Summerfest

Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts approximately 800,000 people each year, promoting itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival", a title certified by the Guinness World Records in 1999,[1][2] but has been surpassed in attendance by Donauinselfest with over 3 million in 2015.

This article is about the music festival in Milwaukee. For the art and music festival in Atlanta, see Virginia–Highland Summerfest.
Not to be confused with SummerSlam.
Summerfest
GenreAlternative, Americana, Bluegrass, Blues, Contemporary, Country, Electronic, Folk, Funk, Gospel, Hard rock, Metal, Hip hop, Indie, Jam band, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Reggae, Rock, Zydeco
Dates11 days (Starts last Wednesday in June annually)
Location(s)Henry Maier Festival Park
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Years active1968–2019, 2021–
Attendance800,000–900,000
Websitesummerfest.com

During Summerfest, the 75-acre (30-hectare) park hosts performances over 11 days, from late June until early July (including the Fourth of July).[3] The festival includes 12 stages with over 1000 performances. The performers include local and nationally known music talent from various genres, performing throughout the grounds from noon to midnight, including the 23,000-capacity American Family Insurance Amphitheater.[4] Since 2004, nearly $150 million has been invested into Henry Maier Festival Park, including permanent stages, bars, production space, VIP amenities and other infrastructure.

Summerfest also showcases a wide variety of food from many Milwaukee-area restaurants. Other Summerfest attractions include shopping vendors, fireworks (including "The Big Bang" on opening night), family activities, and more.[5] Summerfest is operated by Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. a non-profit organization, which is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

In its 50+ year history, Summerfest has hosted a variety of well-known artists, including Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Metallica, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Chesney, Aerosmith, Bruno Mars, Lady GaGa, and Dave Mathews Band.

History

Summerfest was conceived in the 1960s by then-mayor Henry W. Maier. Inspired by his visit to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, Maier envisioned a similar ethnic-themed festival in Milwaukee, and in 1962 formed a panel of business and civic leaders to study the feasibility of a large-scale summer festival. By the middle of the decade, the panel drew up a proposal for a 10-day multi-event festival with the proposed name of "Milwaukee World Festival," which was changed briefly in 1966 to "Juli Spaß" (German for "July Fun") and then to "Summerfest".[6]

The inaugural Summerfest was held in July 1968 at 35 different locations throughout the city (including Milwaukee County Stadium and Milwaukee Arena), and its events ranged from concerts to a film festival, an air show, and even a pageant. The first Summerfest, produced by Dee Robb and Con Merten was regarded as a success; the second event in 1969, was less successful, as it was plagued by additional venues, inclement weather, and severe financial debt.

In 1970, a permanent central location was decided upon, and Summerfest moved to a former Nike missile site on the lakefront, where it continues to be held to this day. Also that year, Summerfest introduced its red "smiley face" logo, an insignia that has become synonymous with the event. The logo was designed by local graphic artists Noel Spangler and Richard D. Grant.[7]

It was also in 1970 that Henry Jordan, former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle, became executive director of Summerfest, a title he held during the event's early years until his death in 1977. After a few other businessmen were hired by the board for the executive director's job, Elizabeth "Bo" Black,[8] who was formerly Henry Jordan's secretary, became executive director in 1984 after a ten-year lobbying effort.

The event has not been without its controversy. On December 9, 2002, Lee Gates commented in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the lack of opportunity to play at Summerfest. "I don't get the credit I deserve here. I've been playing 50-something years. There's discrimination at Summerfest. I shouldn't need to have a CD out to be paid $700 at Summerfest. If they want you to have CDs, they should pay you like they pay the professional people."[9]

Summerfest celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007. The event's history was the subject of "Summerfest Stories", a documentary that aired in June 2007 on Milwaukee Public Television.[10]

In 2015, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc and ReverbNation announced a three-year agreement to use the online service as an audition to give musicians a chance to perform. Summerfest wanted to provide an opportunity for performers to get a chance to be one of the 800+ acts and allow new talent to be seen by over 900,000 people that attend.

