Ivan Cornejo, Anne Wilson, Amy Grant and the best and worst of Summerfest 2024's final day

Summerfest 2024 went out with a bang, and a couple of whimpers.

Here's the best and worst of what we saw and heard on Saturday, Day 9 of Milwaukee's Big Gig.

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Ivan Cornejo

Ivan Cornejo’s performance on the final day of Summerfest is proof that Milwaukee needs to book more Latin artists on its biggest stages.

Milwaukee showed up for Cornejo. Fans not only filled the BMO Pavilion; they showered Cornejo with gifts like flowers, gift bags and a jacket bejeweled with his name.

Despite a 30-minute delay, the regional Mexican singer-songwriter from Riverside, California, was welcomed with enthusiasm. He opened with “Llamadas Perdidas” ("Missed Calls"), from his 2021 album "Alma Vacía."

This was Cornejo’s first time performing in Wisconsin, he told the crowd. And he loved it.

The crowd sang along to songs like “Donde Estas” and “Hasta La Muerte.” In some moments, Cornejo let the crowd take it away, and they did not miss a beat.

Cornejo also surprised the crowd with a cover of the Plain White T's' “Hey There Delilah” and closed with “La Curiosidad.”

Although he did not go into detail about his love life, the 20-year-old showed heartbreak makes for great art. Anyone in the crowd could feel the raw emotion through his sentimental lyrics.

Even if you could not relate to Cornejo's anguish, his music left your heart a bit sore.

Cornejo was eager to take selfies with fans as he closed and handed out roses. His performance, and the audience's embrace of him and his music, proved that Milwaukee is craving more shows by Latin artists year-round.

— Jessica Rodriguez, [email protected]

Anne Wilson

Anne Wilson delivered a sincere, energetic show and a strong testament of her faith to a mixed-ages audience Saturday night at Summerfest's Uline Warehouse.

The Christian country singer and Kentucky native released her debut album "Rebel" in April. Wilson, who opened for Christian adult-contemporary singer Amy Grant on the Uline stage Saturday, attracted a healthy crowd on the last day of the fest.

Wilson's audience was appreciative, bobbing their heads to the upbeat music.

Dressed in black jeans, denim shirt and brown fringed jacket, Wilson, backed by a full band, started off her set strong with "God & Country," followed by "Sunday Sermons," during which she led the audience in a short singalong on the hymn "Jesus Loves Me," and then gave a shout-out to the ladies in the audience with "Hey Girl."

After that, she brought onstage two 5- or 6-year-old fans, who had held up a sign that said "We Love Anne." "Aww, look, how cute!" Wilson said, obviously touched. "Let's give it up for these sweet girls."

Wilson prefaced her rocker number "Rebel" with "Being a rebel to me means loving my country and loving Jesus, no matter what's going on." She also played the ballad "Power of a Praying Woman," a tribute to her mother, who was in the audience.

At 22, Wilson commanded the stage like a seasoned performer, and her clear, soulful vocals sounded professional and mature. This was her first time on a Summerfest stage, but it probably won't be the last.

— Catherine Jozwik, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Amy Grant

Ask any secular Gen-X'er for the first Christian pop artist that pops into their head, and chances are they'll respond: "Amy Grant."

The next thing they'll probably say is, "Dang, haven't heard that name in a while."

"I'm trying to remember when I was here,” said Grant Saturday night early in her headlining set at the Uline Warehouse. “I think it was the '90s.”

Although she’s been continuously active on the contemporary Christian scene since returning to it around 2002, her broader cultural reach definitely ended prior to Y2K.

"I'm gettin' over some laryngitis so if y'all know these songs, please sing 'em loud and proud," she announced prior to "Good for Me." She didn't need any help, though. She may not be in command of every note she could reach in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but she got the songs across, even “The Next Time I Fall,” guitarist Gene Miller taking the Peter Cetera role in the duet. And you thought Little River Band was cheesy.

— Cal Roach, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Chase Rice

Chase Rice drew a near-capacity crowd for his closing set at the UScellular Connection Stage on Summerfest's final night. And if you applied yourself, you could find space to listen through the drone of crowd chatter.

Another bubble in the distinguished pipeline of reality-TV-to-country-music-stardom, Rice was in his fame-rejection phase Saturday, repeatedly encouraging the crowd to check out his latest album, last year’s "I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell," instead of his hits.

But this was a young crowd looking to party, not looking for artistic fulfillment, and it thinned out gradually through no legitimate fault of Rice or his band.

