Written by Melissa #MischievousMel Anderson
Besides featuring over 800+ bands in two weeks, Summerfest, held annually along the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI, is ground zero for all things Wisconsin. You can’t think about Wisconsin without thinking about the Green Bay Packers, and yes, a little bit of Lambeau Field was found at Summerfest. Featuring a mini NFL Combine course for kids to live out their Green Bay Packer Dreams,
a bunch of Packer memorabilia, bleachers with pictures of Lambeau Field behind them,
and items from the Packers Hall of Fame,
the giant Packer exhibit gave everyone a small taste of why Packer fans are forever fans. Wisconsin based business and products were among the hundreds of vendors that included Miller Brewing, local beers, Harley Davidson, Briggs & Stratton, and much more.
If that were not enough, there was Brew City Wrestling on site for those who had a taste for sanctioned violence.
As stated, over 800 bands played this massive festival that calls the Summerfest grounds home.
This massive site includes the American Family Insurance Amphitheater (capacity of 23,000), plus other enormous outdoor stages sponsored by U.S. Cellular,
ULINE, Miller Lite, Briggs & Stratton,
Harley Davidson, Johnson Controls, & BMO Harris, along with still additional smaller capacity outdoor stages, a sports complex, multiple children’s parks, and a children’s theater, dozens of permanent and pop up food and beverage vendors,
shopping for almost every need,
a Ferris wheel, a Skyride that lets you have a bird’s eye view of the festival, and even a large fireworks display at night over the cool waters of Lake Michigan.
The bands that play the festival are a diverse selection that had something for rock fans, country fans, pop fans, folk fans, indy fans, metal fans and… but wait… EDM kids there was a stage for you too.
Some bands that graced the stages that day we attended included: Carousel Kings,
Yungblud,
Taking Back Sunday,
Switchfoot, Hawthorne Heights,
Hot Lips,
and Jennifer Lopez.
I also had a chance to discover new bands that were up and coming. The Johnson Controls stage had a daily contest for new, independent bands that were invited to play on their stage. The winning band earns $3k and the winner the day we attended was the Velvet Starlings.
They earned it. They are touring now and Summerfest was one of their stops. I sat and watched the set and I was impressed with the level of talent and sound from such a young band. This is a band to keep your eyes and ears on.
Masses of people came to Summerfest for Music, Food and Fun. If you are a Wisconsinite you already know all about Summerfest. If you are new to Summerfest, I promise you will leave a fan of the festival. We’ll definitely have it on our “must cover” festivals list of 2020.
Special thanks to Alan Francis for photographing and reviewing Styx June 28th for our extended coverage of Summerfest 2019.
Photo’s by Wes “Rockwell” Anderson