2020 saw the COVID-19 pandemic as grounds for scrapping the concert part & moving others online.

Historical Attendance

Summerfest Attendance Since 1995

Summerfest attendance peaked in 2001 at 1,000,563 attendees.[11]

Stages and other venues

The Summerfest grounds include seven permanent stages and two pavilions that can be converted to stages (Johnson Controls World Sound Stage and the South Pavilion).[12]

Stage Name Capacity Notes
American Family Insurance Amphitheater 23,000[12]Previously known as the "Marcus Amphitheater", it was built after an extremely overcrowded concert in 1984 to carry crowds of 25,000 fans during concerts. It was completed in 1987, with the principal contribution from the Marcus Corporation.[13] In 2019 Crews successfully raised the roof of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater to almost twice the height of the current roof, from 39 feet to 65 feet. The backstage building was also rebuilt, offering new artist amenities. The second phase of work on the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater will be completed in time for Summerfest 2020. Featuring a new seating bowl configuration and raised stage to allow for better sightlines, enhanced accessibility, expanded concourses, new video screens, reimagined food and beverage operations, new VIP hospitality areas, additional restrooms, and much more.
BMO Harris Pavilion 10,000[12]Designed and built in 2012[14] the venue features an iconic, wave-inspired roof, which covers more than an acre of space (approximately 50,000 square feet) and provides protection from the elements for approximately 5,000 guests with high-quality permanent seats and bleachers with backrests and another 5,000 guests in its standing room viewing area adjacent to the venue and outside of the roofline.
Miller Lite Oasis 11,400[12]Completed in 2006. The largest stage inside the Summerfest grounds that is accessible without having to pay extra for the American Family Insurance Amphitheatre headliner. A renovation of the Miller Lite Oasis stage was completed for Summerfest 2017. Additions to the stage footprint include the "longest bar on the grounds", fresh hops growing alongside the stage, a second VIP deck, and handicap accessibility near the front of the stage. Citation
Harley-Davidson Roadhouse 11,000[12]Renovated in 2008.[15]
Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard 8,600[12]In 2011, a renovated Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard stage opened.[16][17] Its capacity ranges from 6,000 to 8,000.[18]
U.S. Cellular Connection Stage 5,700[12]Renovated in 2018, the U.S. Cellular® Connection Stage provides a view of Lake Michigan, a 25-foot LED screen – the largest screen on the grounds, benches with charging amenities along the lakefront, a new bar area, and improved walkway access for fans. iHeartMedia, including FM 106.1, is the media partner of the stage.
Uline Warehouse 7,300[12]Located on the north end of the grounds, the Uline Warehouse stage was rebuilt in 2019. The stage features a mix of acts from various genres including classic rock, country, hard rock, blues, and jam.
Johnson Controls World Sound Stage 3,200[12]The Johnson Controls World Sound Stage lineup hosts a mix of acts spanning genres including R&B, blues, world beat, and soul.
JoJo's Martini Lounge Located near the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, JoJo's Martini Lounge with Miller Lite is a popular hot spot, offering JoJo's specialty martinis and great local entertainment.
Klement's Sausage and Beer Garden The Klement's Sausage and Beer Garden stage,[19] located on the North End of Henry Maier Festival Park, features acoustic music daily, spotlighting local artists.  Modeled as a “backyard” picnic-style area, there is a seated lounge area, picnic tables, and barbeque grills, as well as locations to purchase Klement's products.
Gruber Law Offices Sportszone Located near the Mid Gate along the lakefront it is the ultimate place for sports fans. The area offers interactive daily programming including sports demonstrations from professional teams, children's games, and health and fitness activities.
South Pavilion 2,700[12]Hosts no permanent stage."Venues - South Pavilion". Milwaukeeworldfestival.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2019-08-21.</ref>
Other N/AOther venues include the Tiki Hut (a small lakefront stage often featuring local acts such as Roster McCabe and (formerly) Ari Herstand), and the "DIY" Rebel Stage.

