Summer Of ‘99 Festival Invades Alpine Valley
Music from the ‘90s shaped who I am today. I remember standing in line at local ticketing outlets to purchase tickets for Creed whenever they performed locally. Their music has followed me for nearly three decades, bringing delight to my eardrums, including frontman Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti’s solo projects.“What’s This Life For”? For me, it’s always been about my love of music: listening to the cassette tapes/CDs/MP3s, working in radio for 20 years, seeing shows, learning how to play the guitar, starting my own music photography company when I was a teen and even writing thesis papers in college about recording artists and their influence on my life. When the Summer of ‘99 Cruise with Creed was announced by Sixthman in 2024, I knew I needed to get on board. I was one of the lucky ones who got a cabin on the sold-out inaugural cruise (sail 1) out of tens of thousands of people who tried to book. My two music-loving friends, Erica and Wanda, joined my cabin. We set sail in April a year and a half ago for the music cruise of a lifetime, featuring Creed, where we got to see them perform together for the first time in 12 years. It was incredible.
Fast forward a year later, and the Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival was announced to take place July 18-19, 2025. Two days of musical fun not far from where I live… I was in! My Summer of ‘99 Cruise cabin mates and I purchased tickets and were going to relive our time at sea with Creed, 3 Doors Down, Tonic, Vertical Horizon, and Fuel at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, among the hills overlooking the Alpine Valley Ski Resort.
All Photos By: Janelle Rominski PhotographyJoining our “cruise-icians” on the Summer of ‘99 Fest were Nickelback, A Day To Remember, +LIVE+, Sevendust, Daughtry, Mammoth, Hinder, Our Lady Peace, and Lit. Unfortunately, two months prior to the Festival, Brad Arnold, the lead singer of Mississippi-based band 3 Doors Down, announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. I was gutted to hear the news and am still sending my positive vibes Arnold’s way. His band had to pull out of the Festival and was replaced by Floridians, A Day To Remember. Fun fact, I was an extra in 3 Doors Down’s music video for “Duck and Run.”
The weather couldn’t have been better for the Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival, with temperatures in the low 80s and mostly sunny. The only rain that occurred was in the morning on the second day, but the clouds cleared and the sun gave way by the time the first note of music was played.
Lit brought it and kicked off the Festival by lighting up the venue and igniting their energy by belting out their famous singles, “Miserable” and “My Own Worst Enemy.” The crowd helped sing along too, quite loudly. I knew this Festival was going to be fun, not only because of the bands, but the fans too.
Our Lady Peace was up next, and I couldn’t help but contain my excitement because out of thousands of concerts I’ve attended, this was my first time seeing and capturing these Canadian crooners who created the band in Toronto. My heart was happy hearing “Somewhere Out There.” The song is sensational, and the attendees agreed.
My motto, “anytime Tonic’s in town, I’m down!” In 2008, my former radio station brought Tonic in to play a private concert for our listeners at Blarney Island in Antioch, Illinois, about 30 miles south of Alpine Valley. I got to ride a shuttle boat from the Port of Blarney to the Island with Tonic to help them with their gear, and I got to photograph their show. Little did I know that 16 years later, I’d be on a much larger boat with them on the Summer of ‘99 Cruise. Seeing them at this Festival was a sonic feast… “If You Could Only See” the way I love Tonic, that would be amazing to show you, but I can't, so I’m here to tell you how much I treasure the band and their true showmanship. In those 16 years, it’s fun to see how my photography skills have improved.
Stepping up to the stage after Tonic was Daughtry, featuring former American Idol alum, Chris Daughtry. This band performed on the second sail of the Summer of ‘99 Cruise, but I was on the first, so I missed out seeing them at sea. I had the pleasure of witnessing them at Alpine Valley. I had the opportunity to photograph Daughtry at the #Happens Music Experience in Las Vegas in 2023. Chris Daughtry particularly liked one of the photos I captured of him during his concert. I was thrilled that he used my photo as his Instagram profile picture. Concert photography is one of my greatest passions, and receiving such positive feedback from one of my favorite musicians is truly an honor. Festival-goers were graced with Chris Daughtry’s new double-arm sleeve blackout tattoos. I must admit, I miss his former artsy arm tattoos, but the black looks sleek and almost superhero-like. It’s so apropos that he sang “Waiting For Superman” during his set.
Another band that was a first for me was +LIVE+, and let me tell you, vocalist Ed Kowalczyk, is literal music to my ears. His voice is so luscious and has been a staple for me for nearly my entire life. With a slew of number one hit singles, +LIVE+’s music has carried me through my life’s decades of drama and delight. During their set, Chris Daughtry surprised us all and came out to sing “Lakini's Juice” with Kowalczyk. The crowd roared, and I was giddy getting to see this collaboration. “I Alone” loved it, and two songs later, +LIVE+ rocked that tune. The band concluded their set with the thunderous “Lightning Crashes,” and holy hell, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
Headlining the night was a band that needs no introduction, Nickelback, from the picturesque province of Alberta in Canada. They wowed the crowd by starting their set with the stellar song, “San Quentin.” Nickelback had an LED screen/light-filled performance perfect for onlookers, but quite a challenge to “Photograph.” The band led their audience on a musical journey through 14 songs over their 30-year career. Everyone was singing along with them from the first note to the last. At the end of the night, I stood at the top of the venue overlooking 30,000 people uniting in their love of live music and went home to rest up for the Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival day two.
On Saturday morning, after a brief downpour, the storm clouds cleared for an amazing and humid second Festival day.
