Benson Boone performs at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater during Summerfest 2025 in Milwaukee. Photo by Dan Garcia.
After delivering one of Summerfest 2025’s most memorable headlining performances, the Grammy-nominated pop star will take over Fiserv Forum on July 22.
Milwaukee has already watched Benson Boone’s rise to pop superstardom unfold in real time.
When Boone first appeared at Summerfest in 2023, he was a last-minute addition to the American Family Insurance Amphitheater lineup, filling in for AJR as the opening act for Imagine Dragons. Just two summers later, he returned to the same stage as a sold-out headliner, commanding the amphitheater with the confidence, production and crowd response of an artist who had quickly outgrown the “rising star” label.
Now, Boone is coming back to Milwaukee for another major career milestone.
The 23-year-old singer will bring his Wanted Man Tour to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, July 22, with special guest Olivia O’Brien. The performance comes after Boone completed his sold-out global American Heart Tour and represents his biggest Milwaukee headlining show outside of Summerfest.
For anyone who caught Boone at Summerfest last July, his move into Milwaukee’s downtown arena should come as no surprise.
Boone’s Summerfest performance was a high-energy showcase filled with towering vocals, frantic sprints across the stage, somersaults and the acrobatic backflips that have become one of his live trademarks. Even while moving almost constantly, Boone’s signature falsetto remained the centerpiece of the show, particularly during songs such as “Cry” and “Beautiful Things.”
The latter provided the night’s biggest moment. When Boone launched into his breakthrough smash, nearly every voice inside the amphitheater joined him, transforming the emotional ballad into a massive communal singalong. The performance felt less like a conventional festival appearance and more like a preview of the full-scale arena shows that were clearly waiting in Boone’s future.
That future has arrived quickly.
Released in 2024, Boone’s debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, introduced a wider audience to the dramatic vocals and emotional songwriting behind songs including “Beautiful Things,” “Slow It Down” and “Cry.” His 2025 follow-up, American Heart, expanded his sound while producing additional fan favorites such as “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” and “Mystical Magical.”
Boone also received his first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, adding another major accomplishment to a résumé that already includes billions of streams and performances on some of the world’s largest stages.
Still, streaming totals and awards only tell part of the story. Boone’s rapid ascent makes the most sense after watching him perform.
His concerts combine the exaggerated movement and showmanship of a classic arena frontman with the confessional songwriting of a modern singer-songwriter. One moment might find him seated at a piano delivering a vulnerable ballad; the next could feature him sprinting down a catwalk or launching into a backflip without losing control of the song.
At Summerfest, that combination made even the largest moments feel surprisingly personal. Boone could lead thousands of fans through a soaring chorus and then bring the room down to near silence for a more intimate song. Fiserv Forum should give him an even larger canvas for those contrasts, along with the lighting, staging and production capabilities needed to turn the Wanted Man Tour into a complete arena spectacle.
The Milwaukee performance also continues an extraordinary progression for Boone within the city: emergency opener in 2023, sold-out Summerfest headliner in 2025 and Fiserv Forum attraction in 2026. Few artists have climbed Milwaukee’s concert ladder so quickly.
With Olivia O’Brien opening the night and Boone arriving after an enormously successful international run, the July 22 concert is positioned to be one of Milwaukee’s biggest pop events of the summer.
Boone already proved at Summerfest that he can fill an amphitheater with flips, falsettos and plenty of feeling. This time, he will have an entire arena at his disposal.
Concert Information
Who: Benson Boone with Olivia O’Brien Tour: Wanted Man Tour 2026 When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. Where: Fiserv Forum, 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave., Milwaukee Tickets: On sale through Fiserv Forum and Ticketmaster
Day 4 of the 2026 Windy City Smokeout did not need any gimmicks.
Saturday’s main-stage lineup simply brought together three artists who have spent years mastering the type of immediately recognizable country songs that seem purpose-built for a festival crowd. Tyler Hubbard started the featured stretch at 4:45 p.m., Russell Dickerson followed at 6:30 p.m. and Jordan Davis occupied the 8:20 p.m. headlining slot.
