As a veteran Summerfester I’ve been extremely disappointed with the “World’s Largest Music Festival” these last few years. Bands that played 45-minute sets, little to no encores, and some stages having the volume turned down, I’m looking at you Miller Lite Oasis, left a very unkind taste in my mouth. This year made me forget all of that in the matter of one spectacle of a fireworks show followed by one of the best shows I’ve seen on the Summerfest grounds in years, Dirty Heads. I first saw this group years ago when they announced that Summerfest was the first music festival they ever played sending the crowd into a screaming frenzy of joyous rebellion. Four years later I had the pleasure to see these guys come back last night with the same amount of energy and excitement they had back then. There’s something truly special about seeing a band that can control the crowd with ease. The fans chanted every chorus with great admiration for the group as we all shouted Sloth’s Revenge hook, “Goonies never say die!” over and over until there was barely any air left in their lungs. This was truly one hell of a way to kick off Summerfest 2015.

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Dirty Heads accrued a large following over the last few years, almost to cult fan status. This rock/reggae entourage consisting of Dirty J (lead vocalist) and Duddy B (lead guitarist) as well as a bassist, keyboardist/DJ, and a killer drummer come together to form something you can tell is a group of friends who love making fun music. Don’t let me downplay their talents by any means, as last night Dirty J and Duddy B destroyed the mics by displaying their lighting fast rapping abilities on tracks such as “Medusa”, “Franco Eyed”, and “Burn Slow” blending all sorts of genres into forming their own type of classification. The stage at U.S. Cellular was truly bumping with this good vibe music with “Stand Tall” and “Lay Me Down.” as the crowd consistently danced and partied in true Milwaukee fashion. I felt that the people surrounding me all became friends in the matter of one night as we listened to the jams Dirty heads were putting out. Dirty Heads, having three studio released albums, played a balanced mixture of old and new, giving the crowd exactly what they wanted. The crowd was torn between casual and die-hard fans with some knowing every song and the lyrics within them, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a good time. At the end of their hour and a half set, that’s huge folks, they threw an impromptu dance party with their summer hit, “My Sweet Summers Gone” remixed in the background. Reminiscing of their tour four years ago, Dirty Heads kicked off their summer tour last night with us here in Milwaukee. With a great crowd, amazing set list, and a band that loves Milwaukee just like the rest of us, Dirty Heads kicked off Summerfest in an unforgettable way.

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