Concert history year by year

Summerfest has been most famous for its music since the first festival in 1968, when acts such as Ronnie Dove, The New Colony Six, The Robbs and Up With People performed. Since then, musical acts from Bob Dylan, The Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5, Fun, Britney Spears, Tina Turner, and James Taylor to Christina Aguilera, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mary J. Blige, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Nine Inch Nails, Billie Eilish, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney have graced the Summerfest stages. Acts with Milwaukee and Wisconsin connections have had a prominent history at Summerfest, most notably the BoDeans, The Gufs, Danny Gokey, and Violent Femmes.[20]

The concerts have been mostly civil events, with two notable exceptions. In 1970, a performance by the late-arriving Sly & the Family Stone nearly resulted in a riot. In 1973, a performance by Humble Pie & Jo Jo Gunne resulted in a riot, a bonfire, and about 300 arrests. As a result of the latter concert, organizers shied away from rock bands for several years, and established guidelines for "family-friendly" acts and a ban on alcohol brought in by patrons. This was properly managed when Henry Jordan found the experienced managers: Joel Gast and Lou Volpano, to manage entertainment in-house, eliminating Cleveland's Jules Belkin Promotions, who were hired by Board Members Bernie Samson and Steve Marcus. Also at that time local manager Volpano was hired specifically to improve production and book international superstars on what was a mere Local Rock Stage, where then the Ramones, UFO, and Judas Priest headlined [21]

Live comedy acts have also been a part of Summerfest's history, even before a regular "Comedy Showcase" was first established in 1975. Bob Hope was the main headliner at Summerfest 1969, performing two shows at Milwaukee County Stadium. George Carlin (opening for Arlo Guthrie) performed his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine at the 1972 event and was subsequently arrested for violating obscenity laws. Prior to his arrest, he discarded a bag of cocaine to avoid further imprisonment.[22]

Since 1975, comedy acts ranging from David Brenner and Henny Youngman to Jay Leno and Jon Stewart have performed at the event. Sandra Bernhard did TV and radio promos for its 1986 season when she was a performer there. Lewis Black has become a frequent performer at Summerfest, making near-annual performances since his first appearance in 1991.[23]

