Summerfest is the Best Summer Event In Milwaukee

As all Milwaukeeans know, Summerfest is the highlight of Milwaukee summers. I went on the first night, June 25 and had a great time with some tasty food and awesome music. Here is a recap on my evening. I got to Summerfest around 3 PM and was greeted with some great weather. It was a nice hot afternoon so the Summerfest grounds were the perfect place to be to get a cool breeze off the lake and still enjoy the sun. I spent a few hours walking around the grounds along the lakefront, looking at the goodies all the vendors had to sell. I had a delicious late lunch of fried eggplant strips and a chicken parmesan sandwich at the Venice Club near the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse.
I took some time to take the sky glider across the grounds to get an aerial view of all the activities, stages and Marcus Amphitheater. It was a beautiful view and you could see the downtown skyline and the Milwaukee Public Museum. I met up with some friends a little later in the evening and saw an awesome local band called Toadking at the Cascio Interstate Music Groove Garage. Toadking are one of my favorite Milwaukee bands and they play a fusion of psychedelic music and folk rock. To after dancing and singing along to some great tunes, we went over to Coldstone Creamery to go cool down with a little birthday remix ice cream.
After taking a little break from music and dance, we went over to the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard stage to go get some seats for Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. We caught the last few songs from Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons and ended up getting some excellent seats right in front as some fans left. We were in the second row close to the center and were up close and personal with one of our favorite musicians, Conor Oberst. The set was fun and brought out lots of fans who we sang and danced on the bleachers with. The band played for a little over an hour and we left just in time to miss a huge surge of people leaving the grounds. We had so much fun that we are going to go back tonight (June 29) to go and see Lupe Fiasco at the Miller Lite Oasis and Spoon at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse.

More Summerfest Updates

As the weather gets warmer, all Milwaukee area residents look forward to the staple of their summer: Summerfest. With the event being about one month away, most of the bands playing are already posted and it looks like we’re in for a great 11 days of music and fun.
This year, like every year, Summerfest will be hosting a wide variety of performers. Some main stage acts include Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Bob Dylan and No Doubt, just to name a few. This year we are seeing three different country performances (Keith Urban, George Strait, and Kenny Chesney) which are a big staple of the Marcus Amphitheater Shows. This influx of country should add a unique feel to the festival this year and bring out some people that may not have been as interested in the fest previously. Another big name coming to Summerfest this year is KISS, a rock band that has been around since the 1970s. Their performance will bring out some hard rocking fans looking for a sensational and stimulating show. Along with their exciting live performance, we will probably see a lot of great KISS merchandise, such as clothing, action figures and other novelty items. Though the Marcus Amphitheater is a great venue on the Summerfest grounds to see popular big name acts, my favorite stage is the Cascio Interstate Music Groove Garage. This stage is my favorite because it provides a great opportunity to local musicians. The stage is sponsored by Cascio Interstate Music, which is one of the state’s largest music stores and also a large competitor nationally in the independent music company circuit. The stage offers live, local and original music all 11 days of the fest. Some bands I am excited to see there are a jam band called The Toad King and an alternative mellow band called hitide.lotide. This year the Cascio Stage is moving to a better location between the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse and the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard stages which is a higher traffic area than the previous location, allowing more people to become prospective fans.
After seeing some great bands and hopefully enjoying some beautiful weather, Summerfest offer a great variety of places to chow down. Whether you are interested in a sweet ice cream treat from Cold Stone Creamery or some spicy hot wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, Summerfest has it all. My favorite place to grab a bite to eat between performances is Greek Village on the north end of the grounds near other ethnic eateries. The Greek Village has awesome gyros, hot and fresh spinach cheese pies and to finish your meal, delicious honey puffs. If you don't like rock and roll, Miller Park tickets are always a great deal. Check out the Brewers if you can.

Side Stages Announce Headliners at Summerfest

A number of the side stage headline acts have been posted for Summerfest 2009. I have to hand it to the Summerfest management. They have booked some solid shows on those stages. We are not surprised to see the BoDeans on one night. At least they are not taking up space on the Marcus Stage.

My early pick for best night would be when the Dropkick Murphys take the stage. The Tossers will play just prior to the Dropkick Murphys. The Offspring play the same night. They are on the Miller Lite Oasis stage. That used to be called the "Miller Lite Jazz Oasis" stage. How times have changed.

Is Summerfest setting up a "punk" night? What a surprise. That's all I have time for today. I'll be back with more Summerfest concert announcements as they get locked in.