Together, they represented three distinct but complementary versions of modern country music. Hubbard arrived with a newly established solo identity and one of the most commercially successful catalogs of the past decade behind him. Dickerson treated his performance like a Saturday-night party that happened to begin before sunset. Davis then closed the evening by combining radio-sized choruses with the personal, conversational songwriting that has powered his rise to headliner status.
Chicago provided nearly ideal conditions for the progression. Temperatures hovered in the mid-70s as the evening began and gradually cooled beneath mostly clear skies, giving the Smokeout crowd every reason to remain planted outside the United Center through the night.
Here are 10 reasons Tyler Hubbard, Russell Dickerson and Jordan Davis gave Windy City Smokeout one huge Saturday.
1. Tyler Hubbard proved his solo catalog can stand on its own
Tyler Hubbard will probably always receive one of his loudest reactions when he reaches back into his Florida Georgia Line catalog. That history is simply too successful—and too intertwined with an entire era of country music—to ignore.
But Hubbard’s Smokeout performance did not feel like a former group member surviving on nostalgia.
Songs such as “5 Foot 9,” “Dancin’ in the Country” and “Back Then Right Now” have given Hubbard a distinct identity beyond the duo that made him famous. His solo material maintains his instinct for big, uncomplicated hooks while revealing a more personal and settled performer.
The result was a set that could acknowledge the past without depending upon it. The Florida Georgia Line songs were highlights, but they were not the only reasons the crowd was invested.
2. “5 Foot 9” supplied an effortless festival singalong
Some choruses require encouragement. Others only need their opening notes.
“5 Foot 9” belonged firmly in the latter category.
Hubbard’s solo breakthrough has the easygoing familiarity of a song that listeners feel as though they have known far longer than they actually have. At Windy City Smokeout, its images of small-town life, romance and simple blessings translated naturally to a crowd spending its Saturday surrounded by country music, cold drinks and barbecue smoke.
The song did not need a dramatic introduction or elaborate production to create a moment. Its strength was its simplicity, allowing thousands of voices to take ownership of the chorus almost immediately.
3. The Florida Georgia Line songs still produced an enormous reaction
Hubbard may have demonstrated that his solo catalog is strong enough to carry a festival set, but there was no denying the response when he opened the Florida Georgia Line vault.
Those songs are more than former radio hits. They are time capsules from a period when Florida Georgia Line helped reshape the sound, image and commercial reach of mainstream country music.
For some fans, hearing songs such as “Cruise” and “This Is How We Roll” offered a dose of nostalgia. For others, they remained exactly what they were designed to be: giant festival songs with instantly recognizable hooks.
Hubbard handled the balance well. He did not run from the music that made him famous, nor did he allow it to overshadow everything he has built since. Instead, the older material became a celebration of his career’s first chapter within a set that demonstrated how successfully he has begun the next one.
4. Russell Dickerson brought the most relentless energy of the three featured sets
Russell Dickerson does not perform like an artist interested in conserving energy.
From the moment he arrived, Dickerson treated the stage as a space meant to be covered rather than occupied. He moved constantly, engaged every section of the audience and delivered each chorus as though the evening had already reached its climax.
That approach made him an ideal bridge between Hubbard’s afternoon performance and Davis’ nighttime headlining set.
Dickerson’s songs often combine romantic subject matter with polished, high-energy production, and his stage presence follows the same formula. Even when singing about devotion, marriage or lasting relationships, he rarely allows the performance to become stationary or overly sentimental.
It was country-pop showmanship without apology—and precisely what the middle of Saturday’s lineup needed.
5. “Blue Tacoma” was built for a warm Chicago evening
“Blue Tacoma” has always carried the atmosphere of an open road in the summertime.
Its imagery may be tied to the West Coast, but the feeling transferred easily to a pleasant July evening in Chicago. With the temperature still in the mid-70s around Dickerson’s scheduled performance time, the song found an environment that matched its breezy production and windows-down energy.
It also provided a useful change of pace within Dickerson’s otherwise explosive performance.
Rather than manufacturing another huge festival moment, “Blue Tacoma” allowed the crowd to settle into the evening. It was relaxed without losing momentum, nostalgic without feeling slow and familiar enough to inspire another widespread singalong.