Recent performers
Year Performers Notes
2015 Linkin Park, Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, Florida Georgia Line, Zac Brown Band, Kings of Leon, Kendrick Lamar, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Carrie Underwood, and The Avett Brothers[24]The Rolling Stones performed its first Milwaukee concert in 10 years as part of the Zip Code Tour.[25]
2016 Selena Gomez, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw, Blink-182, Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon, Luke Bryan, Paul McCartney, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, Sting, and Peter Gabriel.[26]
2017 Red Hot Chili Peppers,[27] Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne,[27] Paul Simon, Zac Brown Band,[27] P!nk,[27] The Chainsmokers,[27] Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Chris Stapleton,[27] Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Cole Swindell, Future, Big Sean, Migos, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Margo Price, Promise of the Real, Steve Miller Band,[28] A Day to Remember, Atmosphere, Walk the Moon, Shinedown, Andy Grammer, Third Eye Blind, The Band Perry, Philip Phillips, Collective Soul, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Tonic, Soul Asylum, Los Lonely Boys,[27] Peter Frampton, Huey Lewis & the News, Toto, REO Speedwagon, and John Waite.[27]
2018 James Taylor & Bonnie Raitt, Halsey & Logic, Arcade Fire, Florida Georgia Line, Dave Matthews Band, Blake Shelton, J. Cole, Journey and Def Leppard, The Weeknd, and Imagine Dragons, Shawn Mendes with Charli XCX, Marshmello, Lil Uzi Vert, Steven Tyler, Kesha, Jason Isbell and the 400 unit, Aless, The Flaming Lips, Pixies, Greta Van Fleet, Foster the People, Billie Currington, Janelle Monáe, Jethro Tull, Tory Lanez, Kip Moore, Kaleo, The Neighbourhood, Rachel Platten, Louis the Child, PHANTOGRAM, Cheap Trick, Grizzly Bear, Spoon, Borns, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Fray, Buddy Guy, Kane Brown, Slightly Stoopid, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Cheat Codes, Chromeo, O.A.R., Jon Batist with The Dap-Kings, GoldLink, Machine Gun Kelly, Timeflies, Nelly, Brett Young, Benjamin Booker, Capital Cities, Judah & The Lion, Victor Manuelle, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Social Distortion, Gavin DeGraw, Echosmith, Rick Springfield, and more.[29]
2019 Thomas Rhett with Dustin Lynch & Russell Dickerson, Willie Nelson & Family, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Avett Brothers, Counting Crows, Alison Krauss, Dawes, Trapper Schoepp, Jason Aldean with Kane Brown and Carly Pearce, Bon Iver with Lord Huron & Julien Baker, Zac Brown Band with Drake White, Lionel Richie with Michael McDonald, Jennifer Lopez, The Killers with Death Cab for Cutie, Lil Wayne, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and ScHoolboy Q.[24] Ground stage 2019 performances included rock artists Chicago, Foreigner, Loverboy, Styx, & 38 Special. Pop artists Jason Mraz, Walk the Moon, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, 3 Doors Down, X Ambassadors, Switchfoot, Skillet, and Collective Soul, Brandi Carlile, Cole Swindell, The Head and the Heart, The Lonely Island, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lizzo, The National, Steve Aoki, Brothers Osborne, Young The Giant, Sublime with Rome, Courtney Barnett, Quinn XCII, Atmosphere, T-Pain, Vic Mensa, Taking Back Sunday, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Dashboard Confessional, Judah & the Lion, Catfish and the Bottleman, Chaka Khan, Frenship, Chris Janson, Elle King, Gryffin, Dispatch, Chase Rice, August Burns Red, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Hanson, LANCO, Daya, Chelsea Cutler, lovelytheband, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Semisonic, COIN, La Sonora Poncena, The Roots, Matoma, Neon Trees, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Lake Street Dive, Ludacris, Los Lonely Boys, Jimmy Allen, and more.[24]
2020 NONE COVID-19 pandemic concerns caused its cancellation.

[30]

Opening headliners
Year Headliner Notes
1968 George Jessel[31]
1969 Dolly Parton
1970 Sly and the Family Stone
1971 Mountain
1972 The Doors(sans Morrison who died in 1971)
1973 Steve Miller Band
1974 Johnny Cash
1975 The Beach Boys
1976 The Band
1977 Willie Nelson
1978 Grateful Dead(rained out—they never played nor traveled to the fest)
1979 Charles Aznavour / Jane Olivor
1980 Kenny Loggins / Jim Messina
1981 George Thorogood and The Destroyers
1982 Santana
1983 Eric Clapton
1984 Huey Lewis and the News
1985 Bryan Adams
1986 The Go-Go's / INXS
1987 Paul Simon
1988 Sting
1989 Richard Belzer
1989 Rod Stewart
1990 Cher
1991 Whitney Houston
1992 Metallica
1993 Bon Jovi
1994 Janet Jackson
1995 Pearl Jam
1996 Alanis Morissette
1997 Dave Matthews Band
1998 Shania Twain
1999 Paul Simon / Bob Dylan
2000 Britney Spears
2001 Destiny's Child
2002 Nine Inch Nails
2003 Kenny Chesney / Keith Urban
2004 Prince
2005 John Mellencamp
2006 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers / Pearl Jam[32]
2007 Steely Dan
2008 Stevie Wonder
2009 Bon Jovi / Lynyrd Skynyrd[33]
2010 Tim McGraw[34]
2011 Peter Gabriel [35]
2012 Rascal Flatts[36] Lady Antebellum
2013 The Avett Brothers / Violent Femmes
2014 Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga[37]
2015 Florida Georgia Line / The Rolling Stones[24][38]
2016 Selena Gomez[26]
2017 Red Hot Chili Peppers
2018 Imagine Dragons
2019 Jennifer Lopez
2020 NONECOVID-19 pandemic caused its cancellation.
2021 Will resume from where it left off from 2019.

