Into the 4th row for the 4:00 set of the orphan the poet I went. I watched as an energetic, fairly youthful crowd settled in around me. On an early Friday afternoon, June 30th to be exact, I was enjoying Summerfest by myself. My boyfriend was at a coffee shop nearby wrapping up work so he could join me for the later sets.
I was shortly engulfed by festival crews, who happened to be in your ‘typical’ fest wear. My long flowy flower skirt with a plain t-shirt stood out in the crowd. Their high excited energy slowly rubbed off on me, as I shook away my drowsiness from the week’s work and home project. It was time to fest after all!
Soon the band came on with a ton of energy, perhaps surpassing the crowd’s hype. Their radio pop songs invited the crowd to dance and bebop along. Even from the start they (with ease) got the crowd’s hands up in the air and waved them to the beat.
Usually self-conscious about dancing, even alone I found myself doing the thing. My hands were up in the air, and I was ‘seat dancing.’
The set was fast-paced keeping up the energy. The transitions were fast and flowy. There were crowd interactions and story times but mostly it was song-heavy.
the orphan the poet: A Boy Band?
The group of 3, although small, created the sounds of a 2000’s boy band and they even brought the look of one as well.
Jake Floyd had that swoopy hair and was wearing a light pink button-down, which at one point matched a darker pink electric guitar. His outfit was completed with light jeans with a slight flare.
David Eselgroth has yellow-tipped hair that matched the golden yellow button-down he wore like a light jacket over a fitted black t-shirt. His leopard-printed pants pulled the look together.
The boy band concept solidified when they played a cover of “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction halfway through the act.
Their vocals were incredibly strong and their music was creative and fun.
The song “Birthday” made me laugh as the lyrics were genius and true, after all “… we all can’t get famous But we can all get naked” By the end of the song I was singing along. The repetitive chorus is quite catchy!
On the brink of nearly 30, I felt almost too old for the show. Yet the vibe captured me and pulled me in. Can one feel too old and so young all at once? I guess that’s the power of music.
The energy of this show sent me off with a slight power buzz. I was ready for the next set and to do the damn festival thing!
As long as your happy and having fun, age is just a number😉. Sounds like an interesting vibe.