SUMMERFEST @ Henri Maier Festival Park – Milwaukee, WI
June 26th – July 7th, 2019
Review by Makena Betler
Photos by David Urmanski and Ron Tupper
Summerfest 2019 is a wrap! With over 800 bands and 900,000-plus attendees spanning over 11 days of jam-packed iconic performances, tasty food and beverages from a variety of Milwaukee-area restaurants and breweries, family attractions, shopping and memories galore, Summerfest once again proved why they hold the honor of being The World’s Largest Music Festival. Located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee’s central business district, the annual celebration occurs mid-summer and attracts music fans of all genres to the grounds with its unmatched lineup of well-known international and national touring acts as well as regional and local bands performing on 12 stages that are like no other, spread across 75 acres, featuring cutting edge lighting technology and exceptional sound quality. It’s no wonder why Summerfest is celebrating 51 years of success and continues to attract concert-goers from all directions on the map.
The very first day of Summerfest is always exciting for locals and avid attendees. Businesses are booming and ticket-holders are anxious to make it through the gates to claim their seats. Festival guests enjoyed 12 hours of major music acts including DJ Steve Aoki, supergroup Foreigner and Ohio-based rock band Walk the Moon with the night closing out with featured country music singer-songwriters Thomas Rett and Dustin Lynch hitting the main stage, more commonly known as the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Similar to previous years, the day was filled with visitors enjoying all the entertainment and amenities Summerfest has to offer scattered throughout the busy campus.
On the second day, Milwaukee was visited by hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, soul-rhythm and blues artist Elle King, rockers Neon Trees and country band Lanco just to name a few. The Harley-Davidson Roadhouse stage ended its night with an electrifying performance by Lizzo, who has become a pop music sensation in recent months with her upbeat anthem, “Truth Hurts.” Meanwhile, the main stage was occupied by a vintage lineup from Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour. The multitude of artists involved in this performance included the Counting Crows, The Avett Brothers, Phil Lesh (of Grateful Dead) & Friends and ended with the infamous Willie Nelson himself. There’s no doubt this lineup helped attendees feel high on life.
While Summerfest is known for a multitude of offerings, the festival is extremely effective at attracting artists and fans to their stages from a wide variety of music genres. On Friday, the third day of the festival, there musical mishmash was not in scarce supply with comedy hip-hop trio The Lonely Island making an appearance on the Miller Lite Oasis stage alongside Grammy Award winner Brandi Carlile who took over the BMO Harris Pavilion. Other featured artists of the night included T-Pain, lovelytheband, Collective Soul and Styx who all contributed to another unforgettable night in Milwaukee. For the modern country fans, the evening ended with performances by Carly Pearce, Kane Brown and Jason Aldean in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
The weekend performances are undeniably the most attended. Visitors are finally able to dedicate time to walking the grounds for a few extra hours and seeing their favorite artists perform live while delaying the fact that they will have to wake up the next morning to return to work. Nonetheless, they make the most of it and relish in the talent they’re presented. On Saturday, artists included country-pop singer Jordan Davis, metalcore band August Burns Red, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World and the legendary American-Indie folk band Bon Iver. Sunday, proved to be another exceptionally busy day, with shows from 3 Doors Down, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Brothers Osborne and country rockers Zac Brown Band.
With one week down and one to go, the Summerfest staff assured their guests another safe and eventful experience despite the warm, humid, summer weather of the Midwest. Right out the gate, Tuesday featured phenomenal artists including the fabulous Chaka Khan who was ranked as #17 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll, California rockers Young the Giant and Scottish indie pop band Chvrches.
1970’s icon and American Idol judge, Lionel Richie, graced the audience with his presence at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater which included a special performance by former singer and songwriter from the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, as direct supporting artist to Richie. Best known for his career startup with funk band the Commodores before pursuing an extremely successful journey as a solo artist, Lionel performed his most classic hits including “Hello,” and “All Night Long,” which served as popular dance hits in the early 1980s.