He recalled his first visit to some event he’d never heard of called Summerfest, 10 years ago, raving about the crowd having sung every word to “Bench Seat,” and by this point perhaps only the faithful remained; they lived up to his recollection, and plenty even sang along to the brand-new “Go Down Singin.’”

Bookending the country-heavy edition of the fest nicely, Rice did an abridged rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” toward the end of his set. Then he obliged the hit chasers with “Lonely If You Are,” seeming almost embarrassed of its syrupiness. It did come off much less heartfelt than his lengthy speech in tribute to U.S. Cellular Corp. afterward.

— Cal Roach

Living Colour

The rumor is the final chapter of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” trilogy will be a rock record, and as she did for dance music and country (on “Renaissance” and “Cowboy Carter,” respectively), she’ll again team up with Black artists who have made vital contributions to that style of music.

If true, no doubt Living Colour is at the very top of her collaborators list.

Performing for a packed crowd at the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard late Saturday afternoon, Living Colour proved to be as vibrant as ever. Corey Glover unleashed some tantalizing squeals for first song and the band's first single “Middle Man”; bassist Doug Wimbish slapped some thick funky strings for “Leave It Alone”; and guitarist Vernon Reid looked like he was speaking in tongues, his face contorting and jaw bouncing as his dancing fingers dazzled through a wicked guitar solo for “Ignorance Is Bliss.”

“Feel good,” Glover asked the cheering crowd after the opening number, rapidly posing the question five more times to growing cheers of validation.

Feel great was more like it.

— Piet Levy, [email protected]

BoDeans

Waukesha’s own BoDeans played to a full room of silver foxes at the Generac Power Stage on Summerfest’s final evening. What else could we ask for but one of Wisconsin's most famous bands to close it out?

Frontman Kurt Neumann came out solid delving right into the band's classic, “Fadeaway,” to amp up their ample fans. The night was filled with the heartland rock group's best, with a few words now and then to the audience. Neumann yelled out, “Milwaukee, this is my hometown!” before going into heartfelt rendition of “My Hometown.”

There was something calming about the show, whether it was Neumann's soothing voice or the fact that they we have, once again, come to the end of another Summerfest. Either way, your manager was definitely there.

— Damon Joy, Special to the Journal Sentinel

C+C Music Factory

If you grew up in the 1990s, C+C Music Factory was inescapable. People would scream “Everybody Dance Now!” indiscriminately in the streets, creating unwanted parties.

On Saturday night, C+C brought their '90s party vibe to the jam-packed Aurora Pavilion, and there was plenty of real “Running Man” dancing to go around.

Rapper Freedom Williams, who is not quite as jacked as we remembered, brought the vigor of his much younger self to the stage. His commanding voice has not lost any steam over the years, and he proved he still has the chops to control a crowd. Bandmate Smooth Jammy’s vocals were stunning, making one wonder what all that lawsuit hubbub was all about back then. (Google it.)

“Things That Make You Go Hmmm … ”, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and “Do You Wanna Get Funky” absolutely destroyed the colossal crowd. Their deejays' use of breakbeats cut within the song kept everyone dancing like no one was watching. Well, I was watching.

Shout-out to the 40-something guy in the pink buttoned-down shirt. Homeboy had the greatest night of his life.

— Damon Joy

(Editor's note: An earlier version of this review had an incorrect name for C+C Music Factory's vocalist.)

Klan 414

Klan 414’s performance was for the heartbreakers, the heartbroken and the hard workers.

The south side band brought Milwaukee Chicano pride to the BMO Pavilion Saturday. The regional Mexican band married traditional and urban sounds and brought a dynamic performance to a spirited crowd.

Lead singer Jesus Armando Sanchez, 23, was playful with the crowd as he bantered between songs.

And while the listeners enjoyed the band's original songs, like “Roto,” it was the covers that really got the crowd singing along.

The band played tribute to urban Latin artists such as Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Peso Pluma with their covers of “Neverita” and “La Cancion" and “Bye.”

Klan 414 left the crowd wanting more. As they bowed off stage, chants of “otra” ("another one") forced them to play one more song.

“Do you guys want to cry, or do you want to dance?” Sanchez said in Spanish.

They closed with a cover of the 2003 song by Los Morros Del Norte, "La Botella," giving the crowd exactly what they wanted.

— Jessica Rodriguez

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The best and worst of the final day of Summerfest 2024 in Milwaukee