Sometimes the setting elevates the song. At other times, the right song makes the setting feel even better. “Blue Tacoma” managed to accomplish both.
6. Dickerson made the middle of the lineup feel like the beginning of the Saturday-night party
The most difficult festival slot is not always the earliest or the latest.
Sometimes it belongs to the artist performing when the day needs to become the night—when people are arriving from the barbecue lines, finding friends in the crowd and deciding whether they are ready to fully commit to the evening.
Dickerson eliminated that indecision.
By the conclusion of his set, Saturday no longer felt like a collection of individual performances awaiting a headliner. It felt like a party already operating at full speed.
That transformation came from more than tempo. Dickerson’s greatest strength was his ability to make the audience feel involved in the performance rather than positioned in front of it. Every gesture encouraged participation, every familiar chorus became an invitation and every burst of movement reinforced the idea that standing still was not an option.
Jordan Davis would eventually close the night, but Dickerson made sure the celebration started well before Davis stepped onto the stage.
7. Jordan Davis proved that he belonged in the headlining slot
The difference between possessing enough hits to headline and actually commanding a headlining performance can be considerable.
Jordan Davis erased that distinction Saturday.
Davis’ rise has been steady rather than sudden, built through a growing collection of songs that have expanded both his audience and his artistic identity. Earlier hits introduced him as a reliable voice on country radio. Later songs revealed greater depth, more detailed storytelling and a willingness to let quieter emotions occupy enormous spaces.
At Windy City Smokeout, those different phases of his career came together.
The recognizable singles gave Davis the necessary scale, while his relaxed confidence gave the performance authority. He did not approach the slot like someone auditioning to become a festival headliner. He performed like someone who already understood the responsibility.
Saturday was not simply an opportunity for Davis to occupy the largest name on the daily lineup. It was evidence that his career has grown to fit it.
8. “Buy Dirt” created one of Saturday’s biggest communal singalongs
“Buy Dirt” is not constructed like a conventional festival anthem.
It does not rely on pounding production, a party-centered premise or a chorus designed around the easiest possible phrase. Instead, the song asks listeners to think about family, faith, love, time and the type of life they hope to build.
Yet those qualities are exactly what made it feel so large at Windy City Smokeout.
The crowd did not merely recognize the words. Fans sang them with the conviction of people who had attached their own memories and priorities to the song. What began as Davis’ meditation on a meaningful life became a shared statement stretching across the festival grounds.
Its impact also demonstrated why Davis has become such an effective headliner. He can produce a massive response without demanding that every moment become louder than the one before it.
Sometimes the most powerful point in a festival performance comes when the audience is not shouting at the artist, but singing alongside him.
9. Davis’ conversational delivery made the festival grounds feel smaller
Jordan Davis’ songs often succeed because they sound like stories being shared rather than statements being delivered.
He carried that quality into his performance.
Even while addressing one of the largest crowds of the day, Davis maintained the ease of someone talking across a table or from the opposite side of a campfire. That conversational presence helped connect songs about relationships, families and everyday decisions to an audience spread across a massive outdoor space.
It also provided an effective contrast to the artist who preceded him.
Dickerson reached the crowd through constant movement and unmistakable physical energy. Davis pulled listeners closer by appearing comfortable enough not to force every interaction. His pauses, stories and unhurried delivery gave the performance breathing room.
Windy City Smokeout may have taken place in the shadow of the United Center, but Davis repeatedly made the grounds feel far more intimate.
10. The three-artist run captured three different sides of mainstream country
Saturday’s featured lineup worked because Tyler Hubbard, Russell Dickerson and Jordan Davis were similar enough to share an audience but different enough to avoid redundancy.
Hubbard represented the connection between modern country’s recent past and its current direction. His set combined the Florida Georgia Line songs that helped define an era with solo material proving that he has established a viable second act.
Dickerson supplied pure showmanship. His romantic songs arrived with pop-country polish, relentless movement and the energy necessary to push the festival from the afternoon into Saturday night.
