 1964 Mercedes Benz.  Scheopp's fun-loving nature brought him off the stage several times to play guitar and sing with the crowd, showcasing his pure love for performing and joy of rock 'n roll.

photo by Will Piper

Backed by a full-blown light show, and greeted with the thunderous roar of the Summer Sounds audience, Kurt Neumann and the BoDeans took the stage with huge smiles.  The band quickly went into one of their more classic tunes, "Fadeaway."  The BoDeans are a nostalgia act whose tunes bring back fond memories of the early 90's like a good episode of Friends.  The band played a robust set, highlighting their hits and music throughout their career.  Their energy and joy for playing together was evident, as was the outstanding percussion provided by drummer Kenny Aronoff, who in many ways was the star of the show.  A cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire," and sing-along tunes like "Good Things" and "Closer To Free," helped make the crowd call them back for not one, but two encores.  By the time the drizzle started to pick up around 9, the Cedar Creek Park emptied with fans smiling.  A good trip down memory lane will do that every time.

photo by Will Piper