"The Beast" talks about Summerfest

Since I’m taking a blog break, I asked “The Beast” to write up what she likes about Summerfest. Let me introduce “The Beast.”
Being a resident of the Milwaukee tri-county area, Summerfest is an event that is always at the top of the list for summertime activities. Summerfest is my favorite annual music festival. It features all genres of music and boasts the slogan “The World’s Largest Music Festival.” Some headliners coming this summer are Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Chicago, No Doubt, Bob Dylan and The Fray, just to name a few.
While Summerfest is a music festival, it is not just limited to music. Many local eateries serve food and beverages. You can find vendors selling clothing and novelties, and there are many family oriented activities for children available during the day.
Some personal highlights of Summerfest for me would be seeing Jack’s Mannequin at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage in 2007 and 2008, and seeing A.F.I on the same stage in 2006. This year, I am looking forward to checking out Sound Tribe Sector 9 on July 1. I hope that the weather is better than last year, because it rained both times I went in 2008. One con of the free stages is the bleachers. You will find them bolted to the ground, and right up to the front edge of the stage. I would stand up close to the stage, but I usually get there early enough for a good bleacher spot. With so many people that attend the festival, you will surely be chatting with your neighbors while waiting to see your favorite bands (And hopefully meet some interesting and nice people.)
The U.S. Cellular Connection Stage is in a great location, because it is close to the lake. It’s almost a guarantee that you will feel a cool breeze; it’s also close to the many dining options bathroom facilities. The stage is sponsored by local radio station Rock 102.1, so many of the acts are alternative or rock. The U.S. Cellular Connection stage is not the only place to hear great music though. On the grounds, there are 10 free music stages, such as the Miller Lite Oasis, the Harley Davidson Roadhouse, and M&I Classic Rock Stage. The Marcus Amphitheater is the largest stage, and the “main” stage for performances on the grounds. That is where all the headliners play. Tickets for these shows cost extra, but that ticket price includes Summerfest admission.

Summerfest is a great place to go with your family during the day and enjoy the weather. It’s also a fun nightlife experience, with many bands and musical performances. This year, Summerfest runs from June 25 through July 5. The park is open from noon until midnight, daily. A unique and convenient perk of Summerfest is the Freeway Flyer shuttle service, offering rides to the park and back to park-n-rides in close suburbs and the Milwaukee County Public Transit system offers their bus services for those living downtown. If you are looking for some fun in Milwaukee this summer, I highly recommend that you check out Summerfest and their musical lineup.

Earth, Wind and Fire with Chicago at Summerfest

We saw the massive crowd at the side stage. Earth, Wind, and Fire drew a crowd so large that Summerfest decided that they were worthy of a Marcus Amphitheater show. Chicago is a band this has continued to perform since 1967. On June 30th, we will see if their fans can fill the venue. Both bands have had numerous hits. For Earth, Wind and Fire, their biggest was Shining Star. That also happens to be their only number one song. Their Album Gratitude hit number one in 1975. Since that time, they have not had a number one song or album. In fact, if we dig deeper Summerfest fans would be hard pressed to find their songs in the top ten since 1986.

Chicago has seen nineteen members come and go since they formed in 1967. They still have four of the original members in the lineup, so the other fifteen must have been temps? Colour My World is a song you will certainly hear at Summerfest.

Kid Rock Joins Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sort Of.

Sweet Home Alabama is a song I know. Kid Rock put his own lyrics on top of that melody last year. It was a huge hit for Kid. We will see both Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd play The Marcus Amphitheater on the last night of Summerfest. Lynyrd Skynyrd will open the show, but you can bet that they will come back out for Kid's most current hit song.

Kid Rock comes from Detroit, so it was interesting to listen to the way he crafted the words to that old song Sweet Home Alabama. This Summerfest season sure leans towards the southern end of things. With three country acts, and now this southern rock band backing up Kid Rock, a whole new group of fans will come to know the fun of having Summerfest tickets in hand.

Ok, What's the Deal Country Don?

Mr. Smiley:

I'm not a country music hater. I love the classic artists like George Strait. With that being said, you are starting to worry me. You booked three nights of country music for the Marcus Amphitheater.

We all have our opinions about who you should book for Summerfest. Let's be honest and say that other "festivals" have stronger line ups depending on the year. Bumbershoot comes to mind. Seattle is a larger city, with a rich history of cutting edge music. Some years, I will see their lineup and wonder why these bands cannot make it to Milwaukee. Perhaps its more about the art in Seattle, and less about beer sales.

For now, I will chalk it up to your desire to see lots of cowboy hats on the Summerfest grounds.

Sincerely,
The biggest Summerfest fan in Wisconsin