U.S. Cellular rings up a mix

Summerfest lineup includes '90s acts, bands selling first CD

By DAVE TIANEN
dtianen@journalsentinel.com

Posted: May 9, 2006

The 2006 lineup for Summerfest's U.S. Cellular Connection stage mixes a scattering of such '90s veterans as Soul Asylum and The Tragically Hip alongside such emerging rock powers as My Morning Jacket and Yellowcard.

Summerfest

2006 Headliners

June 29 and 30: Tom Petty, Pearl Jam 7/2/06: Nine Inch Nails 7/3/06: Mary J. Blige 7/4/06: Kenny Chesney 7/5/06: Nickelback 7/7/06: Steely Dan with Michael McDonald 7/8/06: Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood 7/9/06: Goo Goo Dolls-Counting Crows Miller Lite Oasis: Wilco, Train, BoDeans to play Mountain Dew Rock Stage: Rockers from '70s to '90s U.S. Cellular Connection stage: Lineup includes '90s acts, new bands Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard: A little bit country, rock, more in store M&I Bank Classic Rock stage: Lineup spans decades Harley-Davidson Roadhouse: From Chris Brown to Hank Jr.

Opening the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage with Leinenkugel's and 102 ONE WLUM will be Keane. Keane began as another British college band but proved such a surprise hit on college radio that it landed a major-label contract with Island. The challenge now is to survive the music press' impulse to label them the next Coldplay. Keane will play a late set at 11 p.m. June 29.

Headlining on July 1 with a 10 p.m. set will be the All-American Rejects. The Rejects grew out of a chance meeting between two budding musicians at a high school party in Stillwater, Okla. The band's mix of '80s influences from Poison to Bon Jovi helped earn it a major-label deal with Interscope in 2005.

On July 2, the U.S. Cellular stage will offer a double bill of Soul Asylum and The Tragically Hip. After years of struggle, Soul Asylum scored a massive hit in 1992 with "Runaway Train." Although the band members have hung together and continued to record, Soul Asylum hasn't been able to repeat that success. Canada's Tragically Hip never had a massive hit, but well-crafted albums and an exciting stage show made them an indie favorite in the early '90s and brought a major-label deal with Atlantic. Soul Asylum will open at 8 p.m. and The Tragically Hip will play at 10 p.m.

My Morning Jacket's fusion of classic country and modern rock has inspired comparisons to Neil Young, early Elton John and The Band.

Despite substantial turnover, the Kentuckians' reputation continued to build with the release of "Z" in 2005. They will headline the U.S. Cellular Connection stage on July 3.

Ryan Cabrera's photogenic looks and a highly publicized romance with Ashlee Simpson helped nudge his 2004 debut into the Billboard top 10 that year. Fans will get a chance to see if the young rocker's music will help him hold his place on July 4 when he plays a 10 p.m. set.

The headliner for July 5 is Mike Doughty. The former frontman for Soul Coughing, Doughty has followed an eclectic path since the band broke up, mixing acoustic solo CDs with works of poetry and music journalism. His set is at 10 p.m.

The Fray gets top billing on July 6. The Fray parlayed regional popularity into a deal with Epic Records and released its debut "How to Save a Life" last year. The band has been called a mix of Brit pop, emo and roots rock influences such as The Wallflowers. Their set is at 10 p.m.

The Florida punksters in Yellowcard have consecutive platinum albums on their résumé, "Ocean Avenue" and "Lights and Sounds," of which the latter recently charted top five on the Billboard 200. Indeed, they have garnered sufficient star power to warrant visiting vocals from Dixie Chick Natalie Maines.

Their set is at 10 p.m. on July 7.

Things have been happening quickly for Panic! At the Disco the newly hatched punk-pop act from Las Vegas. Its debut disc came out in the fall, and the band has already scored a national tour with Fall Out Boy. Now the act is headlining the U.S. Cellular stage at 10 p.m. July 8.

Jack's Mannequin will close the Summerfest show on July 9 at 10 p.m. Jack's Mannequin is the emo-pop side project of Andrew McMahon from Something Corporate.

An act for June 30 for the U.S. Cellular stage will be announced at a later date. Summerfest runs from June 29 to July 9 at Maier Festival Park on the lakefront.