Davis completed the progression with a performance rooted in storytelling. His headlining set demonstrated that thoughtful songs about ordinary lives can still create extraordinary festival moments when enough people recognize themselves within them.
Three artists. Three approaches. One remarkably cohesive stretch of country music.
Windy City Smokeout still had another full day remaining, but Hubbard, Dickerson and Davis made certain that Saturday would be difficult to top.
Windy City Smokeout has always celebrated country music in all its forms, but there was little doubt about which direction the festival was headed on its third day.
The bell bottoms, cowboy hats and Lainey Wilson shirts seemingly multiplied as her headlining performance drew closer. By the time Wilson finally stepped onto the stage, she had a crowd ready to sing, dance and hang on every word from one of country music’s most recognizable personalities.
Wilson’s performance contained plenty of the toughness, humor, vulnerability and unmistakable country spirit that have carried her from years of struggling in Nashville to the top of the genre. It also included one especially adorable birthday surprise for a six-year-old fan named Wrigley.
Here are eight reasons Lainey Wilson owned Day 3 of Windy City Smokeout.
1. She showed exactly why she has become a festival headliner
There is a significant difference between an artist who performs at a festival and one capable of bringing the entire day to its natural conclusion. Wilson left little doubt that she belongs in the second category.
Her songs were already familiar enough to inspire massive singalongs, but the performance was about more than simply running through a collection of hits. Wilson carried herself with the confidence of someone who knew thousands of people had spent the entire afternoon waiting for her arrival.
She commanded the large outdoor stage without allowing its size to overwhelm the personality at the center of the show. Wilson looked completely comfortable with the responsibility that accompanied her name sitting at the top of the day’s lineup.
Her rise may have happened quickly from the audience’s perspective, but Friday’s performance felt like the reward for a much longer journey. Wilson did not merely occupy the headlining slot. She made it feel earned.
2. Her voice had enough grit to cut through an outdoor festival
Wilson owns one of the most immediately identifiable voices in modern country music.
That Louisiana drawl remained unmistakable throughout the night, but it was the strength behind it that allowed her songs to fill the sprawling festival grounds. Her voice could be weathered and forceful one moment before becoming delicate and reflective the next.
That contrast is essential to Wilson’s appeal. She does not need to sand away the rougher edges of her voice to reach a wider audience. Those edges are exactly what make the emotional moments convincing.
Even with a full band, a large crowd and all the distractions that accompany an outdoor festival, Wilson’s vocals remained the defining sound of the performance.
3. Her personality was nearly as important as the music
Wilson’s songs may have brought the crowd to Windy City Smokeout, but her personality helped turn the performance into something more personal.
She carried herself like a major country star without creating distance between herself and the audience. Her humor, warmth and conversational approach made it feel as though the crowd was getting to know the person behind the bell bottoms rather than watching a carefully guarded celebrity.
That quality can be difficult to maintain as stages and audiences grow larger. Wilson, however, still communicates with the openness of an artist playing to a much smaller room.
The crowd did not simply respond to her biggest choruses. Fans reacted to her stories, expressions and interactions because Wilson made those moments feel sincere rather than rehearsed.
4. She balanced toughness with vulnerability
Wilson’s catalog works because it never forces listeners to choose between strength and sensitivity.
She can deliver a song filled with independence and swagger before turning around and exposing the uncertainty, heartbreak or nostalgia underneath that confidence. Neither side feels like a character she has temporarily adopted.
Wilson’s toughest songs carried extra force in front of a festival crowd, but the quieter moments revealed just as much about her as a performer. She understood when to push forward with the full power of her band and when to give a song enough space to breathe.
That balance made the performance feel complete. Wilson did not spend the entire night trying to prove how fearless she was. She showed that honesty and vulnerability can be their own forms of strength.
5. “Things a Man Oughta Know” reminded everyone where the breakthrough began
Before Wilson was closing major country festivals, “Things a Man Oughta Know” helped introduce audiences to the songwriting perspective that would eventually take her there.
The song remains one of the clearest examples of what separates Wilson from countless other artists. Its message is direct, but its strength comes from the details and experience contained inside it.