The next day, Summerfest hosted bands Yungblud, Taking Back Sunday, Switchfoot, Lauren Alaina and Canadian rock heartthrobs from the 80’s, Loverboy, just to name a few. The headliner for the day was the ever-stunning Jennifer Lopez. ‘Jenny from The Block’ struck fame from her leading role in the 1997 film, Selena. Playing such an influential part came with great responsibility, but she did not disappoint. Since then, her loyal fan base has grown exponentially as she has been a strong advocate for women and Latina empowerment. Lopez is extremely vocal about growing up in the Bronx and fighting her way into becoming an international superstar. Music has always been an important part of her life, so when JLO became a breakthrough artist in 1999, her career broadened, making her a triple threat and world-renowned goddess.
Thursday, July 4th, brought Chase Rice, rock trio X Ambassadors, Sublime with Rome, Chris Janson and rapper Vic Mensa to town. This miraculous, and hot, Independence Day also proved to be disappointing for the metal-head community as Ozzy Osbourne was originally scheduled to perform on the American Family Insurance Amphitheater main stage that evening, however cancelled the Summerfest show in April after contracting a serious case of pneumonia. Likewise, the replacement band, Dave Mustaine’s legendary Megadeth and supporting acts Papa Roach, Pop Evil and Badflower abruptly cancelled their entire tour upon the announcement that vocalist Mustaine had been diagnosed with throat cancer.
While Thursday night was disappointing for some, Friday more than made up for it with fans packing the grounds to watch bands like Dashboard Confessional, Sole Swindell, 38 Special and T.I. The Las Vegas, Death Cab for Cutie and rock band The Killers who closed the weekday lineup with a dynamic performance that brought everyone straight back to 2002.
With only two days of Summerfest shows remaining before the 2019 season was officially put into the history book, there was no shortage of talent left to close out the celebration. Saturday showcased Skillet and Chris Lane while a fleet of Gen Z’s gathered to see their idol, Billie Eilish. The teenage singer-songwriter first gained attention from SoundClound users with her song “Ocean Eyes,” produced by her brother, Finneas. The duo continued to collaborate and rise to stardom by releasing her debut EP, Don’t Smile at Me (2017). Eilish’s second record, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? wasn’t out long before it topped pop charts worldwide with her most popular song to date, “Bad Guy.”
Billie’s individualization flooded the minds of teenagers everywhere. Her fashion includes baggy clothing that is designed around her own comfort and she is avid on self-love and mental health awareness. Her quirky demeanor and music style has turned the heads of millions and it doesn’t appear anything will stop her from progressing further any time soon. According to RIAA, Eilish is currently the 26th-highest-certified artist of the digital singles era and one of the most successful artists of the 2010’s decade according to Billboard.
The very last day of the iconic music festival included performances by R&B legends Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne. Before D-O-double-G ended the night on a high note at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater main stage, Jason Mraz, Dylan Scott and a multitude of other acts brought life to all of the other stages across the grounds.
While Summerfest packed hundreds of music performances, themed amusement, fantastic food and everything in between into a bustling, fun-filled two week celebration, it is never easy to say goodbye to the annual excursion taken by so many. Although 11 and a half months doesn’t seems like that long of a wait before we can re-experience such a momentous musical adventure, it always seems so distant when it has come and gone so fast. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun, so bide your time with something fulfilling until we can do it all over again next year. Thank you for 51 unforgettable years Summerfest!
Love,
Wisconsin
THE VENUE: HENRI MAIER FESTIVAL PARK Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance has evolved into what is now recognized as “The World’s Largest Music Festival” and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer celebration, hosting the music industry’s biggest acts, emerging talent, and local favorites along with approximately 750,000 fans, for an unforgettable live music experience. The 53rd edition of the festival will take place September 2-4, 9-11, and 16-18, 2021. Summerfest features over 1,000 performances on 11 stages, along with food, beverages, and activities, all in a world-class festival setting. For more details, visit Summerfest.com, or Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @Summerfest. Address: 200 N Harbor Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Website: www.Summerfest.com Tickets: Get Tickets Parking: Reserve Your Parking
