Kevin Rudolf headlined the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard, Sunday July 5. Rudolf, whose first album dropped this spring, is known for his hits “Let it Rock” and “Welcome to the World.” Yet Rudolf left something to be desired in his performance. For someone who took the Top 40 Music scene by storm this past fall, a 40-minute show was disappointing. Rudolf came on stage at 8:57 and was done by 9:39. Immediately stands emptied as the Rudolf ignored the quiet calls for an encore. He did come back on stage, not with instruments but with a cooler full of beverages and a few autographed CDs.

Rudolf’s performance was sub-par, seeing as all of his hit songs feature rappers Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. Instead of the rappers, the crowd had the pleasure of listening to an overly exuberant MC trying to impersonate Lil Wayne, and who rarely let Rudolf talk between songs. From the beginning of the concert Rudolf’s microphone had trouble with feedback from the speakers, so in the middle of songs the shrill noise of feedback interrupted his songs. “Welcome to the World” was indistinguishable from all of the other songs as the feedback and overly robust bass drowned out the vocals and even the sound of Rudolf’s guitar playing.

Rudolf should practice what he preaches when it comes to letting it rock, especially with his mouthy MC. But his future looks bright as the album version of his songs continue to climb the charts, and maybe next year at Summerfest he will play for 50 minutes.