At Windy City Smokeout, the song connected Wilson’s current headlining status to the music that first made listeners pay attention. The performance carried the familiarity of a breakthrough hit without sounding like Wilson was simply revisiting an earlier chapter of her career.
It remains central to who she is: resilient, practical, thoughtful and unwilling to mistake emotional maturity for weakness.
6. “Watermelon Moonshine” supplied the perfect summer-night nostalgia
Few songs were better suited for a warm evening at an outdoor country festival than “Watermelon Moonshine.”
The song offered a softer and more reflective moment, replacing some of the performance’s swagger with memories of young love and summers that feel increasingly distant with each passing year.
Wilson’s storytelling allowed the crowd to picture the song rather than merely hear it. Even listeners without an identical memory could recognize the feeling of looking back at a relationship that has become inseparable from a particular time and place.
Surrounded by thousands of fans beneath the Chicago sky, “Watermelon Moonshine” felt both intimate and communal. Everyone may have been remembering something different, but they were remembering it together.
7. Six-year-old Wrigley became the Cowgirl of the Night
The evening’s most heartwarming moment belonged to a six-year-old fan with an especially fitting Chicago name.
Wilson brought Wrigley onstage as her Cowgirl of the Night, making the experience even more memorable by celebrating the young fan’s birthday. Wrigley received a hat from Wilson, although it was large enough that she may need a few years before it fits properly.
That only made the gift more endearing. It became something Wrigley could grow into—and a keepsake connected to a birthday that will be nearly impossible to top.
The interaction demonstrated why Wilson’s personality resonates so strongly with her audience. She understood that briefly sharing the spotlight would mean everything to one young fan while giving the rest of the festival a moment worth remembering.
There were louder moments Friday night, but none were sweeter.
8. Lainey Wilson is about as country as country gets
Country music continues to expand, pulling influences from pop, rock, hip-hop and nearly every other corner of popular music. Wilson can succeed within that modern landscape without anyone questioning where her heart belongs.
From her Louisiana accent and bell-bottom style to her stories of small towns, hard lessons, horses, heartbreak and perseverance, Wilson is country through and through.
Most importantly, none of it feels manufactured. Her image supports the music rather than distracting from it. The clothes, phrases and cowboy imagery would mean little without the voice, songwriting and personality necessary to make them believable.
Wilson respects country tradition without becoming trapped inside it. She can sound familiar without sounding dated and contemporary without abandoning the qualities that initially defined the genre.
Windy City Smokeout did not merely receive a performance from one of country music’s biggest current stars. It received a show from an artist who embodies the music and culture the festival was created to celebrate.
By the end of Day 3, Wilson had supplied the hits, the vocal power, the humor and the heart expected from a headliner. She also gave Wrigley a birthday gift that may finally fit by the time another generation of country stars is ready to take the stage.
For now, however, that stage belongs to Lainey Wilson.
Camp Randall Stadium is accustomed to shaking beneath the feet of tens of thousands of Wisconsin football fans. On Sunday, July 19, however, the noise coming from Madison’s most famous stadium will be powered by electric guitars, cannon fire and one of rock music’s most unmistakable voices.
AC/DC will bring its massive POWER UP Tour to Camp Randall for a 7 p.m. concert, with Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless opening the evening. The stadium performance will mark AC/DC’s first Madison concert in approximately 25 years, following the band’s May 2001 appearance at the Kohl Center.
For Wisconsin rock fans, it is a long-awaited return from a band built for venues of this size.
AC/DC’s music has always sounded enormous. The opening guitar notes of “Back in Black,” the slow toll introducing “Hells Bells” and the rapid-fire riff of “Thunderstruck” were made to travel across football fields and through the upper decks of stadiums. At Camp Randall, the Australian rock legends will have one of the region’s largest stages on which to deliver them.
The concert is part of an extended 2026 run of the POWER UP Tour, named after AC/DC’s 2020 album. The current touring lineup features guitarist Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney. The Madison show is one of 18 North American stadium dates scheduled between July and September.
While the tour takes its name from the band’s most recent studio album, fans should expect the evening to function primarily as a celebration of AC/DC’s enormous catalog.