Per Dictionary.com, “fuel” is defined as “something that gives nourishment; (i.e., food) or an energy source for engines, power plants, or reactors.” Fuel, the band, kick-started the day by giving plentiful audio nourishment and providing the source for bringing the energy to the Music Theatre. Fuel was a fan favorite on the Summer of ‘99 Cruise, and I loved seeing them on the ship, but was happiest in the photo pit capturing their fierce performance. You can never have a “Bad Day” with Fuel.
After a few technical issues, Vertical Horizon was in view and vocalist Matt Scannell brought his sweet smile to the mic and began singing “We Are.” Due to the tech hiccups earlier, the band only played four songs, but I’m glad they closed out their set with “Everything You Want” because that’s the one song I really wanted to hear. Vertical Horizon also rocked the boat on the Summer of 99 Cruise and Scannell was so genuinely nice to everyone he met. I got a selfie with him on the top deck during 3 Doors Down’s performance in Nassau, The Bahamas before we set sail back to Miami. The two other cruise ships docked between us got a free performance from 3 Doors Down overlooking our fun on their balconies, which was quite a sight to see.
Hopping on stage next was the OK (Oklahoma) band Hinder. The band is more than OK and anything but a hindrance. It has been a while since I’ve seen them. They looked refreshed and polished. Their new stage scrims and graphics featured art from their new album Back To Life (released last May), complete with a monster destroying a cityscape with aircraft flying above. It added a nice dimension to their show. Lead guy, Marshal Dutton, used the stage and small catwalk to his advantage by high-fiving and fistbumping those along the barricade. Their debut single ended on a ‘high’ note, with “Get Stoned.” It’s hard to believe that song has been on the radio and our playlists for twenty (420) years. Hinder was smokin’ on stage playing other hits like “Lips of an Angel” that serenaded the Saturday show attendees.
Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang’s project, Mammoth, went from Studio East to East Troy… a day before their Summer of ‘99 Festival appearance, they played an acoustic set at 95 WIIL Rock’s Studio East at Gurnee Mills mall over the cheddar curtain. Their songs are so ‘gouda’ and they recently dropped the WVH from their band name after finally getting a trademark for Mammoth. Wolfgang sounds better than ever and donned a bright pink shirt with black and blue lightning bolts, making him stand out from the rest of his band wearing black. He certainly was electrifying along with his fellow musicians. Mammoth appropriately ended their show with “The End.”
Do you want to know what’s a plus? It’s Sevendust! The group is great, and let’s talk about frontman Lajon Witherspoon for a moment. He set sail on the first-ever Summer of ‘99 Cruise as a passenger, not a performer. Witherspoon would walk around watching all the other bands and saying hi to cruise guests. He was nice enough to get a photo with me while Nine Days was playing at one of the bars on the ship. It’s musicians like Lajon that rock… he’s so famous and talented, but so friendly and takes time to truly listen to his fans and doesn’t bat an eye for a selfie. Don’t ever change. His band was asked to be direct support for Creed on the Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Cruise last April. Sevendust started their Summer of ‘99 Festival show with “Face to Face,” and Lajon had the biggest smile ever on his face and got a little teary-eyed, too. While capturing the ‘dust, drummer Morgan Rose’s drumsticks hit me a few times as he tried throwing them to fans in the crowd. It was an absolute pleasure picking up the sticks. I’d look at him, he’d point at who it went to, and I’d hand the sticks to his targeted fans.
It was a little bittersweet after Sevendust left the stage, knowing that 3 Doors Down would be next in a perfect world, but it’s not. I wish so hard that their vocalist, Brad Arnold, gets well soon because F cancer. It was great getting to see 3 Doors Down play several times on the Summer of ‘99 Cruise.
Even though 3 Doors Down couldn’t be there, A Day To Remember stepped in to fill the void, and they did. The band poured such raw emotion into their songs. Singer Jeremy McKinnon gets major brownie points from me. I absolutely love it when band members play with the photographers capturing their shows. McKinnon crouched down on the catwalk, winked and pointed at me, and looked straight into my camera lens, and it was such a highlight. Thank you, Jeremy! A Day To Remember brings out all the bells and whistles on stage to make their gigs memorable, including CO2 jet cannons, large black and white beach balls with their logo on them to toss out to the crowd, confetti and streamer cannons, and their killer music.
Last, but certainly not least, Creed was welcomed “With Arms Wide Open” as the closing headliner of the Summer of ‘99 Festival. They shot out on stage playing “Bullets,” and hanging from the rafters were A Day To Remember’s streamers to add a festive flair. It was hot, both literally and figuratively, because of the pyrotechnics and their power-packed performance. Seeing the evolution of Scott Stapp from 1994 to now has been such a spectacle. He has never looked and sounded better. My title for him: The Greatest Showman. I love the growth of the band, too. Getting to see them perform for the first time in 12 years on the Summer of ‘99 Cruise was something I’ll never forget. I also won’t forget rockin’ through 15 songs with them at this Festival, mostly from the 90’s, including “My Own Prison” and a special tribute to Brad Arnold from 3 Doors Down with the song, “Never Die.” For their encore, they opened up their early 2000s music vault with “One Last Breath” and ended with “My Sacrifice.”
Everyone I came across was so nice. I met two guys who traveled all the way from Iceland to attend this Festival, Guðmundur and Emil. They were the friendliest folks ever, and their English-speaking skills were impeccable. I got to see friends I haven’t seen in years, including my high school classmate, and my seat in the pavilion was next to the owner of The Salsa King of Chicago (I’ve seen his photos on social media and finally figured out who he was on the last day).
Guðmundur and EmilDuring the Summer of ‘99 and Beyond Festival was a powerful reminder of how much music brings people together and makes us feel most alive. Alpine Valley Music Theatre became our escape from the daily stresses of life, and everyone in the venue got to gather for two days of pure, amazing nostalgia and retrospective fun.
