Music, tattoos, Monster Energy, Nitro Circus, a barber shop, and of course Harley Davidson’s is the short version of what was going on during the Harley Davidson Homecoming Festival. With the backdrop of the beautiful Lake Michigan coastline, and also within walking distance to the Milwaukee Art Museum and Summerfest grounds, Veterans Park was the perfect spot to host this festival. Not only that, there was an added bonus of the international air show (featuring the Italian aero team and the USAF Thunderbirds) popping off at the same time.
So, what really happened at the festival? This review is a tale of two festivals. First: the fans and those that were on the ground and Second, the behind the scenes media perspective of those of us who were “the boots on the ground.”
The fan experience is what is the important take away. I will be transparent and blunt. I am media, but before that I am a fan. As a fan I will start with the music line up. Friday July 26th hosted 9 bands over 2 stages. The headliners on the main stage were Hardy and Jelly Roll. The second stage headliners were Shaylen and Hueston.
Hardy put on a set that was ok. Honestly, I wanted and expected more from his stage presences. It was my first time seeing him live and I had heard such great things. I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of energy. I will give him props for all the awesome things he said about America, the flag and freedom. He read the room well. As a photographer I questioned why we had to photograph from soundboard. That was bizarre to me since very few bands require photographers to photograph them from such a long distance.
HARDY
Jelly Roll gave, as always, a great performance. He is so real and such a talent who truly loves being on stage and bantering with the crowd. I have covered him countless times since 2016, and interviewed him in 2016 & 2018, and each time I think he could not do any better, he raises the bar. As someone who has spent time with him when the camera was not on him, I can tell you he is the same guy on and off stage. That’s a rarity, and also puts him on a different level of great.
JELLY ROLL
If you were more into the Harley’s and the true spirt of motor sports and culture, this adrenaline packed festival was for you. Nitro Circus and Monster Energy came together to bring you skateboarding, bmx, and motorcross featuring its most daring athletes who amazed the crowd multiple times on Friday & Saturday. Saturday nights finale also included a fire dancer, which we believe was unplanned. Imagine seeing the action along with the live soundtrack set to bands like Cypress Hill, The Offspring, and Hardy to name a few. Yeah, that really was a special experience.
CYPRESS HILL
THE OFFSPRING
Also for the fans was a tent hosting bikes to look at, sit on, pose with and for the bike lover, that tent was the mecca of the festival. Anyone want to look sassy but without the wind messed up your hair? No worries, there was an onsite barber shop next to the tattoo parlor.
Saturday July 27th featured a similar fan experience, but added a air show. To be clear, it was NOT part of the festival, but it was featured over Veterans Park where the festival was being held. So, your sitting in the shade, mowing down on your grub you grabbed from one of the many food vendors, and all of a sudden you see colored smoke in the air and the ground shakes because a fighter jet just buzzed the grounds at Veterans Park? Yeah, that was real… and awesome!
The bands that took the stage this day included Destroy Boys, Cypress Hill, The Offspring and Red Hot Chili Peppers on the main stage. The second stage included Scarlet Demore and Otoboke Beaver. I did discover a new upcoming band that I enjoyed; The Criticals.
To me, I was a bit befuddled by Saturday’s choice of bands. Friday nights headliner Jelly Roll, and direct support Hardy, both seemed to fit squarely with Harley Davidson’s brand, core & key demographic: flag waving, freedom loving, God fearing, American patriots who live to ride the open road on their American made iron horses. Both Jelly Roll & Hardy proudly wrapped themselves in the American flag and everything noble it represents. However, Saturday’s bands… not so much. I wouldn’t say Cypress Hill, The Offspring, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers are overtly political or Anti-American on stage, but they’re not the bands you would think of first when playing to mostly Veterans at Veterans Park, not to mention all the gents sporting their MC gear. I dare say none of these bands play at Sturgis very often. I love these bands and so did lots of the festival goers, but they didn’t fit the HD demo.
The one band that absolutely did not play to the traditional HD core demo was the Los Angeles based band Destroy Boys. At first, I just thought they had no talent. I’ve seen hundreds of bad bands amongst thousands of good bands. This is a top 10 worst band on my list. Then, after making my calloused ear drums bleed, they went on a Anti-Semitic, Anti-American, Pro Hamas, Anti God, and Communist screed from stage that, by the looks of some older veterans in the crowd, almost got them pulled off stage in a very unceremonious manner. After that I questioned who vetted this band before putting them on the main stage. Then I realized the booking agent for Harley Davidson had to have known who this band was and chose to make the “Woke” choice instead of being awake to the wants of their core demographic and the Harley Davidson brand it’s built in the last 121 years.
Some great things about the event, as a festival fan, was seeing the miles, about 2 to be fair, of bikes parked on the streets surrounding the festival that were for “Bike Parking Only”. There were countless beautiful and amazing bikes. I was blown away by the sexy, chrome beasts that are being pumped out by Harley Davidson. Truly a bike fans dream.
Tale 2 of the festival. The media experience. As media we travel all over to cover shows state to state and overseas. Us, and other photographers and reviewers get credentials to do cover the events. In this case, from the start of that process to being on the grounds, the experience went downhill quickly The festival failed to give an on the ground contact. That is very important to have a festival publicist or team member meet up with us to tell us where the media area is, the pit rules per their festival, and to get the lay of the land. The staff on the ground had miscommunications of everything all night like, who was allowed where, what wristbands meant what, and so on and so on. If you are media or have ever been involved behind the scenes at these large festivals, you understand the issues it causes when there’s a problem and nobody available to provide answers or solve problems. I say this no to be mean, but I feel the media, even though they are separate entities, they’re still a team. We need to look out for each other. So, heads up on this one.
Harley Davidson fans… this was for you and we encourage you to attend next years event and we happily endorse it on a HD fan level. Whether we cover it again as media, is to be determined.
