Sunday Spree

… Kates and I had a full slate of gatherings and activities today. But between coordinating with Phoebe’s schedule and an afternoon of rain, we only made it to one of those gatherings …

And then. It was off to Summerfest again. Though the rain left some doubt for a little while …

Tonight I headed up with friends Laura and Kevin with one goal: To see Polyphonic Spree. Laura and I share a little bond over our excitement for the crazy-happy band, and when they appeared on this year’s schedule, we immediately made a pact to go …

We entered the gates shortly after 7, and the crowd was noticeably thin tonight; the rain probably chased a lot of people home. But as the night continued, the skies opened up, the air cooled and it shaped into a beautiful night on the lakefront …

Just a few minutes in, we were passing the Big Backyard stage and were caught by a brass band jamming on the stage. Four trombone players, a guitarist, a drummer and a sousaphone! They were called Bonerama, and their sound pulled us right in like a magnet …

It’s one of the coolest things about Summerfest. Every year you’re bound to stumble on a band you’ve never heard of, and they possess a sound that sucks you right in. Last year, for me, it was Scythian. This year, I think it’s going to go down as Bonerama …

Here’s a clip …



After about a half-dozen songs, we moved on. Stopping to get drinks and then settled in at the Connection Stage … Again, we benefited by the thin crowd, promptly snatching up a bench about four rows from the center of the stage. We were in prime position for the Spree …In the meantime, we took in a quirky little accordion-based band called The Scarring Party …

In addition to the accordion, the band included a banjo player and a baritone player … And that brings me to another point. Kids, if there was lesson to be learned today it was this: Practice hard and learn to play your band instrument well, and you can go far. In the bands we saw tonight, we saw trombonists, baritones, violins, cellos, percussionists, trumpet players … Not all rock bands are just for guitar players and drummers.

Then at 10 o’clock it was time. Time for Polyphonic Spree …Now, I’m willing to bet -- like Laura, Kevin and I -- 99 percent of the crowd didn't know any more songs by the Spree, other than “Light and Day.” In fact, later in the show, when front man Tim DeLaughter asked how many people were seeing the band for the first time, almost the entire crowd raised their hands … But we had come because we all understood the spectacle in store. And the guy who introduced the band tonight told us, “You’re gonna feel like a million bucks when you leave here tonight …

Boy did we ever.

With a huge red sheet strapped across the front of the stage to hide the band, the show started with DeLaughter cutting a heart into the sheet, and then cutting it completely. On cue, as the sheet fell and exposed the players, the band burst into their symphonic rock.



I counted 22 players on the stage. There were brass players, violin players, a harpist, a flute player, keyboardists. A set of background singers and dancers. The percussionists were on drum sets, chimes and tympanis.

In a nutshell, it was a fist-pumping, high-energy, out-of-this world, explosive show that we will never ever forget … On the way out tonight, we mused whether it was the greatest show we’d ever seen. But the thing is, it was so incomparable to anything you've seen in the standard rock show …



Midway through the show, DeLaughter paused between songs and told the crowd, “We’re going to go out on a limb here.” … The band delivered a dazzling cover of “Live and Let Die,” one that I’m definitely adding to my list of the greatest covers I’ve heard live …



DeLaughter also had the crowd join him and the band in singing “Happy Birthday” to one of the guitar players. And I’m thinking, Man, two nights in a row!

As the initial set ended DeLaughter announced the band was playing its last song and then said, “But if you’ve been to any shows before you know that all bull----. But this going to be our last song.” … Of course it wasn’t going to be their last song; they hadn’t played “Light and Day.”

The band finished the set with “The Championship,” and a sweet fade out. As each of the band members left the stage one by one, DeLaughter got the crowd chanting “All in good time, raise our voices” repeatedly until it was just the crowd and the harp player. Then the harp player disappeared as the crowd continued the chant …



As the tempo of the chant sped up, the energy level picked up too -- as if it wasn’t way up already. You knew something cool was about to happen …

Then, suddenly we started seeing the band members streaming one by one into the crowd. They had changed out of the military garb they were wearing and into their signature white robes. They began mingling through the crowd … Meanwhile all of us are looking all over the place like their mice and we're trying to figure out where they’re going to pop up next …

After a few minutes, the band began reappearing on the stage and soon proceeded into “Light and Day …



The band played a couple more songs before calling it a night. Then DeLaughter serenaded the crowd with an a capella of the Beatles great “Blackbird.”

As we left the stage area, our ears were blown to bits, our voices were hoarse and the grins were practically bolted to our faces. But man, did we enjoy the spectacle …

Three nights down …
a Thursday: Stevie Wonder
a Saturday: Dashboard Confessional