At the band’s most recent Mexico City performance, AC/DC opened with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” before moving immediately into “Back in Black.” The more than two-hour set also included “Thunderstruck,” “Hells Bells,” “Highway to Hell,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Whole Lotta Rosie.” Newer tracks “Demon Fire” and “Shot in the Dark” gave POWER UP a place alongside the classics.
The night’s expected final stretch is particularly difficult to beat. Recent shows have featured an extended Angus Young guitar solo during “Let There Be Rock,” followed by an encore of “T.N.T.” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).”
AC/DC has also preserved the theatrical elements that have made its concerts spectacles for generations. Fans can anticipate the massive bell associated with “Hells Bells,” an inflatable Rosie, pyrotechnics and the traditional cannons that punctuate “For Those About to Rock.”
At the center of it all remains Young, whose schoolboy uniform, Gibson SG guitar and restless movement across the stage have become inseparable from the band itself. Brian Johnson’s sandpaper howl provides the other half of AC/DC’s most recognizable image, delivering songs that have remained staples of rock radio, sporting events and packed arenas for decades.
The Camp Randall concert will also feature a substantial opening performance from The Pretty Reckless. Fronted by Momsen, the New York hard rock group has become a familiar touring partner for AC/DC after supporting previous European and North American legs of the POWER UP Tour. The Pretty Reckless will open every date on AC/DC’s 2026 North American run.
Their inclusion makes this more than a brief warm-up followed by the headliner. The Pretty Reckless have developed their own formidable rock audience through songs including “Heaven Knows” and a live sound that should translate naturally to Camp Randall’s stadium setting.
Camp Randall only recently reestablished itself as a major concert destination after a lengthy absence from hosting large-scale music events. Following three stadium concerts during the summer of 2025, AC/DC will continue that momentum with a show whose sound, scale and production seem ideally suited to the venue.
For longtime fans, July 19 offers an increasingly rare opportunity to see one of rock’s defining bands perform its catalog with the full stadium production those songs deserve. For younger listeners, it may be the first—and potentially only—chance to hear “Back in Black,” “Highway to Hell” and “Thunderstruck” performed by AC/DC itself.
Either way, earplugs are probably a wise investment.
Limited tickets remain available through Wisconsin Athletics, with the official ticketing page currently listing seats beginning at $79. Doors are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m., with the concert beginning at 7 p.m.
AC/DC with The Pretty Reckless Sunday, July 19, 2026 Camp Randall Stadium — Madison, Wisconsin Doors: 5:30 p.m. | Show: 7 p.m.
The Kid Laroi is bringing his global “A Perfect World Tour” to Chicago this Friday, May 22, with an outdoor show at The Salt Shed. The concert is set for 6:30 p.m., with Tommy Richman and WizTheMC joining the bill.
For Laroi, the tour arrives at a fitting moment. The Australian singer and rapper released his latest album, “Before I Forget” on Jan. 9 via Columbia Records, a 15-track project introduced by singles including “A Cold Play,” “A Perfect World” and “Back When You Were Mine.” The album marked a more vulnerable turn for the 22-year-old artist, leaning into emotional clarity, introspective songwriting and the genre-blurring pop, rap and R&B sound that has helped make him one of his generation’s most recognizable crossover stars.
Chicago fans can expect a set that balances that newer material with the hits that made Laroi a global name in pop and rap. His catalog already includes massive streaming-era staples like “Without You” and “Stay,” his Justin Bieber collaboration that became one of the defining pop singles of the early 2020s. The “A Perfect World Tour” setlists have also been spotlighting deeper cuts and recent favorites, giving the show the feel of both a new-era showcase and a full-career victory lap.
The Salt Shed should be an ideal landing spot for that kind of performance. Since opening, the venue has become one of Chicago’s most exciting mid-size concert destinations, and Friday’s outdoor Fairgrounds show gives Laroi a chance to turn a late-May night along Elston Avenue into a full-scale pop-rap singalong.
Adding to the draw is direct support from Tommy Richman, whose breakout hit “Million Dollar Baby” turned him into one of the most talked-about new names in pop and R&B, along with special guest WizTheMC. Richman is listed as direct support for the North American dates of the tour, making the Chicago stop a stacked bill rather than just a one-artist showcase.
