Cutler Park Prepares For Nineties Nostalgia Evening As 'That 90's Band' Comes To Waukesha

WAUKESHA — Cutler Park's summer concert series continues Tuesday evening with "Tribute Tuesday," a recurring slot that this week belongs to That 90's Band, a Milwaukee-based tribute act performing covers of 1990s pop and alternative hits between 7 and 9 p.m., with concessions opening at 5:30 p.m. for anyone arriving early to stake out a spot.

Parks Coordinator James Verner said the department is projecting an attendance of 350 to 450 people, a figure he arrived at by comparing the event to similarly structured tribute nights held earlier this summer. "We've had a Fleetwood Mac tribute and a two-man Billy Joel thing that ran a little long," Verner said. "Based on how those drew, and factoring in that this one's a full band, we landed on 350 to 450. That's our number and we're comfortable with it."

The band, which performs under the name That 90's Band and lists a six-person lineup on its website, has built a regional following covering acts including Third Eye Blind, No Doubt, and Smash Mouth, according to promotional materials Verner's office received ahead of booking. Verner said the group's set list was not required as a condition of the booking, though the parks department did request that amplified sound wrap by 9 p.m. per the city's outdoor noise ordinance.

"They know the cutoff," Verner said. "We've never had an issue with a tribute act running past it. If anything, the classic rock bookings run closer to the line than the nineties ones do."

Attendees are expected to arrive with the standard Cutler Park concert-night setup: lawn chairs, blankets, and, per Verner, "a real appetite for concessions" given the 5:30 p.m. opening, an hour and a half ahead of the music. The concession stand, run by a rotating slate of volunteer groups, will be staffed Tuesday by the Waukesha South boosters club, selling brats, popcorn, and soda from a trailer parked near the Lot A entrance.

Bob Krueger, 68, a retired Department of Public Works supervisor and regular at the park's summer series, said he plans to attend with the same folding chair he has used at Cutler Park concerts "going back probably twelve years." Krueger said he does not have strong opinions about 1990s music specifically but attends most Tribute Tuesdays regardless of the decade being covered.

"Not sure if this is tribute to good music or just getting old."

— Bob Krueger, retired DPW supervisor

Krueger said he arrives around 6:15 p.m., roughly 45 minutes before the music starts, "to get a spot that isn't right up against the speaker stack, but also isn't so far back you're basically at the parking lot." He said he has never once regretted bringing a second chair for his jacket.

Verner Says The Band's Repertoire Skews "Recognizable Over Obscure"

Verner said the parks department does not vet set lists in advance but has come to expect that tribute acts booked for the series lean toward material audiences will recognize on the first few bars. "We're not getting deep cuts," he said. "These are bands built around the idea that when people hear the opening riff, they clap. That's sort of the business model."

The department budgeted $1,800 for Tuesday's booking, consistent with prior Tribute Tuesday bookings this summer, according to Verner. He said the series, now in its third year, has grown steadily in attendance each season, with this year's early bookings already outperforming last year's comparable dates.

"Last year's Fleetwood Mac tribute at this point in the season drew maybe 280," Verner said. "This year we're already projecting higher before the band's even played a note. Part of that is word of mouth. Part of it is that people have started bringing their own folding tables, which tells you they're planning to stay a while."

Diane Vandehey, 61, chair of the county fair planning committee, said Tribute Tuesday does not overlap with any fair committee business but that she has attended twice this summer "as a private citizen, not in any official capacity." She declined to say whether she planned to attend Tuesday's show, citing what she called "a busy week for funnel cake logistics."

Verner said the parks department will post a lineup for the remainder of the summer series, including two more tribute acts and one original-music booking, in the coming weeks. He declined to preview future acts "so as not to get anyone's hopes up prematurely," but confirmed at least one of the remaining bookings covers material from a decade other than the nineties.

Tribute Tuesday featuring That 90's Band runs 7 to 9 p.m. at Cutler Park, with concessions available beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.