Summerfest's annual music, food fest offers taste of razzle-dazzle
Summerfest is like a stretch limousine that gets great gas mileage. It sounds like a myth, but it does exist. Summerfest is gigantic yet accessible, glitzy yet affordable.
Milwaukee's annual music festival, now in its 42nd year, has evolved into a gargantuan event that still manages to be fan-friendly. It features an eclectic music lineup, low ticket prices, plenty of parking and 45 food vendors in a pleasant setting right on Lake Michigan. What's not to love?
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Noon to midnight daily
Downtown Milwaukee
Daily festival grounds tickets: $8 for adults (weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.); $15 for adults (weekdays after 4 p.m. and weekends); $3 for children (age 10 and under) and seniors (age 60 and over)
General Information: (414) 273-2680; for Marcus Amphitheater tickets, call Ticketmaster, (800) 745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com
Summerfest, which begins Thursday, holds the title of the world's largest music festival -- an official designation that was bestowed upon it by Guinness World Records.
Organizers expect this year's event to draw between 830,000 and 930,000 fans over the course of its 11-day run. The fest is actually smaller than it was at the beginning of this decade, when attendance topped 1 million.
"We want to have more of a quality event, vs. one where we've just jammed every last corner of the grounds with people," said Don Smiley, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, which operates Summerfest. "So we have turned our focus to quality with a tad fewer people. We try to make up for that [smaller attendance] with corporate sponsorships and the way we do business here."
There are 10 stages on the main Summerfest grounds. The roster of more than 700 musical acts includes the Airborne Toxic Event (June 28), Lupe Fiasco (June 29), Spoon (June 29), Buddy Guy (June 30), Femi Kuti (July 2), the Roots (July 3), the English Beat (July 5) and Elvis Costello (July 5).
Concerts held at the outdoor Marcus Amphitheater require a separate ticket purchase. Marcus concert ticketholders also have access to all the stages on the main Summerfest grounds.
Among the marquee acts playing the Marcus this year are Bon Jovi on Thursday, Keith Urban (June 26), Stevie Wonder (June 28), Bob Dylan (July 1), No Doubt (July 2) and Kid Rock (July 5).
Texas native Miranda Lambert is part of a July 3 bill at the Marcus that also includes Lady Antebellum and country superstar Kenny Chesney. (Ticket prices range from $25-$70 for the 7:30 p.m. show.)
Lambert's current hit single, "Dead Flowers," was inspired by a bit of housecleaning. Several months ago, when she was on the verge of leaving home for a tour, Lambert tossed out some fresh flowers because she knew they would die while she was away.
"That song kind of wrote itself," Lambert explained while on tour recently in Bossier City, La. "The song definitely started out just by seeing an image. I threw some flowers out in the yard -- flowers I had gotten for Valentine's Day. They were still alive. It was just sad to see them lying there like that. And I thought, 'What a waste.'"
The flowers were a gift from her boyfriend and fellow country star, Blake Shelton.
"It was a sweet gesture," Lambert recalled wistfully. "I told Blake, 'Well, your flowers were pretty, but they inspired probably the saddest song I've ever written.'"
Another great Summerfest booking is neo-soul singer Anthony Hamilton, who will perform on July 5 at 9:30 p.m. on the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse stage. Hamilton is currently on the charts with the title track from his superb 2008 album, "The Point of It All."
Hamilton struggled for years before finally achieving stardom with his 2003 breakthrough CD, "Comin' From Where I'm From." His circuitous, rocky route to fame involved collapsed record deals, a stint as a backing vocalist and two solo albums that were recorded but then shelved.
Despite the setbacks, the singer remained hopeful. Now, Hamilton is performing in front of the largest crowds of his career.
"I knew it was just a matter of time, and that I would come into my own, and it would happen," Hamilton said while on the road in Dallas. "I'm glad it happened now rather than then because I'm better at owning my craft. I own it now. I know it's mine. I give the people a place to be and a place to experience the moment."
Classic rock fans can sing along to hits like "Barracuda," "Magic Man" and "Alone" when Heart appears on June 29 at 9 p.m. on the M&I stage.
The band's core members remain sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. Ann is the lead singer on the vast majority of Heart's songs, but the 1986 hit "These Dreams" featured a lead vocal by Nancy. The song was composed by Bernie Taupin and Martin Page.
"In that part of the '80s, we were expected to do outside material, songs we didn't write ourselves," Nancy said from her home in Los Angeles. "We heard this amazing demo of 'These Dreams,' and I just fell head over heels in love with it. I knew I wanted to sing it. So we recorded a nice version of it. But then our management company said, 'No, no, no. It's too confusing. Nancy shouldn't be singing lead. She's just the blond chick that plays guitar.' I had to really fight for that song, and it turned out to be the first No. 1 single we ever had."
Along with the Summerfest gig, Heart will play at the Naperville Ribfest on July 2.
Elsewhere at Summerfest, reggae pioneers the Wailers will perform on June 30 at 10 p.m. on the Miller Lite Oasis stage. Budget-minded fans may want to arrive a few hours early. All Summerfest tickets purchased between noon and 8 on June 30 will cost only $2 as part of a special promotion dubbed "Kapco's 2-Buck Tuesday."
Chicagoans heading to Milwaukee should check the Summerfest Web site, www.summerfest.com, in advance to get information on parking, Amtrak train service and ticket promotions. Also, the Web site www.plan94.org has details regarding the ongoing construction on I-94.
Bobby Reed is a local free-lance writer.