Show info: The Kid LAROI – “A Perfect World Tour” With Tommy Richman and WizTheMC Friday, May 22, 2026 The Salt Shed Outdoors / Fairgrounds, Chicago 6:30 p.m.
Madison’s The Sylvee hosted the opening night of Highly Suspect’s The Tour of Yellow Roses last night, giving Wisconsin fans the first look at the band’s latest run of shows. The Massachusetts rock trio brought a set that pulled from across their catalog, mixing newer tracks with longtime fan favorites and the kind of unpredictable live moments that have helped make Highly Suspect such a compelling concert draw.
The night opened with “Run for Your Death (More Pills)” before moving into songs like “Bath Salts,” “Mom,” “Yellow Roses,” “Lost,” “Mexico” and “Lydia.” One of the show’s biggest musical highlights came during “The Blue-Eyed Devil,” which stretched into an extended jam and gave the band room to lean into a looser, more improvisational side of its live show.
Later in the set, “The Silk Road” and “Fly,” both from the band’s MCID album, shifted the mood as frontman Johnny Stevens performed them solo with backing music. The stripped-back approach gave the songs a different feel inside The Sylvee, offering a quieter contrast before the show built back up with “Wasted,” “Plastic Boxes” and a chaotic run through “Serotonia.”
That chaos reached its peak during “Serotonia,” when a flood of crowd surfers made their way over the barricade, including one fan dressed as a banana, whom Stevens eventually invited onto the stage. It was the kind of surreal, only-at-a-rock-show moment that made the first night of tour feel especially memorable, and it gave the Madison crowd a story to go along with the music.
Highly Suspect closed the night with an encore of “Claudeland,” “My Name Is Human” and “Pink Lullabye,” wrapping up a 16-song set that set the tone for the rest of the tour. Photographer Dan DeSlover was there to capture the opening-night energy, from the band’s performance to the crowd-surfing madness inside the venue.
Check out our gallery below for a closer look at Highly Suspect’s concert at The Sylvee in Madison.
Madison’s Kohl Center hosted a massive night of hard rock on Saturday, May 16, as Shinedown brought their Dance, Kid, Dance Act II Tour to Wisconsin’s capital city. With Black Stone Cherry and Coheed and Cambria opening the show, the evening gave fans a full arena-sized lineup before Shinedown took the stage for a two-hour headlining set.
Shinedown’s Madison performance kicked off with “Safe and Sound” before quickly moving into heavier fan favorites like “Dead Don’t Die,” “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom),” “Devil” and “Enemies.” The set balanced the band’s explosive rock side with more emotional moments, giving the Kohl Center crowd plenty of chances to scream along, raise their phones and take in the kind of big-stage production Shinedown has become known for.
The night also pulled from across the band’s catalog, including “The Crow & the Butterfly,” “Save Me,” “Bully,” “A Symptom of Being Human,” “Cut the Cord” and “Monsters.” One of the more unexpected moments came when Shinedown worked in an acoustic snippet of 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite,” followed later by their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” a long-running live favorite that gave the arena a chance to sing along together.
By the end of the night, Shinedown closed things out with two of their biggest anthems, “Sound of Madness” and “Second Chance,” sending fans home with the kind of soaring finish that has helped make the band one of modern rock’s most reliable arena acts.
Photographer Dan DeSlover was there to capture the highlights of Shinedown’s high-energy headlining performance.
Check out our gallery below for a closer look at Shinedown’s concert at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Madison’s The Sylvee welcomed Puscifer last night as the genre-blurring project brought The Normal Isn’t Tour to the downtown venue for a night of music, theatrics and offbeat visual storytelling. Led by Maynard James Keenan, alongside creative collaborators Mat Mitchell and Carina Round, Puscifer has long existed as something more than a traditional rock band, and their Madison stop leaned into that reputation.
The evening opened with comedian Dave Hill, giving the crowd a different kind of warmup before Puscifer’s strange and immersive world took over the room. Fans filled The Sylvee for an all-ages performance that mixed heavy grooves, sharp humor and a theatrical edge.
