What Made Milwaukee Famous isn’t just the name of a band, but it’s also a very legitimate question. What didmake Milwaukee — the home to Schlitz Brewery and endless number offestivals — famous? The answer could easily be the Steve Miller Band.
Fansyoung and old were corralled under the blazing sun for the band’safternoon performance. Miller opened his two hour-plus set with theappropriately danceable “Swingtown,” subsequently launching into”Livin’ in the U.S.A.” and “Abracadabra.” A change of pace came whenMiller brought onstage Seattle jazz guitarist Brian Nova. Together theyperformed “I’m Tore Down” by blues legend Freddie King, Miller and Novajamming it out in dueling-guitar fashion.
But most hoped formore concrete hits, and fans had to wait until the end of the set tohear “The Joker.” When the band played “Fly Like an Eagle,” a songoriginally recorded in Seattle and now celebrating its 30thanniversary, the crowd went absolutely wild. Miller also turned thesong into a lengthy experimental session rife with chord progressions,psychedelic melodies, and even an impromptu rap refrain.
Seattleite Alina To, 22, summed up the set with, “They were pretty good for a bunch of old guys.” TIFFANY WAN
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