Take me back to Summerfest 2012: Bob Mould at U.S. Cellular Connection Stage

Bob Mould is no stranger to Milwaukee. The legendary Hüsker Dü frontman, Sugar frontman, and solo artist seems to play the city every six months or so, whether it’s at WMSE’s Backyard BBQ or the East Side’s Shank Hall. Similarly, Bob Mould is no stranger to Summerfest. Dude just played the Big Gig in 2022! And yet here I am, pining for a Bob Mould Summerfest show…

But not just any Bob Mould Summerfest show. On July 3, 2012, Mould took to Summerfest’s U.S. Cellular Connection Stage to play Sugar’s stone-cold classic debut album, Copper Blue, front to back. Oh, and some Hüsker Dü songs! While the lakefront fireworks exploded in the distance! (Remember the lakefront fireworks?) Holy shit!

Someone once asked me If I had a favorite song of all time. Kind of a dumb question, right? Yes, but I was surprised when an answer instantly came to mind: the leadoff track to Copper Blue, “The Act We Act.” It’s just so good. The alternately chugging and chiming guitars. Bob Mould’s Bob Mould-y vocals. The simple-but-devastating lyrics. (“The words, the words we said goodbye / The words left choking in my mind.”) The way the thing absolutely launches into the chorus. The harmonies on that chorus. My god, it’s a perfect song. And my god, did I lose my shit when Mould and company opened their Summerfest set with it 14 years ago.

And then there’s the rest of the album, a murderers’ row of hits and ringers: “A Good Idea,” “Changes,” “If I Can’t Change Your Mind,” more. Mould absolutely tore through these songs. He then capped them with a generous helping of Hüsker Dü: “Hardly Getting Over It,” “I Apologize,” “Makes No Sense At All,” more. Did I mention this all went down during the July 3 fireworks? Wild but true!

I haven’t seen Mould live since 2022 (I sadly missed his 2023 Backyard BBQ show, and his 2025 Turner Hall show, and his 2025 Shank Hall show, and his…), but I’m crossing my fingers he’ll return to Milwaukee with the recently reformed Sugar. Sugar in Milwaukee? That, as they say, is a good idea.