Winterfest
1997-1998 web banner for Winterfest

Beginning in the winter of 1989–1990, Summerfest organizers staged a colder (in the literal sense) version of Summerfest, known as Winterfest. Rather than being chiefly set at Henry Maier Festival Park, the event took inspiration from Summerfest's early days and spread its music, comedy, and other events throughout several downtown Milwaukee locations, the central spot being an ice skating rink in Cathedral Square Park. Due largely to undesirable Milwaukee winters, Winterfest was never as profitable as its older summer counterpart, and ceased operations after the 1997-98 event. However, the Cathedral Square rink has remained a yearly tradition long after the end of Winterfest.

See also

References
  1. "OnMilwaukee.com :". OnMilwaukee.com.
  2. Archived June 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Home | Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  4. Archived May 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Home | Summerfest, Special Attractions". Summerfest.com. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  6. Tanzilo, Bobby (2017-06-29). "The history of Summerfest". OnMilwaukee. Archived from the original on 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  7. Stingl, Jim. "The man behind Summerfest's big, fat smile logo". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  8. Garza, Jesse. "Black undergoes surgery after stroke". jsonline.com.
  9. "Google Groups". Groups.google.com. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  10. "News & Events | Milwaukee Public Television". mptv.org. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015.
  11. Foran, Chris (2019-07-12). "Summerfest posts a 6% drop in attendance, for the lowest total in more than 30 years". Jsonline.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  12. "Milwaukee World Festival - Venues". Milwaukeeworldfestival.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  13. "Marcus Amphitheatre". Marcus Amphitheatre. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  14. "Venues - BMO Harris Pavilion". Milwaukeeworldfestival.com. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  15. Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. "OnMilwaukee.com Music: Briggs & Stratton re-ups with Summerfest for 10 years". OnMilwaukee.com.
  17. Kevin Kosterman; Tyler Maas (June 27, 2012). "Summerfest Free Stages". Milwaukee Magazine. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013.
  18. "Summerfest - The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest - The World's Largest Music Festival. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  19. "Klement's Sausage and Beer Garden - Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest - The World's Largest Music Festival. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  20. "Violent Femmes Kick Off Summerfest". OnMilwaukee. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  21. "Summerfest: Gig has had many high notes". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Interactive. 2007-06-28. Archived from the original on 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2010-08-10. Summerfest is all things to all ears - or at least, it tries to be. Of the major American music festivals, none paints with as broad a brush.
  22. Jon M. Gilbertson. "The Fray, OK Go and Mae - Fray stays in background but pumps out big sound". jsonline.com.
  23. Levy, Piet. "Lewis Black on the Summerfest Marcus Amphitheater comedy show that never happened (but may some day still come to be)". jsonline.com.
  24. "Home - Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest - The World's Largest Music Festival.
  25. Levy, Piet. "Rolling Stones - Summerfest will kick off with Rolling Stones show June 23". Jsonline.com.
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  27. "2017 Lineup | Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  28. "Steve Miller Band to headline Summerfest's BMO Harris Pavilion". tmj4.com. February 15, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  29. "Summerfest 2018 Headliners". Summerfest.com.
  30. https://lifeoutoftunes.com/2018/06/27/summerfest-1971-and-beyond/
  31. "Summerfest Schedule, 1968". The Milwaukee Journal. Children in Urban America Project, Marquette University. July 14, 1968.
  32. "Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers to Headline Marcus Amphitheater During Summerfest '08". Summerfest.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  33. "Bon Jovi to Headline Marcus Amphitheater During Summerfest 2009". Summerfest.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
  34. "Tim McGraw to Headline Marcus Amphitheater During Summerfest 2010". Summerfest.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  35. "Peter Gabriel to Headline Marcus Amphitheater During Summerfest 2011". Summerfest.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  36. "Marcus Amphitheater Headliners". Summerfest.com. Milwaukee, WI. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  37. "Summerfest announces 2014 lineup". USA Today. Milwaukee, WI. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  38. Levy, Piet. "Summerfest 2015 - Florida Georgia Line playing Summerfest's opening night June 24". jsonline.com.
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