Puscifer’s live show has always been built around more than just the songs. The group’s universe includes recurring characters, visual narratives and a rotating cast of collaborators, creating a performance style that can feel part concert, part art project and part bizarre stage production. That unpredictability is a big part of the band’s appeal, and it made their Madison performance feel like a night where anything could happen.
Musically, the show highlighted the chemistry between Keenan, Mitchell and Round, whose voices and arrangements helped pull the audience through Puscifer’s mix of moody rock, electronic textures and cinematic atmosphere. The band has built a dedicated following through acclaimed albums, festival appearances and its distinct identity apart from Keenan’s work with Tool and A Perfect Circle, and The Sylvee crowd was ready to step fully into that world.
Photographer Dan DeSlover was there to capture the night’s biggest moments, from Dave Hill’s opening set to Puscifer’s visually rich performance and the crowd taking it all in.
Check out our gallery below for a closer look at Puscifer’s stop at The Sylvee in Madison.
Country fans packed The Sylvee in Madison on Saturday, April 18, as Niko Moon brought The American Palm Tour to the city for a night of upbeat country anthems and laid-back, feel-good vibes. Moon drew a lively crowd to the downtown venue eager to experience his signature brand of positivity-driven country music.
Moon first broke onto the country scene with his triple-platinum smash “Good Time,” a song that quickly became a staple of summer playlists and helped establish him as one of country music’s most upbeat new voices. Since then, the Texas-born, Nashville-based singer and songwriter has leaned into that same sunny outlook, crafting songs that celebrate good vibes, good friends, and living life in the moment.
The current tour highlights music from his latest album American Palm, a project that expands on his laid-back country style while drawing inspiration from beachside imagery and carefree moments meant to lift listeners’ spirits. That same atmosphere carried into the Madison show, where fans sang along and embraced the upbeat energy that has become a hallmark of Moon’s live performances.
Inside The Sylvee, the performance felt equal parts country concert and good-time celebration, with the crowd fully leaning into Moon’s message of positivity. His mix of catchy hooks, country rhythms, and relaxed stage presence made the evening feel like a welcome escape from the everyday, exactly the type of experience his music is built around.
Photographer Deanna Glatczak was there to capture the highlights from the night, documenting the vibrant energy inside the venue and Moon’s engaging performance on stage.
Check out our gallery below for a closer look at Niko Moon’s stop at The Sylvee in Madison.
Madison’s The Sylvee turned into a full-blown hip-hop party on Wednesday night as Soulja Boy brought The Drip Tour to the city for a high-energy night filled with throwback hits, viral dance moments, and a packed crowd ready to relive the soundtrack of the late 2000s. The lineup, which also featured rapper Lil Xan, drew fans to the downtown venue for an evening centered on one of rap’s earliest internet-era superstars.
The tour featured a lineup of supporting artists that kept the energy high from the start. DJ Pain 1, Flame The Ruler, and Lil Xan warmed up the crowd before Soulja Boy eventually took the stage, each performer bringing their own style to the night and helping build momentum inside the venue. By the time the headliner arrived, the crowd was already buzzing.
Soulja Boy, best known for his breakout smash “Crank That (Soulja Boy)”, rose to fame during the early YouTube era and helped pioneer the internet-driven rise of viral hip-hop hits. Inside The Sylvee, fans jumped, danced, and rapped along as he ran through the songs that helped make him a household name, leaning heavily into the nostalgia that defined his late-2000s run.
One of the more unexpected and fun moments of the night came from the crowd itself. Members of the Wisconsin women’s hockey team were spotted in attendance, still proudly wearing their jerseys while dancing and celebrating with the rest of the audience. The national championship squad clearly knew the words just as well as everyone else, turning the night into an impromptu celebration.
Photographer Dan DeSlover was there to capture the night’s biggest moments, documenting the high-energy crowd, Soulja Boy’s larger-than-life stage presence, and the memorable scenes unfolding throughout the venue. Check out our gallery below for a closer look at Soulja Boy’s stop at The Sylvee in Madison.
Photos by Dan DeSlover.
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