Milwaukee’s Summerfest Is A Reflection Of Everything That Makes This Midwestern City Great
Fun fact: Milwaukee's Summerfest, now in its 55th year, is the largest music festival in the U.S. This claim may not be obvious to fans of Coachella or Bonnaroo, but over the course of three weekends, the event attracts between 500,000 to 1 million music fans. What sets it apart, however, is its unique reflection of the community that supports it, a characteristic unmatched by any other festival in the U.S.
Unlike a lot of other festivals that are located in remote fields, Summerfest takes place at the edge of downtown Milwaukee, with its grounds bordering the shores of Lake Michigan. As you explore the pathways connecting the stages, you'll notice that they are predominantly lined with local eateries and vendors. In true Milwaukee fashion, beer flows freely, and the best part is that you won't have to wait for 30 minutes to grab a cold one. The festival's efficiency at…festivaling, including its affordable ticket price, encapsulates the charm of Milwaukee and its people.That ticket price, by the way? Just $26 a day. And it’s a ticket that delivers in ways the big players couldn’t dream of.
To clarify, Summerfest is not lacking in major headliners. On the night I attended, the Zach Brown Band headlined at the Am Fam theater, followed by James Taylor on the big stage the following night. However, these headliners are essentially "add-ons" requiring a separate ticket. While they may be the biggest acts of the festival, the main draw is always the multiple stages spread throughout the fairgrounds.
The Summerfest grounds sit right on Lake Michigan
If you've ever tuned into our show Discologist, you might have heard me comment on how this town seems fixated on the music of the 90s. Although it's not necessarily my personal taste, what resonates about this fixation are the underlying reasons. Milwaukee, much like the Midwest in general, isn't preoccupied with many of the concerns of the coastal regions. Sometimes this can lead to a complex where we feel left behind or overlooked (shoutout to the Chicago > Madison tour pipeline), but the reality is that Midwesterners, including myself after five years here, tend to be more present. Or at least we seem to have an easier time embracing the present. In this mindset, we are more accepting of the idea that good things remain good, regardless of how long they've been in the spotlight. Through this lens, nostalgia becomes a truly strange and wonderful concept.
While fans were certainly gathered at a stage where Deer Tick and The Avett Brothers would close the evening, there were at least 5,000 people at Steven Adler's set (formerly of GNR), headbanging to what was essentially a Guns N' Roses cover band. Earlier in the day, metal acts Vixen and Autograph performed on equally packed stages. Normally, I would say I hadn't thought about either band in years, but that would mean ignoring the fact that I likely heard one or both of them on the radio (or at the very least on a bar’s jukebox) here in the past six months.
Saz’s Combo Platter. A Summerfest tradition.
To add to the "weirdness," Jack Antonoff's Bleachers delivered a set worthy of a stadium performance, solidifying themselves as hometown heroes not only for embracing the Milwaukee/Midwest aesthetic but also for truly understanding it. Mix in some pop music (Tegan and Sara), a few DJs, and hit it with a side of fried everything (I enjoyed my first Saz's combo platter. EXTREMELY Milwaukee, folks.), and you'll have a taste of what Summerfest is all about. While this may appear as cultural whiplash to an outsider, to us, it simply feels like home—a celebration of not just music but also how the people of our city incorporate music (and beer, and food) into their lives.
And that's the beauty of Summerfest in a nutshell. It’s our home writ large. Simple, to the point, and pleasant in the best ways. There's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the U.S., and if you have a love for music of all kinds, it's an experience you owe it to yourself to visit our magical city and immerse yourself in some of the finest it has to offer.
